2012 Legend of Puer Bangdong Shen Gu You Lan: Good Value Gushu!

 



As I sampled the 2014 ShengChun Hao XiGui yesterday, it really reminded me a lot of this 2012 Legend of Puer Bangdong Shen Gu You Lan (Orchid In the Valley).  It goes for $121.00 for 357g cake or $0.34/g.  They both have a similar processing, location, quality, and age.  I hit this one pretty hard many years ago and I definitely don’t regret it.  It’s aging well in my super dry storage…

 Something that caught my eye when I was reading the description on the site many years ago is that the Legend of Puer observed auspicious astrological dates when they picked this tea.  I learned about all this interesting stuff when I was picking and producing my own semi-wild green tea in South Korea decades ago but not too many puerh producers seem to follow these astrological signs.  It used to be common for puerh to state it was picked before QingMing (April 4th). But that was really all that was stated and it’s rare these days that “Pre- Qingming”.  The dates which were chosen to pick this tea are 5/6 days before and after the Spring Equinox on March 21. This would impart both an attempt at centring the powerful.  I think this actually describes a bit of this puerh’s essence…



Dry leaves have an ultra almost perfume floral fragrance with hints of orange and wood notes.  Dry leaves smell amazing.

First infusion has a very very sweet creamy floral cake taste with soft chalky mouthwatering oily feeling.  There is a distinct light floral almost orange blossoms taste with a woody base taste in a thick chalky mouthfeeling.  The qi is also quite strong with a spacy euphoria already building.

The second infusion has an oily juicy orange fruit and floral clear clean taste.  Really mouthwatering and salivating with spacy euphoria.  You can feel the chest beats strong ascending energy with deep sighs.  There is a mild astringency underneath that tugs on the throat and empty stomach.  Creamy cake like sweet returning with mild wooodiness.  A lingering astringency felt on an empty stomach and increases urine.

Third infusion has a sweet almost cake like orange woody floral onset with some faint mouth pucker. Chalky on the tongue stimulating on the throat pucker in the mouth.  Nice pops of clear delicious flavours.  The astringency is building so is the Qi with big mind melting euphoric energizing and chest sensations.

Fourth infusion is left to cool and gives off a very sweet floral woody caramel taste.  Smooth mouthwatering feeling with slight mild chalky feeling and throat stimulation. Nice euphoria high feeling with chest beats and energy.  Long sweet cake pastry creamy almost woody orange taste.  Mild astringency now.  Deep breaths sighs.

Fifth infusion has a creamy sweet taste with a mouthwatering lubricating feeling on the tongue.  The returning sweetness has an orange blossom woody sweetness. Very sweet long faint cool breath with strong euphoric Qi and chest beats.  Nice creamy cake-like sweetness with strong mouthwatering effect and ling cool sweet finish.  Very clear pure tastes.

Sixth infusion has a smooth creamy sweetness watery wet mouthfeeling with long cool breath and an orange cake like aftertaste with slight woody nuance.  The astringency is gone now.  Long cool breath sweetness is really nice as is the revitalizing euphoria.  

Seventh infusion is a blander woodier taste but still mainly sweet creamy cake and florals.  The mouthfeel is a touch sandy now with a subtle grains taste.  Chest radiating Qi feeling.  Slight dry mouthfeeling now slight pucker.  Long cooling sweet breath.  Nice stamina because it’s still quite sweet here.

I put it into an overnight infusion… the next morning it comes off quite sweet floral caramel still pretty oily.

Vs 2014 ChengShun Hao XiGui-  biggest difference between these two is the density of taste in the XiGui.  It has this really compact sweetness that is really nice.  The XiGui has more intensity and power where the Bangdong has more long drawn out strong but delicate, as the site description states, more feminine qualities.  XiGui has a stronger mouthfeel and astringency and the Qi has a more intense body feeling and deeper energy. The bangdong has a stronger throat opening and more euphoric feeling.  They both have that Lincang astringency, as the site states, bit it’s a bit different for each one.  The 2012 Bangdong has an astringency that makes you pee whereas the 2014 XiGui, being a bit younger, can feel it in your empty stomach.  If you are not a fan of a bit of nice astringency you might want to pass on these…

Marco (Late Steeps) Blind Tasting Notes ( Mystery Tea F)

Peace