Marshland Brawler: 2017 Chen Sheng Hao Ban Zhang Ancient Tree 200g Brick

This 2017 Chen Sheng Hao Banzhang Ancient Tree 200g brick is now for sale at Puerh.uk for approx. $257.00for 200g brick or $1.29/g… I got this sample free with purchase/ for review… Chen Sheng Hao is famous for adding a bit of Lao Ban Zhang into these things…

Dry leaves have a woody, papery faintly sweet odour.

First infusion has a watery woody pondy but bright clear candy taste with seaweed aftertaste mixed with hard to grasp candy.  There is a lingering but super faint bitterness underneath.  The mouthfeeling is very faint sand.  You can feel some faint chest sensations right off the bat…  Long faint lingering bitter sweet candy taste minutes later with slow release saliva.

The second infusion is left to cool and gives off a pond marshland onset that expands into bitter and candy sweetness with the marshland storage taste of drier natural Taiwanese storage taste trailing into the aftertaste of mild but building bitterness and candy sweetness.  Chest heart beats.  Mind is energetic.

The third infusion has a pond marshland faintly pungent onset that slowly changes into a woody bitter which then slowly gives way to sweetness in the aftertaste.  The sweetness is subtle and long.  The profile is really clear, stretched out and slow moving with the pond-marshland, likely storage taste spanning the profile and providing some depth.  The mouthfeelng is a faint soft velvety coating.  There is a faint cooling and saliva producing after the bitterness subsides to make room for sweetness.  All the flavours are not too strong but slowly reveal themselves.  Nice chest heart beats with some chest expansion and energetic focused mind.

The fourth infusion has a more condensed creamy sweet with pond onset the bitterness is getting stronger and starts to beat the crap out of my now empty stomach… there is also more saliva producing and more sweetness but this is more bitter than any LaoManE I have sampled recently… super strong unhinged power that races the heart, excites the mind into a euphoria… and pains the stomach from its raw bitter power… oh baby!  The cooled down cup is much sweeter with a long candy finish….

The fifth infusion has a bitter pond-marshland then some slower to emerge sweetness, a bit of faint cooling and a faint saliva release.  The sweetness almost reminds me of a box of cereal I’ve tied… granola?  Long faint slow emerging sweetness that strengthens in the mouth minutes later.  Softer faint velvety coating.  Humongous waves of intense alerting energy push me into a dysfunctional giddy mess…  Strong heart beats and shoulder heaveiness with cheek numbness.

6^th sweet bursts of candy sweet under a moderate flat bitterness some heart beats and forehead sweeting.  More lubricating texture and sweetness with drier tugging mouthfeeling.  Powerful Qi.

7^th a bitter pond-marshland onset with an almost but not really fruity and floral sweetness that expands into a candy like finish.

8^th has a quick bitterness with a pondy-marshland finish a cooling throat and returning saliva to the throat.  There is a slow sauntering sweetness underneath that slowly reveals a candy sweetness that is transposed over some lesser bitterness and marshland taste.  The Qi is felt in the strong heart beats, open chest energy movement down shoulders and limbs.

9^th infusion has a bitter then pond then woody then a slow sweetness.  The cold cup gives off a woody menthol caramel sweet that turns candy slowly and slightly minutes later.  Strong alerting Qi, I break a sweat as my heart pounds.  Slight dry gripping mouthfeeling.

10^th infusion has a flat bitter and fruity presentation with pond and woody tastes in there and a cooling pungent on the breath.  The pond marshland taste lingers throughout… this is a drier Taiwanese storage thingy…

11^th has a malty caramel fruity sweetness that pops with the bitterness then pond tastes then throat cooling… ahhhh… then candy faint sweetness under bitter and pond…. Strong heart beats, sweat, limbs…

12^th has a sweet pop then bitter with woody and pondy then sweet and cooling.  Stong Qi!

13^th has a sweet onset then a bitter, pondy then sweet then cooling then candy. Strong Qi!

I goes like this for a handful more infusions….

I return to the pot the next day… still at flash infusions and its giving off some pond watery onset with some lesser sweetness, more woody pond marshland than yesterday faint sweetness…

The mug overnight infusion is marshland pond with a faint ashy incense bitterness and not really much sweetness just hints of returning sweetness.

It feels like single estate profile or maybe just delicately blended? and obvious Laobanzhang taste that is a bit more LaoManE than Lao Ban Zhang.  Dryier natural storage.  Super power Qi.  Super enjoyable!  I would rate this one pretty high compared to some of the other more obvious Lao Ban Zhang samples I have recently had.

I drank all these past Ban Zhang samples in about an 8 day span and it made my life super enjoyable!  Thanks Paolo for this opportunity!

Peace

2006 Lao Man Er Banzhang Peacock: Clear LaoManE Qi!

I really gradually warmed up to and ended up really enjoying the unusual complexity of this 2004 NanQiao Bulang King previously offered by TeasWeLike.  It was enough for me to reorder if that says anything?  I believe it was probably the best cheapest cake they have offered so far.  But the storage gives off some pretty unique kind of tastes for sure.  So, naturally, I was quite excited to try this 2006 Green Peacock LaoMan’E for $148.00 for 357 g cake which promises to be a similar but different experience…

Dry leaves smell of faint woody dry leaf subtle pond common puerh factory smell.

The first infusion has a pond, leaf, and almost melon edge.  It is surprisingly not smoky nor is it bitter.  It just has a subtle melon sweet edge over a very clean pond marshland taste.  There is a bit of deeper throat cooling and a soft sandy faint mouthcoating.  The aftertaste is a creamy sweet melon fallen autumn leaf.  It leaves a nice mouthwatering over the tongue.  Nice cozy warming Qi in the body that flushes the face.

The second infusion has a subtle sweet melon taste with a fallen leaf base taste the aftertaste has a maple sugar and demerara sugar finish.  There is a faint bitterness here throughout but enough to make my Stomach rumble.  The profile is really clean and clear with a dry fallen leaf base and a complicated changing sweetness that goes from a fresher melon initial tastes to more of a toasted brown sugar finish.  There is a nice deep coolness and finish, and oily texture over a soft sticky faint sandy tongue.  Lots of saliva gobs in the mouth.  Nice warming Qi in the body.

The third infusion has a fallen leaf sweet melon initial taste with a moderate bitterness and brown sugar subtle sweet finish.  The bitterness is moderate with a bitter-astringency that is not so much tasted as felt in the Stomach and body.  The cooled down cup is refreshing melon very fresh taste nuances.  Nice mouthwatering and cool throat.

The fourth infusion has a fallen leaf with very subtle splash of fresh melon taste.  There is a deep cool throat and a retuning melon aftertaste.  The original freshness of this Lao Man E is definitely still here but so is obvious dry aging notes of dry leaf.  The Qi is warming and comforting in the body and mind.  Nice flat subtle mouthfeeling with returning saliva watering effect.

The fifth infusion is left to cool and is still a bitter fallen leaf with more sweet complexity in the aftertaste along with a stable long coolness in the aftertaste.  There is a melon taste under fallen leaf even some bread notes.  Nice flat mild dry tongue with an oily back of mouth feeling.

The sixth is a mild bitterness over a bready sweet melon and fallen leaf base taste.  The flavours are really clear and pure.  Nice warming energy.  The cooling throat. 

The seventh is bitterer with a more woody fallen leaf, bread with flat tongue coating and returning bread sweetness.  Not as much saliva, or cooling. Nice warming focusing cozy Qi.

The 8^th has a nice woody incense onset that returns as a nice sweet long honeydew melon taste.  There is a very nice long sweet melon fresh taste in here, the bitterness and astringency is pretty much gone.

The 9^th has a nice cool sweet melon with the base leaf taste becoming much less, bitter is very faint, and there is a nice rich bread sweetness as well, some woody, almost incense tastes. Nice focusing and warming Qi.  Some faint bodyfeelngs in the diaphragm.  Nice to drink, feels good.

The 10^th has a nice factory woodiness or “resin” to it that is very familiar to me, a bit of incense, a flat tongue, not much saliva producing or much aftertaste.  A bit of woody cool melon and incense.  Nice warming and comforting Qi.

11^th is a smooth woody incense resin like taste not much else nice clear storage note with a factory resin finish a very mild bitterness and nice flat almost dry tongue and some throat cooling.

12^th I mug steep out the rest…

Overall, the storage is real nice preserving that classic melon or honeydew melon rind Lao Man E taste with still a bit of bitter edge that makes Lao Man E famous.  Its at the right maturation to enjoy a bit of both worlds here.  This one has a bit more astringency to it than I’m used to from Lao Man E also makes it on the edge of being enjoyed now with some sessions being a bit harsh on the Stomach and others perfectly fine.  The nice warm Qi in there make it still enjoyable especially as the astringency seems to recede after the 5^th infusion.  A beautiful compromise in keeping the integrity of Lao Man E.  This cake feels more like a gushu type tea than a factory type tea and some of my modern gushu produced puerh shares some of these nuances minus the astringency. Really it’s kind of between both worlds which makes it a bit interesting to me.

I ended up drinking this cake a few times last summer particularly for its Qi which can be a strong focused Euphoric happy feeling.  This is the Qi of good quality LaoMan Er, in my experience and this puerh has it.  I enjoyed it a lot for summer driving and travel.  I’m unsure if I will go for another cake?

Vs.2004 Nanqiao Bulang King- is more complex and powerful but and not as harsh as the LaomanE but with similar storage nuances and complexity from that type of storage.  The LaoManE still has faint fruitier and fresher nuances with 2 more years of storage the 2004 Bulang king does not.

Vs. 2006 Lao Man Er factory big round cake… this is a pretty interesting comparison as the age and factory and even material will be similar but the processing and storage location and production quality differ.  The Big Round cake is a really loosely compressed cake of gushu-ish material that has a bit of charred or roughly processed material in there and mine is dry Kunming stored.  It has both a crude and harsher feel and taste as well as a more elegant milder presentation.  Not as obviously LaoManE in Qi and bitterness as well.  Much more mutted and muffled.  Doesn’t make me feel great overall but somehow there are glimpses of enjoyment especially the melon fruitiness.  TeasWeLike peacock is a much preferred option.

Macro’s (Late Steeps) Tasting Notes

Peace

2014 Tea Urchin Lao Man E: Vibrantly Energetic LaoManE Blend

I sampled this 2014 Tea Urchin Lao Man E that goes for$82.00 for 200g cake or $0.41/g this month and ended up caking it.  I wanted to compare to the 2013 but forgot to order that sample in my last order.  The 2012 Tea Urchin Lao Man E sold out quickly when it was released.  The 2011 is a favorite of mine and the 2013 is also highly regarded.  The 2011 and 2012 are sweet Lao Man E whereas the 2013 & 2014 are blended sweet and bitter varietals.  The 2011 I tired is very nice gushu quality.. Okay lets…

Dry leaves smell of faint fruity distant almost grapefruity woody notes.

The first infusion has a nice creamy pie like or bread like peachy note it is long and goes deep into the throat and aftertaste.  Very yummy and hints at how good this is going to be.  This is one very nice very long very deep sweet note.  The mouthfeel is a soft fluffy feeling.  The Qi has immediate effect.

The second infusion has a very very mild bitter woody peachy pie onset.  The peach note is really long in the mouth.  Very very long… there is only the faintest of bitterness here.  It has that soft fluffy tongue feeling a deep throat coolness but the flavor is consistently bready peachy pie woody clear pure single note.  The Qi races the Heart a bit and focuses the mind.  You can really feel it in the chest.

The third infusion has a very fruity peachy onset that is very creamy and custard like not any woodiness now just clear, pure sweet flavor notes.  A fluffy soft tongue coating acts as a landing pad for a strong saliva push and along with the deep-mid throat sensation.  The flavor is long and pure and starts on the tongue then travels into the deeper throat, then expands on the returning saliva then stretches into the breath.  The experience is very nice with really no bitterness which is surprising to me.  I would say the bitterness is so faint its just enough to add depth.  The taste is particularly exceptional and the mouth/throat/textures are top notch.  The Qi is heart racing and euphoric.

The fourth infusion has a strong blast of fruity tastes with only a mild quick moving bitterness that comes off as a bitter-sweet coco.  The bitterness is a touch stronger here but only a mild-moderate.  Nice mouth, throat, saliva producing.  The increase bitterness comes also with increased viscosity.  The coco tastes stretch into the aftertaste enweaving with peach pie.  The heart racing is strong and so is the euphoria.

The fifth infusion has a strong juicy fruitiness with a pop of moderate bitterness that presents as bitter coco and peachy sort of woody taste.  The mouthfeeling and texture of this puerh is exceptional.  Thick pudding like feeling saliva with deep cool throat and a slightly full tighter tongue coating.  I sweat from the strong energy of the tea.  The heart races and I shift into euphoria.

The 6^th infusion has a soupy almost herbal pungent bitterness with a peachy and melon rind like taste.  There is a creamy sweetness that emerges as the mild bitterness recedes there is still lots of bread-like custard tastes but the fruity taste is more complex- peachy, melon, dragonfruit, yellow melon.  The mouthfeeling, holds with still lots of returning saliva.  Lots of heart pounding Qi with a vigorous energy and a bit of euphoria now.

The 7^th has a thick fruity bitter coco taste with a long mild bitterness that mainly presents as chocolate amongst the fruity thick and creamy bready tastes.  The mouthfeel has gotten fuller as the bitterness slowly increases throughout the infusions.  The power is strong with this one.

The 8^th infusion has a bitter coco onset with layers of fruity nuance that are brought out with the bitterness.  There is a deep cool throat and coco bitter layers.  There is a strong mouthwatering effect as well.  The bitter sweet taste is long in the mouth.  The power is strong in the body even with some face tingling but the energy is comforting and warm in the body.

The 9^th infusion has a fruity coco mild bitter onset with an oily presenting liquor with deep faint cool throat and saliva returning.  The Qi has lots of punchy energy in the mind while being very comfortable in the body.  The mouthfeel is starting to end sandy now.

The 10^th infusion has a very fruity bitter coco taste.  The cool throat is definitely more pronounced here with a longer creamier coco in the aftertaste.  The bitterness slowly gets stronger but not that bad.. I would say a moderate bitterness now.

The 11^th is a silky almost fruity bitter coco taste.  As the session progresses the bitterness becomes more pronounced but so does the long deep throat cooling effect.  There is still lots of oily texture and saliva returning.  Great heart beating Qi.

Running out of time in my day to savour this beauty, I dump it in a mug and grandpa steep the wet leaves out… The bitterness of the warm mug is moderate-high bitterness with a coco taste and subtle sweet fruit.  The soaked leaves the next day are really nice- sweet melon, subtle spicy pungency with a pumpkin and coco taste. 

Overall, this is a great Lao Man E puerh with high points of very good texture, returning saliva, mouthfeeling, deep throat pungency, strong energetic Qi.  The complex interplay of the sweet material with the more bitter slowly revealing itself throughout the session is the real beauty of this Lao Man E blend which adds a certain complexity and intrigue to it.  Admittedly, it’s not of the same higher quality Gushu leaves of the 2011 Tea Urchin Lao Man E production but the blend makes up for its lack of singular quality.  Liked this one enough to cake it but I’m still left wondering about the 2013 Tea Urchin Lao Man E…

Steepster Tasting Notes

Joe's (Shizen) Tasting Notes

Peace 

2020 Tea Encounter Lao Man E Kucha (Bitter) When It’s Hot Out!

I have been saving this sample throughout the winter for the first real hot day of the year.  The first day my body feels really hot, uncomfortably hot.  These days are Lao Man E days!  Today is that day…

Unfortunately, my waiting has been too long and this2020Tea Encounter Lao Man E Kucha  (200g cake was selling for $82.16 or $0.41/g) has now sold out.  It was a rather late entry into the fray, released after Black Friday. Lao Man E at this price ain’t bad at all… least not as bad as this heatwave of Above 30C…  There is still some samples left for those that want to try it. 

Dry leaves smell of a woody paper odour.

The first infusion has a mild gamey floral watery onset with a slow developing mild bitterness that returns with a bit of watermelon sweetness.  The mouthfeeling is a bit gripping but not dry.  There is a lingering floral watermelon peel on the breath.  A chest opening Qi can be felt.

The second infusion has a floral green bitter bite.  The bitterness is really strong as expected with a bitter green overwhelming taste to it with a bit of cool throat and returning slight floral and watermelon peel tastes.  The mouthfeel is gripping and full with a bit tugging on the throat.  Nice mild open chest and light limbs feeling.

The third infusion has a sweeter bread-like sweetness a burnt toast kind of sweetness over a slightly gripping mouthfeeling and relatively more mild bitterness throughout but a slightly floral and almost honeydew melon rind and almost woody returning sweetness.  The Qi makes the limbs light and airy and the body feels deeply recharged.

The fourth infusion has a bready toast sweetish onset with a moderate bitter that comes out of that.  The mouthfeeling is slight fine sand and faintly gripping.  The sweetness here goes from onset to aftertaste and is a bready sweetness.  This infusion is the least bitter so far and is much sweeter.  The Qi is nice and relaxes the body and limbs.

The fifth is more buttery milky sweet almost floral with a moderate bitterness in the mouth and a bready finish in the mouth.  The mouthfeel is slight gripping, slight sandy. There is a low level almost fruit, floral, bread sweetness throughout.  The bitterness lingers on the tongue.  The Qi is relaxing here.

The 6^th has a bitter toast sweet taste with a returning watermelon rind sweetness with a more floral finish.  Nice relaxing and slightly slowing down Qi.  Light limb bodyfeeling is pronounced and is my most enjoyable aspect of the puerh so far.

The 7^th has a creamy bready sweetness to it that comes initially then stays into the aftertaste. There is a quick splash of watermelon sweetness.  Nice light limbs and open chest feeling. An almost lime melon rind finish.  Light body feeling.

The 8^th left to cool is a mellow bread and rind soft of taste with a bit of coolness in the upper throat and on the breath with a honeydew melon rind finish.  This infusions is almost fruity sweet with faint bitter and a more juicy feeling in the mouth.

9^th is left to cool once again and gives off juicy bread and fruity almost melon with some burnt toast kind of tastes.  There is a mild bitterness that lasts long in the profile and is the last note in the mouth after the melon rind sweetness has dissipated.  Qi feels really relaxed and slow with very light limbs.

10^th has a juicy feeling with an almost rubbery moderate bitterness that puckers the mouth.  The throat feel is mild here with a bit more upper throat gripping than most infusions.  Some melon rind finish and increasingly sedate feeling from this one.

11^th has a juicy muted fruity melon mild watery bitterness to it.  It has a nice long honeydew melon taste in the aftertaste.  Some chest opening and floating limbs but very mild.

12^th is luke-warm and is a bit woody burnt toast not really sweet and only mildly bitter.  Not much flavor here but nice Qi continues to emit from this one.

13^th oops is a good 10 second past flash steeping is woody bland similar to the 12^th more floral finish… I put this into the mug..

Mug is mainly just bitter deliciousness on this end… crush that heat out with this bitterness… hahahah…

This Lao Man E is an interesting creature.  It really isn’t that bitter but nor is it as sweet as some Lao Man E I’ve tried before.  It also doesn’t really taste much like Gushu but also not plantation or Xiaoshu.  I check the site and it says its Zhongshu or middle aged tree… That makes a lot of sense… and look the description is also really similar to some of my notes… I agree with the Strong Qi and with the bread sweetness…

What it does have is a very approachable price tag for Lao Man E.  It also offers a very solid bodyfeeling of relaxed limbs and Qi that is relaxing sedating and airy.  It also offers nice variability throughout the session with lots of different and interesting tastes to enjoy throughout.  On the first really hot day of the year, I enjoy this bitter cool energy of Spring.  Very satisfying to my body on this unseasonably hot day… this is the aspect of this puerh which I enjoy the most.. the bodyfeeling… a very nice feature for this price point.

Alex’s (Teanotes) Tasting Notes

Peace

Very Good Lao Man E: 2011 Tea Urchin Lao Man E Spring

Certain puerh producing areas have a certain character, feel, or qi to them.  Lao Man E is widely known for both its intense bitterness and its Qi sensations.  In the West, I feel like Tea Urchin played a big role in Lao Man E’s notoriety.  This tea was the very first offering of Lao Man E from Tea Urchin.  The vendor description is as follows...

A special release from our first ever pressing of Lao Man E. A blend of the finest sweet & bitter Lao Man E gushu leaves,topped off with 10% wild tea tree leaves (adding some extra bitter kick). We only made 10 of these 357g cakes, so get in quick! You can read about the making of this tea on our blog.

When returning from my puerh buying hiatus, I found it quite interesting that there is no review or mention of this tea on the internet.  Just one blog post by discipleoftheleaf back in the spring of 2012 (link).  I guess this is understandable due to its rarity and high price at the time  of release($128.00? for a 357g cake).  Naturally the full cakes sold out quite quickly.  However, the site showed that there were nine 30g samples left for purchase at $16.50 for 30g ($0.55/g).

On Tea Urchin’s BlogI noticed that there is a picture of 12 of these pressed Spring Lao Man E cakes, but on the website it states that only 10 cakes will be sold.  I imagine that the 11th cake was broken into samples and the 12^th is a prized possession of Eugene and Bell.  The rarity of such a production immediately lured me into a purchase of one of these with my very first order from Tea Unchin in early May 2018.

After receiving this sample, I really did sit on it for a little while, waiting for the perfect day to sample such a special tea. When choosing a puerh to drink on a given day I don’t do this haphazardly nor do I do it randomly.  I try to choose a tea which best harmonizes my energy.  Today, I choose this bitter Lao Man E…

In Traditional Chinese Medicine each flavor has an energy, a season, a direction, ect.  The flavor of the Heart is bitter.  The Season of the Heart is Summer.  The bitter taste is said to Drain (Heat) in the Heart.  The bitter flavor in general is both Heat Clearing and Damp Draining.  It is especially beneficial for draining Damp-Heat.

It just so happens that lately I have been slightly pulled out of balance by a case of too much Damp-Heat.  The abnormally hot and humid weather as of late has only made this imbalance more entrenched.  The weather today is hot and humid, above 30 Degrees C, the deep heavy lying dark clouds are pleading for a release in this close humidity.  I can’t think of a better time to heed the warnings of the over-the-top bitterness of this Lao Man E and just dive right on in…

Dry leaves smell of intense fruity with undertone of hay and woods and even raison/ grape.

First infusion has an intensely bitter initial taste with a nice buttery taste and a creamy almost fruit hay taste.  The mouthfeel and throat feel are slightly sticky and softly astringent.  This initial taste of butter and even slight raisin is strong and long lasting in the mouth.  The cha qi is intense very intense and pushes one into an immediate sweat.  The body feel is cloudy and light- the head floats away.

The second infusion has that intense initial bitterness. The aftertaste has a fruity faintly sweet, raison and butter rum taste.  Despite the bitter the mouthfeel is full and oily and not dry nor astringent.  The buttery rum and raison taste is stuck on the breath minutes later.  The mouthfeel and throat feel are sticky and gummy.

The third infusion shows maltier raison notes over an increasingly bitter initial taste.  The taste is not a simple taste but dense in some respects.  The bitterness doesn’t relent in the profile.  It slowly diffuses over the span of minutes.  The qi is big.

The fourth infusion the bitterness is getting more intense.  It is hard to imagine drinking this tea for the taste.  The flavours splash into the mouth even a fresh berry taste in the initial appears quickly.  It’s simply too bitter to enjoy yet the flavours are brilliant in here malty rums and raisons in a buttery sticky mouth and throat feel.  There is a mild cooling on the breath minutes later.

The fifth infusion is bitter bitter bitter and much the same… maybe more bitter.

The sixth is a touch more cohesive in taste the malty tastes come to getter nicely.  Strong qi.

The seventh infusion is again much of the same tastes but more together now.  Malty, buttery, rum and raisin, almost fruit, barely sweet- big qi.

The eighth infusion… finally the bitter is starting to back off to a more tolerable level.  There is a bright berry fruit taste in there briefly in the initial taste.  It has a malty raison buttery base taste.  The mouthfeel is sticky.  There is a mild cooling aftertaste with slight raison and faint berry.  The ninth is similar with a more raison and fruity notes emerging now.  There is a nutty taste left on breathe.

The tenth infusion is still at a flash infusion.  It presents as almost watermelon kind of mango like buttery sweetness initially.  The base taste is much less malty raison and more cooling in aftertaste now.  This tea is transforming.

The eleventh infusion starts off with a nutty buttery bitter taste then slowly transitions to raison.  There is dried fruit in the aftertaste as well as a distinct coolness now.  The tongue feels sticky and a little numb.  The throat is sticky and open.

The twelfth infusion has an almost fresh watermelon velvety buttery initial taste with a bitter that slowly builds then drops off.  It has a nice coolness on the breath.  The deeper, richer, maltier, nuttier deeper flavor profile is gone leaving a different taste to this tea.

The thirteenth infusion starts with a creamy buttery taste which turns into watermelon then into a cresting bitterness.  There is a coolness and barely sweet taste in the aftertaste.  The mouthfeel is sticky and nice.  An almost chewed out gum taste is left on the breath along with these tastes.

The fourteenth infusion starts with a fresh pop of fruit then trails into a bitter which crests into a returning not that sweet cooling feeling on the breath.  The aftertaste is like gum almost rubbery.

The fifteenth infusion is much the same but with a long nutty aftertaste.  There is an interplay of nutty tastes that seem to emerge in some infusions and not in others.

The sixteenth and seventeenth are quite nutty also with the higher fruit tastes disappearing and leaving a barely bitter and mainly nutty profile.  There is still a cool sweetness with nutty tastes in the aftertaste.  It is important to note that the taste is still quite full at this point with no signs of giving up.  The rubbery gum taste is gone and a pleasant nuttiness remains.

The eighteenth and nineteenth has a touch of watermelon again the nineteenth has this slight fresher fruit touch with a thicker nuttier taste.  This is a good tasting tea.  Still significant qi in there.  Significant sticky mouth feeling.

This tea has great stamina the twentieth is steeped a bit longer but the tastes are much the same just a bit more bitterness really, a bit more depth to the tea.  I long steep the 21^st just for fun and a very strong, bitter brew with a strong cooling aftertaste is what happens.  Sweet high fruit, watermelon, lots of nuttiness.  I think this is hands down my favorite Lao Man E I have ever sampled.  I really enjoy the 10% wild leaf addition, it adds more interesting depth and pumps the qi up even higher.  This tea seems to last forever…

As the rain finally falls down… I am at peace…

Think I might clear those samples out …

Peace

Introducing Laomane Menghai Banzhang Factory: 2006 Laomane Menghai Banzhang Factory “Banzhang Wang” Banzhang Ancient Arbor and 2006 Laomane Menghai Banzhang Factory “Banzhang Wang” Laomane Ancient Arbour

Is there anyone out there reading this that has ever heard of Laomane Menghai Banzhang Factory? This factory has been around for a little while and is located in the puerh producing village of Laomane (aka Laomaner).  Location, location, location.  This factory has undoubtedly benefited from being located and by primarily pressing cakes from the Banzhang area.  Their selection of puerh includes lots from this trendy area.  It seems to include very factory/ plantation like productions as well as old arbour pressings from this area.  King Tea Mall has a wideselection to look at if anyone is interested.

I acquired these two cakes together in a recent order fromAwazon.  I paid $59.00 for 400g($0.15/gram) for the Banzhang and $21.95 for the 357g ($0.06/gram) Laomane.  A few days after ordering there was a big “Sold Out” marker on these two.

Let’s first try the 2006 LaomanE Menghai Factory “Banzhang Wang” Banzhang Ancient Arbour…

Large dry leaves have an airy soft and creamy floral smell to them with a very slight suggestion of smoke.

First, is a light slightly smokey, slightly creamy taste with nice soft mouthfeel in a sour soup.  The throat is opened but not overly activated by the liquor.  There are faint suggestions of cherry hidden in all of this.  This first infusion is a ghostly one.  The mouthfeel slowly layers itself on with each cup.  Very slight cherry tastes are left in the mouth along with barely floral suggestions.  The cha qi almost immediately sharpens the senses.

The second infusion has more vegetal notes as well as smoke in there.  The mouthfeel really stacks itself to the point where it is nicely thick.  It holds some tastes of barely sweet cherry and even more fleeting floral.  A very mild coolness develops in the throat.  There is a soft astringency and sourness that comes in as well.

The third infusion shows slights of slight, crisp juicy cherry tastes up front the slight smokiness is pushed to the middle and there is a faint fruity floral lingering in the breath.  The smokey taste is the dominant taste in this tea with the fruit and floral at the edges.  This infusion has a stronger perfume and fruity onset.

The cherry fruit and slightly floral taste slowly gains momentum in this tea.  In the fourth infusion it is more obvious still.  The cha qi is quite relaxing and focusing on the mind.  I can feel the energy gingerly sauntering around my body as well.

The fifth and sixth is much the same a nice crisp pop of fruity cherry slight florals then soft smoke then a slight returning fruit flavor.

The seventh infusion the smokiness is gone and the fruit and floral are left behind.  This tea is a nice slow moving tea that feels like it will last many many infusions with quick infusions.  Overall the taste and qi is not standoffish and is very unpretentious.  The leaves have lots of stamina. 

The eighth has some honey and florals in there now with less fruit.  The ninth has lots of honey floral tastes.  To me the long stamina and changing flavor of this tea confirms its arbour/ non plantation status.

Ten, eleven, twelve push out a nice floral taste in a decent soft mouthfeel with still a cooling throat feel.  This tea can be steeped a long time with nice floral taste in a soft and juicy mouthfeel with barely cooling in the throat.

Overall, this tea is believably Banzhang and possibly at least some arbour material.  Overall, I like the tea and it is different than any others I have ever had before.  I guess most people don’t get to test lots of 11 year Banzhang?  LaoBanzhang puerh was a rarity in Korea and most of what I’ve sampled in the past were great examplesof 1-5 years old LaoBanZhang.  I have never purchased any LaoBanzhang bings in the past so overall this is new territory for me.

Ok let’s change gears just a little and try some of the 2006 LaomanE Menghai Banzhang Factory “Banzhang Wang” LaomanE Ancient Arbour…

Dry leaves smell of strong, vibrant, pungent floral and sour fruit.

First infusion presents with a thick floral front with a sweet creamy sweet edge and nice harmonious coolness in the throat.  There are some juicier and watery edges to the taste that appear more as well.  The mouthfeel is slightly sticky and fairly full the sweet creamy florals stay on the breath.  An interaction of fruity notes on the breath minutes later.

In the second the initial floral notes are pronounced and plume and cloud on the breath with an underlying note of creamy fruity sweetness.  There is a barely noticeable bitter vegetal taste underneath.  It finishes with a solid coolness in the throat.

The third is much of the same strong floral display.  The mouthfeel of this tea has a nice chalky consistency.  The qi is somewhat strong in the mind pushing racing thoughts around, simulating, alerting, the body feels it too but is relaxed under the influence of the cha qi.  More of a malty, creamy sweet base starts to present itself now in the layers of chalky mouthfeel.

The fourth and fifth present with many fruit tastes of honeydew melon and honey along with the now secondary floral tastes that expand on the cool aftertaste.  The tea develops some more pronounced slight vegetal notes here that seem to add a further layer nuance to this tea.

The sixth and seventh has slight  flat wood and vegetal base to the mainly dominating floral and sweet honey fruit tastes.  The qi is more relaxing on the mind now- putting it at peace. 

The eighth has floral tastes almost fading away now and some sweetness is left in there too.  Long steeping pushes out mainly drier woody notes with slight bitterness- there doesn’t seem to be much left in the tea after eight infusions.

Overall, these teas could easily be priced 3-4x what I paid for it.  I feel like I got quite a deal from these two and am currently looking at exploring more from Laomane Menghai Banzhang Tea Factory from King Tea Mall in the future.  King Tea Mall lists the 2006 Banzhang at$289.00 per cake which is probably closer to the actual value of a cake of this namesake and age.  If you completely forget the name and just go on the actual taste and feel of this cake is probably closer to double what I paid- still a great deal.

Of the two I really preferred the LaomanE in the initial steepings but the BanZhang had much more stamina and tasted good for many many infusions.  Overall, both of these teas were on the mild end of the spectrum for BanZhang and LaoManE teas.  I think that the Laomane might have a harder time as it ages but the Banzhang has enough to last the long. 
It is my understanding that the LaomanE Menghai Banzhang Tea factory tends to produce puerh that tends to be less strong and more mellow than your typical LaoBanZhang and LaomanE.  It was interesting though to see how potentially BanZhang and LaomanE puerh age because there is not really that much out there for comparison.

It still showed that a tong of these two were available days after I placed my order.  I am left wondering who was that lucky puerh drinker that purchased a tong of these two just days after my purchase?  They really walked away with a deal!  For me I am happy I walked away with a cake of each, I'm not sure if I would have purchased a tong of it anyways.

Peace

2009 Yunnan Sourcing Lao Man E

This sample comes care of Hobbes of The Half-Dipper and is available for purchase at Yunnan Sourcing. There is great article on Lao Man E from the Tea Urchin that is worth a read if you haven't (here). With the unseasonably cool, rainy, and cloudy spring in Victoria, one has been drinking lots of puerh. Next week the Korean tea will start arriving at the doorstep but if the weather doesn't improve prehaps one will still be drinking puerh?

Today is one of those unseasonable days. Let's stay warm with some puerh from Lao Man E...

The long, hairy, dry leaves are filled with many white buds and smell of pungent, barely sweet forest odours with a deep sweetness staying in the nose.

The first infusion has an initial taste of deep mushrooms with a subtle sweet taste. There are pungent-foresty-spicy notes in the finish. The breath has a soft returning coolness over the pungent forest base which is quite nice. The mouthfeel is soft and thin and already its presence is felt in the upper throat. Its qi is felt tossing in the stomach even after the first cup.

The second infusion is made up of a creamy, mushroom-forest pungent tastes that trail into a long very light pungent but creamy sweet aftertaste. A soft creamy-cooling sensation lingers in the mouth. Their are some muddled berry tastes minutes later on the breath. The mouthfeel is very soft but now reaches deep into the throat.

The third infusion has much the same flavour as above however now slight bitter notes infringe on the taste profile- the higher notes seem muted by this new show of strength. The mouthfeel becomes somewhat thicker and slightly pasty on the lips. The qi swells up in the chest and swirls in the stomach.

The fourth infusion delivers soft, smooth, light mushroom-pungent-forest initial tastes. It develops into smooth-sweetness over a faint smokey-roasted coffee-forest depth. There are distinct cherry notes in the aftertaste as well giving it an interesting complexity.

In the fifth infusion the liquor reveals clear, slightly creamy, almost nutty-chocolate tastes. It has a cool nutty finish. The qi now seems to toss the mind about and one can feel the heart beating in the chest from this powerful chaqi.

The sixth and seventh infusions have clear, light foresty notes that carry a slight but distinct dark coco edge. The taste finishes in the mouth with a light, dirty forest and slight coco taste. The taste becomes more simple in these infusions. The qi has a nice warmth to it and brings warmth to the head, face, and spine. The mouthfeel is sticky, full and throaty.

The eighth infusion is much like the last but simple fruity notes can now be noticed.

The ninth infusion becomes more brackish with soft bitter, dirty forest, and coco still easily found in the taste. There is also still a nice cool finish in the throat with berry edges in the aftertaste.

The subsequent infusions become more dirty and muddled with a very simple distinct bitter-coco taste. The chaqi is powerful even into the twelfth infusion.

Link to Hobbes' (The Half-Dipper) Tasting Notes

Peace