2024 Laos Chawang Single Extra Tall Ancient Tree #5

I was most excited about this 2024 Laos Single Extra Tall Tree(approx $300.00 for 200g cake or $1.50/g) sample having never tried a single tree sample from Laos before despite travelling there to the tea growing region.  It was not a preferable method of tea drinking back then large trees were always combined together ...

Dry leaves have a very sweet candy almost slight pungent but deeply sweet Yiwu odour. 

First infusion has a light watery creamy sweet fluffy soft mouthfeel. There is a movement towards returning sweet taste. Sugar to creamy sweet to melon. Soft sticky feeling left on the tongue. Some tingling out of body mild feeling developing.

Second infusion has a soft sweet onset with a gentle curved sweet evolution.  There is sugar, creamy sweet and a pop and trailing off of melon.  Silty smooth mouthfeel.  Mild body floating feeling. Tingling face. Deep sigh.

Third has a creamy very soft sweetness that melts into a slight pungent creamy sweetness.  Watery soft with an easy transition through some soft smooth sweet tastes.  Some tingling in the scalp and head.  

Fourth infusion has a watery pungent sweet taste onset with a slight sandy mouthfeel and sandy roof of mouth.  Some cool throat.  Face tingling is the most pronounced bodyfeeling along with a nice diaphragm releasing sigh.  Melon aftertaste on the roof of the mouth.

Fifth is left to cool and is a sweet oily soft creamy melon light flufffy airy very very smooth profile that weaves in and out of sweetness, coolness, pungency but mainly a soft sweetness.   Mouthwatering honeydew melon taste sums prominent.

Sixth has a watery woody dry bark onset with a soft emerging sweet melon creamy taste building. Peaceful sighing energy.  Face tingling. 

Seventh is woody sweet gentle with cool breath and creamy sweet soft reveal.  Cool pungent is very gentle and end and flows within soft honeydew melon taste. Refreshing vibes.  Soft body with face tingling a bit stronger. Chest unraveling.

Eighth is felt to cool and is a cooling pungent creamy sweet smooth soft sweetness with face tingling.  Open chest with deep sigh relaxing.

long mug steeping and it has a pungent cooling forest taste with long deeper cooling breath a menthol woody Forest taste almost bitter woody is in there too.  Open chest with tingles.

Days long infusion is a pungent forest oily ashy with a light sweet underbelly.

Peace 

2024 Puerh.uk TianMenShan Single Extra Tall Ancient Tree #5

These were early samples so I’m unsure if this sample was this 2024 Puerh.uk TianManShan Extra Tall Ancient Tree or this 2024 Puerh.uk TianManShan Single Big Extra Tall Ancient Tree…. Was a nice experience…

Dry leaves have a deep rich cloying floral sweet candy odour.

Rinsed leaf has a sweet spicy candy odour.

First infusion has a sweet candy melon oily sweet taste.  There is a mid throat gob of saliva and return of a chalky creamy sweet taste.  Chest expanding feelings.  Brow and face warming.

Second infusion has a sweet oily fruity woody with amid throatiness.  Pear and peach family linger minutes later on the breath.  Deep to mid deep throat sensation and flavour trap.  Sticky slight tight mouthfeel.  Subtle high feeling. Face warmth.  Nice emerging pear taste.

Third has a pungent soapy floral sweet chalky onset sticky slight tight mouthfeel with squeaky roof and gums.  Lingering sort of floral woody sweet on the breath and in the throat.  Some mild face sensations. Heavy shoulders release feeling is nice and reminds me of the nice bodyfeeling of 2006 YQH Shenpin Chawang  ….Some gentle high feeling. Slow expanding chest feeling. Nice body feel very nice!

Fourth has a woody slight sweet floral taste.  There is a mild bitter woody sweet finish.  Lingering faint candy in the aftertaste.  Some mild mid throat stimulation. Peaceful feeling with some face sensations. Cooled down it has a sugary watery pear taste with creamy sugar finish.

Fifth infusion has a mild woody sweet fruit taste.  Slight woody edges with chalky slight sandy sticky mouthfeel.  Deep cooling throat.  Lingering sweetness.  Mild peaceful feel. Cooled down it is a sweet woody chalky taste that turns into creamy sweet taste with cool breath.  

Sixth infusion has a woody sweet honey taste.  There is a sweet sort of wildflower honey sweet finish.  Peaceful slightly dleepy feeling Qi.

Seventh has a woody sweet onset with a honey wildflower finish.  Subtle fast moving bitterness.  Peaceful sleepy Qi feeling.  Heavy shoulders.  Sweet almost melon finish minutes later.

Eighth has a bitter woody onset with a quick moving bitter to soapy wildflower not much sweetness now and a slight tight drier mouthfeel m. Long cool breath. Some shoulder Qi feelings and chest opening with sleepy peace feeling.  Faint bready melon sweet taste minutes later.

Ninth infusion is left to cool and is a sweet woody onset with mid profile quick moving bitterness that turns to honey and wildflowers and ends cooling in the throat and slightly creamy sweet.

Long mug steeping has a bitter woody onset with a slight honey finish.  Sweet melon in the aftertaste. Peaceful sleepy qi feeling.

Days long infusion has a bitter drying slight floral slightly sweet almost fruity taste.  Pop of honeydew melon. Chalky full feeling. Chest beats strong with face tingling.

Peace

2024 Puerh.uk YiWu Long Tan Qing

This 2024 Puerh.uk YiWu Long Tan Qing goes for Approx $253.00 for 200g cake or $1.27/g.

Dry leaves have a pungent evergreen sweet lingering odour.  

First infusion has a light creamy sweet taste.  Long uninterrupted creamy sugar.  Cooled down is icing sugar sweet pure taste.  Soft mouthfeel with creamy sweet sugar returns.  Creamy…. 

Second is oily sweet creamy pure soft oily mouthfeel pop of creamy return.  Smooth soft feeling in body. Peaceful clear mind.

Third infusion has a sweet grains soft mouthfeel with sweet grain finish.  Soft edges sticky mouthfeel. Peaceful easy bodyfeeling.  Some arms lightness. Cooled down is clear sweet sugar melon taste.  Sweet returns as icing sugar.  

Fourth has a viscus sweet taste with a sweet icing sugar return.  Soft mouthfeel.  Cooled down it comes off as sweet watery icing sugar with soft cool feeling.  Peaceful Qi mild in the mind with light limbs.

Fifth has a watery gentle sweet taste.  Cooled down it has a more melon sweet taste.  Sticky edges.  Faint cooling breath. Gentle and peaceful.

Sixth infusion has a watery woody faintly sweet taste.  Grains wood with background sweetness now.  Peaceful vibes gentle bodyfeeling.  Cooled down is a watery sweet sugar.

Seventh is left to cool for hours and is a watery clear sweet creamy taste with woody background slight grains taste.  Cool breath.  Peaceful gentle feeling. Sweet lingering melon sweetness minutes later.

The long mug infusion has a bitter soapy woody sort of muted floral with sticky mouthfeel.  Faint long woody sweet taste.  Peaceful waves of energy with chest opening feeling.

The days long infusion of spent leaves is a smooth trying to be creamy smooth sweet.  Icing sugar cool breath.  Sweeet icing sugar taste. 

Peace

2021Puerh.uk SanChaQing Single Extra Tall Ancient Tree #1

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2024 Puerh.uk Benchmark Ancient Trees Lineup (the First One!)

After steady aged and semi aged offerings for years now Puerh.uk has thrown its hat into the ring with sourcing some fresh puerh.  This is pretty standard practice about this point in the game and I think it’s great that they started offering fresh for those who seek out such youth in puerh.  I was kindly offered a handful of some of these new puerh free for review.

The lineup called “Benchmark Ancient Trees” as far as I can tell is focused on Danshu or Single tree often Pole trees and most certainly Ancient trees.  I have most of my experience with such things from Puerist where I have sample a handful of single selected ancient trees.  Usually these are the oldest in a tea garden or forest.  Interestingly I was told by mark Turner of Puerist that single trees often will develop a character that is slightly different than the typical character of a tea production area.  This is because the blending of a whole gardens flush removes and rounds out the taste whereas a single tree can have some less typical and unique individual nuance.

I had a good time with Puerh.uk single tree samples which are reviewed in the next week or so here on the blog…

Congrats Paolo and Una on your new foray into the fresh stuff!

Peace

2024 ChenYuan Hao Lao Ban Zhang: Gentle/ Strong when Pushed!

Save the best for last simply because LaoBanZhang is the king of puerh!  This 2024 ChenYuan Hao LaiBanZhang goes for approx $545.00 for 100g cake or $5.45/g which is most definitely the most expensive fresh puerh I have ever sampled!

Dry leaves have a sweet odour faint almost grape/ berry.

Rinsed leaves have an almost roasty sweet forest odour.

First infusion has a woody watery onset with slight barnyard gamey edges.  There is a very faint sugar pure sweetness that emerges late with cool breath and deep throat opening. It leaves gentle sugary edges behind.  An evolving returning sugary pure sweet taste. Subtle body tingling and face and scalp tingle.  Mild spacy uplift early here.

Second infusion has a watery clear woody onset with some pungent faint barnyard.  Sticky mouthfeel with cooling breath and open deep throat.  Sugary faint return and expanding in the deep throat.  Cool edges give way to long sweet faint taste.  Tingling body and head and scalp. Spacy chest floating out of body feeling with a mild high/ happy feeling.

Third infusion is left to cool and has a fruity woody sweet taste with sticky slight right at the edges mouthfeel.  Deep cooling throat and deep opening.  Lingering sugar sweet finish that expands from the returning sweetness.  Sweet almost candy gum faint minutes later coming from the throat. Tingling body.  Chest expanding floating. Scalp and head sensations.  High relaxing. 

Fourth infusion has a sweet pure watery entry- sugar and lesser wood.  Clear taste with sugar sweet mild return and expanding.  Cool mild deep thrust opening. Soft sticky mouthfeel. Cool expanding sugar clear aftertaste.  Tingling arms and head and face with chest rising up bodyfeeling. 

Fifth has a sugar slight fruity mild sweet taste.  The sugar sweetness returns with faint fruity and stretches into the aftertaste.  Sticky oily texture.  Mild pop of fruity sweet return and stretching into aftertaste.  Tingling arms and elbows. Face and head.  

Sixth has a bitter fruity woody taste with purfume musky floral almost grape with gripping slight dry feeling and cool deep thrust opening. Chest floating done tingles in face head. Spacy peace.

Seventh is a watery clear sweet sugar fruity with faint woody.  Deep throat opening.  Mild flavours but expanding faint evolving sweet sugar taste. Sticky mouthfeel. Tingling and spacy feelings. Spacy relaxing.  Cooled down it’s has a more fruity sweet oily onset with returning cool breath mild sweet sugars.  Mild taste. Quality moderate bodyfeels and mild spacy Qi.  This is a really gentle Lao Ban Zhang.

Eighth has a sugar woody onset- more woody now with a dry tighter mouthfeel.  Not much sweetness returns in the cool deeper throat that feels tighter now. Spacy tingling with chest floating bodyfeeling.

Days Long mug infusion has that classic bitter fast moving onset with oily sweetness sugar candy fruity to follow.  The cold drink is bitter with a fruity floral almost sweet chalky sticky mouthfeel.  Lots of strength in here still.  Needs to be pushed harder. Really enjoying this long steep… could have went a few more infusions for sure.

I put it for a few more days steeping and it is oily with an almost grape woody sugar sweet taste still very faint bitter to sweetness.

This Lao Ban Zhang is all about the tingling body feels and chest floating mild unique feeling.  The deep throat coolness and mild expanding pure sugar sweet is also nice and delicate.  When push hard you get that classic Lao Ban Zhang bitter to sweetness characteristic profile. 

Alex’s Tea Notes

Peace