Puerist “Made Round to Go Round” Mystery Dragon Ball! (2019 Puerist Naka)

Hey this is fun- a Dragon Ball!  I have no idea of providence nor age so this one is a mystery to me- a blind sampling.   It is the only suggestion of some marketing something, marketing anything really, from Mark Turner of Puerist!  OR maybe it is just simply a form of kindness?  We all need more kindness these days….

Dry leaves smell of faint dry woody barely sweet almost honey.

After a 30 second long rinse the wet leaves smell of a creamy sweet, floral woody bittery green fresh odour.  The material is likely from the last year.

The first infusion I do a 30 second steeping again with a woody candy floss long candy onset that evolves into a candy finish.  Did anyone say candy? This tastes and feels like Yiwu to me.  There is a watery slippery mouthfeeling and long candy over dry wood flavor with expansive sweet candy in the aftertaste after low pungent.

The second infusion is another 30 second steeping is a woody creamy sweetness with a dry woody base taste which starts sweet candy and ends in the mouth more candy.  There is a carrot/ raspberry almost woody vegetal edge that comes out in this infusion.  The mouthfeel is a bit slippery and slight gripping.  Not too much sensation in the mouth.  This infusion tastes more like Nannou to me.  There is also the faintest smoke that is almost unrecognizable and very faint astringency.  There is a long faint peachy almost woody taste even many minutes later.

The third infusion I go 25 seconds and it gives off… a thicker brothy soupy grassy type of sweetness that is thick and dense and overlapping with a moderate oily viscosity.  There is a floral and sweet peach that emerges from the dense soupy grassy woody tastes.  The mouthfeel is a moderately thick sandy sticky.  The Qi is felt a bit in the chest and makes the mind feel clear.  This infusion reminds me of Bada.

The fourth infusion is a 20 second infusion and delivers woody slight dirt grassy taste with sweet candy which expands in the mouth.  The grassy pondy soupy woody with candy.  There are nuances of dirt tastes almost coco with carrot like nuance.  The mouthfeeling is an almost tight sticky with a mild throat feeling and increasingly sticky lips.  The Qi is really mild and focusing with some Heart beats.

The fifth was a 10 second steep and has a buttery grassy woody taste with a underlying creamy candy sweetness that is highlighted more in the aftertaste.  The sweet candy and almost peach aftertaste has a slight woody almost astringent base.  There is a long peachy creamy woody sweetness minutes later.  The mouthfeel has a bit of pucker chalkiness even on the tongue and this sensation reaches deeper into the throat this infusion.

The sixth is a flash infusion for a while here and delivers very floral sweet highnoted melon and peachy floral sweetness.  This infusion has a really nice uninterrupted honeydew melon sweetness throughout, which is almost sugary at times.  The taste is draped over a soft but almost sandy not really puckering mouthfeeling and very mildly stimulates the top throat.  There is a mild fresh melon coolness at the finish.

The seventh infusion has a woody onset with distinct candy like sweetness.  There is a creamy fluffiness to the sweetness and long candy like taste that is definitely tasting very Yiwu.  The mouthfeeling has developed very nicely in to a fluffy sticky full feeling thing.  Qi is very mild and focuses the mind a bit.

The eighth infusion has a woody dirt carrot and candy taste to it.  There is a long sweet candy melon aftertaste over a woody base.  The mouthfeeling is nicely thickening with a sticky pucker and stimulating the throat to hold the candy aftertaste for a long time afterwards.  The Qi is mild and focusing.

The ninth infusion has a mild woody chalky woody not as sweet now kind of icing surgery sweetness.  There is a slight woody brackishness in the taste now and less elegance.  The mouthfeeling is sandier and almost dry with not much going on with throatfeeling, Qi or aftertaste now.

The 10^th is still at flash but the liquor was left to cool and it gives off a simple woody almost maple syrup with expanding sweet taste.  The mouthfeel is sticky with slight sandy pucker fullness.  Mild alerting Qi.

11^th has a woody buttery floral aspect to it the sweetness has a caramel edge to it now not the fruity sugary quality it had at the start of the session.  Soft chalky and slight sticky drying full mouthfeeling.  It still has a brown sugar finish now and a nice moderately oily texture.  Relaxing and focusing Qi.

12^th has an orange peel creamy sweet almost caramel sweetness to it.  It ends in a caramel and fresh honeydew melon sweet finish.  There is a deeper mid throat opening here with longer nuanced sweet melon and caramel aftertaste.  The mouthfeeling is more of a moderate-mild chalkiness with a relaxing mild Qi.

13^th has an orange peeling almost orange coco chocolate taste with an emerging creamy almost floral orange blossom sweetness with a longer caramel finish.  The throat is opening deeper here with a nice chalky mouthcaoting.  Almost floral orange caramel finish in the mouth.  These last infusions have been really smooth and enjoyable.

14^th This infusion has more coco orange peel slight bitterness with a more gripping mouth and throat feeling.  There is less sweetness here and more of a dirt woody coco. 

15^th infusion has a pondy grassy soupy woodiness almost a grassy sweetness.  There is only faint sweet edges left over a sandy sticky mouthfeeling.  Mild relaxing qi.

16^th infusion has a bitter woody taste that is almost coco and not really peachy floral.  I leave the session here only to come back a mug steep out the leaves tomorrow during the work day…

The grandpa steeping of the spent leaves should be quite powerful because the leaf hasn’t completely unraveled from the small tight compact ball shape completely.

The leaves are a bitter woody almost coco and a bit of spice peppery pungency.  There is a coolness in the throat but not that much fruity sweet left - just some on the edges.  As the mug cools more of a floral bitter dirt almost sweet pear and orange taste almost jasmine taste develops.

Conclusion, this production is likely 2018/ 2019 and has some qualities from Yiwu, Bada, and Nannou.  I am left wondering if it is a blend of different regions?  I enjoyed this easy drinker.  What goes ‘round comes ‘round.

Thanks again Mark!

 

Edit: I was informed by Mark Turner of Puerist that these Dragon Balls are of the same material as the 2019 Puerist Naka “Middle Aged” (Zhong Shu) which goes for approximately$38.00 for 200g cake or $0.19/g when converting back from Canadian currency.  Which makes it a really solid budget single area puerh.  This Naka isn’t as powerful in Qi as more expensive Naka but its flavor is complex enough that I thought this one might be a blend so that says a bit about its quality for the price.  Another interesting thing about this puerh is that it is the first that I know of that is marketed as “Zhong Shu” or middle aged trees (between Xiao Shu and Gu Shu).  I wonder if other vendors will use this marketing in the future?

 

Peace

 

Rough & Elegant: Two Interesting Yesheng/ Wild Tea Samples from Teapals

Last month I put my very first order through at Teapals.  I picked up what turned out to be the last of these 2003 Shuangjiang Mengku Da Xue Shan Wild puerh bricks (I haven’t tired them yet) and in the order I received a few interesting complimentary samples of wild puerh by Mr. Teapal himself, KL Wong.

I believe these came from KL Wong’s personal collection because I don’t see them for sale on his website.  Usually, I don’t write about samples that are never offered for sale in the Western market but these two are both a bit unique in their own ways.  One of them is one of the most ethereal and elegant wilds I have tried where the other is from Western Xishuangbanna, the Naka region, an area that we don’t tend to see a lot of yesheng.  So I thought, for eduational purposes, I would type some notes up on these two interesting wild teas.  Why is most yesheng/ wild that reaches western markets from Northern Xishuangbanna or from the Yiwu/ Western Xishuangbanna producing areas?  This, I don’t know?

2008 Teapals Small Factory Naka Yesheng

The dry leaves smell of hay and distant woody sweetness.

The first infusion has a buttery entry with a soft and woody base with a creamy sweetness.  There is a faint cloud of fruit sweetness on the breath- almost like a tart cherry taste but not really even tart.

The second infusion I taste a more woody less buttery taste.  It has a straw almost dry wood with a layer of sweetness.  The moutheel is mildly sticky the breath is of fruits of faint strawberries and wild cherry, it’s more of a creamy sweetness almost candy floss.  The tastes are faint and delicate but are supported in the woody base.

The third infusion is a touch more woody with a pungent almost wood bark with a long faint fruit aftertaste layered into faint candy floss.  This infusion has a bit of a brackish/ smoke tinge to it.

The fourth infusion starts a touch smoky and wood.  The mouthfeel is mainly on the tongue.  The Qi is pretty mild with a soft warmth generated in the body the spine feels nice and loose.  This infusion gets noticeably smoky and slightly rough with a baked apple sweetness and candy floss covered in a woody slight smoky taste.

The fifth infusion has a nice woody, deeper slight smoky, layered dry apple nuance.  Has a slight cooling taste.  The qi is mild and a bit relaxing now.  I can feel it behind the eyes.  This tastes like a pretty traditionally processed wild.  Has a bit of a fruit aftertaste lingering there.

The sixth infusion starts a bit smoky with nuances of wood and almost fruit sweetness.  The qi is quite mild but warming in the body.

The seventh infusion is a bit warm fruity smoky onset slight sandy tongue feel.  Lingering smoke and slight fruit aftertaste.  Long slight sweet, slight smoky taste.  Mild Qi sensation- warming in body and can feel energy in the diaphragm.

Eighth is much the same.  With a faded talic berry nuance. Energy feels clean and natural.

I steep this for a few more infusions and get a nice smoked plum flavor in an almost sandy tongue feeling.

This is standard enough wild for an everyday drinker, clean in the body, but no other overly apparent strengths and an old-school a traditional processed vibe.

I enjoy this tea for what it is- nice little traditionally processed wild from a region I have not yet sampled a wild tea from, Naka.

2018 Teapals Early Spring Wild Yiwu

Dry dark coloured leaves have a heavy dense deep floral syrupy sweetness with lingering candy odour.

The first infusion arrives with a light water vacuous onset with faint icing sugar sweetness and faint woodiness.  The taste is delicate and the minute’s later aftertaste is a mild woody coolness with distant long creamy sweetness.

The second infusion has more sweetness in its approach and a soft and elegant long dry woodiness that stretches into a faint bubble gum flavor long on the breath.  This tea is very elegant and long tasting.  Its mouthfeeling is very soft and mildly viscus on the tongue.  It feel like it reaches deep into the throat but with graceful simulation there. The Qi in here is very nice, happy feeling, light-floating head sensation, lax body, smiles. 

The third infusion starts off very faint, almost woody with a faint underlying bubble gum sweetness and icing sugar.  The profile is very long, subtle, graceful, super mild.  A soft returning coolness in the deep throat.

The fourth develops some depth with a soapy bubble gum almost grape Thrills gum like taste that pops initially before embracing the thin dry wood tastes.  This initial taste is strung out slowly in the aftertaste and breath.  Deep relaxation you can feel it in the heart slowing- Qi is very very nice.  Big relaxing and gooey body sensation Qi here.

The fifth infusion has a woody almost icing sugar onset with dry woods to follow.  It develops a fluffier cotton in mouth feeling and has a woodier almost briny woody and faint floral suggestion.  Deep long faint sweetness of bubble gum on breath.  Floating.

The sixth infusion is developing a subtle chestnut richness with thin dry wood taste and faint long barely bubble gum tastes.  The taste is still very elegant but I wouldn’t say it’s weak or thin but rather fine.  The seventh is much the same as the flavours develop a warmer almost nutty wood nuance.  The mouthfeel is soft, fluffy, and barely sticky.

The eighth and ninth have a richer nutty wood taste with a barely creamy sweetness.  Overall the taste is sweet but hard to explain like the sweetness is coming from the nuttiness.  Faint creamy sweetness in breath.  The mouthfeel develops a mild astringency now.

The 10^th and 11^th have a more round, almost metallic woody taste and deep faint long sweetness.  There is faint floral lingering- the mouthfeel is more astringent here.  The taste is mainly woody now slight astringency with metallic and faint breath sweetness.

I had to step away from the tea table very early morning and, unfortunately, didn’t return until sunset.  This one seemed to start to fade before I stepped away.  I put it in an overnight infusion and got some really nice dense, rich, syrupy fruit stuff.  I put it in another overnight infusion and got much the same which tells me this one could have probably steeped out nicely.

This wild had real nice qi, it was one of the most fragile wild tea I have sample so far.  Much more delicate than any other Yiwu wild I have tried in the past (here and here).  Nice to drink now… love the qi in there.

Peace

Pu-erh.sk 2013 Naka

This is the last of Peter's 2013 Pu-erh.sk samples- a sample from Naka.  It looks like this nice cake has since sold out- too bad its a good one.

The dry leaves smell of light floral, fragrant fruity notes sneaks into the nose.

The first infusion is of a light watery taste with notes of honey in the aftertaste. There is a nice long distinct sweet fruit taste that plays out lingering on the aftertaste. Mouthfeel is soft and slightly sticky in the mouth and upper throat.

The second has a frosty fresh forest initial taste then it dips into a deep dense fruity taste in the mouth. There is a nice cool and creamy sweet menthol finish in the mouth. The mouthfeel has a creamy/chalky density that feels right in the mouth. It coats the upper and mid throat.

The third starts with a creamy-sweet barely bitter taste. The strong and deep fruity taste quickly arrives and lingers. There is a long dense fruity taste that sticks deep into the throat. Even minutes later there are deep dense fruit tastes. Distinct honey-floral come out later.

The fourth is a dense deep fruity taste less divided and more packed into the dense taste profile of this tea. Deep fruits linger with menthol which opens floral tastes into the throat. The qi is mild and makes the body feel light.

The fifth is much the same heavy tastes now with a deep fruit taste which dominates the profile. The aftertaste continues its sweet & long taste of creamy, menthol-laced fruits and honey taste.

In the sixth it has more of a watery profile, likely from a shorter infusion. It is still full of creamy, fruity, sweet tastes and full chalky throat feel. The creamy notes come out more under light pressure here.

Wishing to take this tea further, something rather important comes up, and these leaves are left for a few days in the pot. One will be sure to enjoy what is left of the sample.

Thanks again Peter for the opportunity to taste these 2013 Pu-erh.sk cakes.

Hobbes' (The Half-Dipper) Tasting Notes

Jakub's (T) Tasting Notes

Cajovy Kaman's Tasting Notes

Peace