2011 Che Ma Xuan Pa Sha: Curation Startups

Upon starting up the gem which is Tea Urchin, proprietors Eugene and Bell decided to add a few curated pieces from small puerh vendors they enjoyed.  This was likely done for a variety of reasons.  The most obvious would be to bulk up their offerings on their site to give more selection in the first few years they launched until they expanded their own brand.  Almost all other Western puerh vendors have done the same when they first start out, before their brand puerh has been built up.  They did this for a handful of 2011/2012 puerh offerings.  A lot has sold out since then but many are still available.

It seems Tea Urchin selected these other small puerh vendors to fill gaps in the areas they offer such as offering some select Jin Jiao and Legend of Puerh from Mengku and Lincang- they offer very little from their own Tea Urchin brand from these areas.  There are also some lower 2012 Autumnal Yiwu price point offerings by Xin Sheng Li Hao.  As well Mr. Yu’s offerings in his Lao Zhi Qing and Che Ma Xuan brands which present areas that Tea Urchin didn’t back in its early days at a price point much lower than the house Tea Urchin brand.  I picked up samples of the 2012 Lao Zhi Qing Lincang Impression and this 2011 Che Ma Xuan Pasha.

I was putting some thought into acquiring some Pasha area puerh and I couldn’t understand how the 2011 Che Ma Xuan Pasha at Tea Urchin is still hanging around.  I remember the popularity of the 2006 Haiwan Organic Pasha back in the day.  I’ve sampled the Pasha region a long time ago too…  some Douji and that notorious 2010 Yunnan Sourcing Autumn Pasha - the one that turned me off of Pasha for a real long time… hahahah.

Okay let’s get to it this 2011 Chen Ma Xuan Pasha goes for $153.00 for 357g cake or $0.43/g...

Dry leaves have a faint woody, slight smokey, and sweet forest odour with a touch of dry grass and hay.

The first infusion starts pretty smokey, like an old factory cake, just subtle grass tastes with mild cooling and hay in the aftertaste.  Minutes later a brown sugar note faintly lingers.

The second is quite smokey again.  There is a buttery taste underneath, hay, faint cooling, then brown sugar.  The long aftertaste is super interesting mix of brown sugar and toffee.  The mouthfeel is soft and velvety.

The third infusion has lots of smoke to begin (too much), with buttery hay taste which comes to a mild underlying cool pungent then a long brown sugar and even high noted sweetness pops.  The long sweet aftertaste is complex and interesting full of layers of sweetness.  The Mouthfeel and throatfeel are silky and soft but the throat seems to open reasonably deep to mid-level.  The smokiness and complex sweet finish is unique and an interesting juxtaposition.  The Qi is soothing and relaxing like a soft wave embracing the body and mind.

The fourth infusion has a smokey onset.  The smokeiness here is the delicious type but bridging on the harsh type.  There is some hay underneath before a mild cooling then rolling brown surgar and even floral sweetness pushes through here.  The throat opens nicely and sweet tastes roll out.  I’m enjoying the Qi here happy and chill with a mild, optimistic pick me up.

The fifth is much the same the tastes seem like smokey oak barrel, mild pungent cooling and long brown surgar. The tastes are very layered and smooth and give the taste much depth.  The long sweetness is very nice. The mouthfeeling and throatfeeling remain silky and smooth.  This is like a good scotch.

The sixth is much the same the flavor doesn’t change much the smokeiness kind of compounds and seems a bit stronger now. This infusion is a touch more astringent and woody with smoke and less hay and layered sweetness.  I feel wobbly on my feet from this Qi like I’m in a boat at sea.

The seventh has a juicy and thicker onset of peachy juice this thick sweetness initially is stronger than the smoke which is less in this infusion.  This denser sweeter peach taste is throughout and joined by high noted sweetness. There is a fruity almost tropical finish with brown sugar underneath. 

The eighth infusion starts with a thicker creamy peach juicy broth taste.  There is a mild smoke underneath but fruit tastes now dominate with subtle hay and brown sugar and even dry wood and grass.  The layers in the taste are impressive and enjoyable.  There is a long fruity taste.  The mouthfeel is velvety and the throat opens pretty deeply.

The ninth infusion is much the same still more juicy and dense with a long sweet aftertaste but a touch more smokey in this infusion.  I find the smokiness kind of builds the closer I drink the infusions.  Nice feel good Qi.

Tenth starts off a dense juicy fruit that lingers throughout.  The brown sugar sweetnesses are less and so is the smoke but it is mainly just this dense juiciness with subtle smoke, hay, wood.  The mnouthfeeling is a bit sticky.

Eleventh infusion is much the same the smoke builds in this consecutive infusion.  The aftertaste develops a distinct bring honey taste that I have not seen yet.

The twelfth infusion and thirteenth infusion are mildly Smokey with a pronounced sweetness.  The aftertaste forms a honey-like taste.  The taste is nicely layered and decently thick with a nice open throat feeling.  This sensation pulls along a ghostly fruity sweetness on the breath.  The tastes are thick and nicely packed together.  The Qi is really happy and free feeling.

14th, 15th, 16th and so on… I lose track but the flavours are consistent. Moderately sweet juicy dense approach with very mild smoke and mild sweet aftertaste of honey and barely fruit.  So I drink this tea like this for quite some time…

This is a nice Pasha and I think there are going to be some people who will enjoy this one.  The smoke is never harsh but it doesn’t fade away either.  I like a smokey sheng but for me the smokey taste was a bit too much… but I really like this one.    The density of flavor and open throat feeling in this one is notable as is the progression of changing taste through the session.  I think the material under the smoke is really nice stuff.  I think if you steep your sheng light you might be able to get away with the smoke here.  If you like your sheng, like you like your whisky, I think you will really enjoy this Pasha at a very approachable price.

Peace

2018 Bao He Xiang “Wu Jin Hao”: A Very Menghai Blend

Just like in some white2tea blends, we don’t get much from the description of this blend. “"Wu Jin Hao" is a blend of semi-aged mao cha from old tree harvested tea leaves that was pressed in 2018” as stated on the Yunnan Sourcing page.  This one goes for $170.00 for 357g cake (or $0.48/g).  The absolute mystery and semi-agedness of this one lured me in…

Dry leaves are of chicory, licorice-y, black licorice root sweet odour.

First infusion has a blank onset with a slow to build sweetness. There is a bit of floral under clean woody and almost mushroom suggestions.  There is a mild pungency then a high noted creamy sweetness attempts to push through.  The mouthfeel is silky and oily and has a full elegance to it.  The long sweet creamy aftertaste is noted.

The second starts empty almost vegetal, toffee, sarsaparilla, mushroom, then a long creamy sweet uninterrupted taste.  There are some nice layers going on here.  The base is a nice clear fermented mushroom and woody.  There is a richness in taste and feel.  Develops a heady type of relaxing and stimulating Qi. 

The third has a woods, sour, licorice root, chicory, mushroom, mildly smokey nuance with a velvety almost sandy mouthfeeling and opening mid throat empty feeling in throat.  The aftertaste taste has a long pungency creamy sweet to it. 

The fourth infusion starts off with a mushroom, slightly smokey, woody deep note, there is a pungency slightly cooling that is faint then a sweet creamy note over smoke, woody, and mushrooms.  A slight caramel faint sweetness is lingering with smoke a minute later.  Pasha, Menghai, type of blend I would guess.  I’m fond of such things.  Qi is sedating on the mind but races and powers through the Heart.

The fifth starts a slightly sour, smokey, woody, and mushroom, there is a slight floral note before a mild quick pungent then a lingering mild-moderate sweetness overtop mushrooms and woody tastes.  The mouthfeel is becoming sticky the throat opens pretty deeply.  The Qi is powerful in the Heart and starting to stimulate the mind.  The Qi is building into something quite powerful.

The sixth infusion starts slightly sour and sweet and mushroom and woody.  There is a pop of floral sweetness before the mild pungency brings some creamy sweetness.  The flavor tastes nicer than I can describe here and more nuanced Menghai type of feel to it.  The mouthfeel is moderate and velvety almost sticky.  The throat opens to midthroat.  A very mild sweetness is left on the lips.  This infusion is as sweet and highernoted as deeper mushroom woody noted.  Qi is really nice and gives the body a mild shivering type thing.

The seventh infusion starts a sweet creamy mushroomy smokey woody taste which is quite enjoyable.  There is a faint pungent then a creamy sweet finish.  This tea has a base of woody, smokey, and mushroom that stays throughout the profile.  Its subtle elements like creamy sweetnessses, slight caramel, slight pungent even light floral that either comes and goes or doesn’t infusion to infusion.  There is a slight sour astringency but not really bitterness.  This infusion has more of a nuanced sweetness and even a sunflower seed taste in there as well.  Strong powerful Qi sensation here, lots of jittery powerful energy, head unfocused under the power and Heart racing.

The eighth and ninth infusion starts with a sweet, smokey, woody taste.  There is a mild astringency and soft sweetness in the finish.  The woodiness and smoke are more prominent than the sweet here.  There is a sunflower seed taste.

The tenth has a sweet nuance to it almost but not really fruity, mushroom, woody, smokey, sunflower seed, and slight pungent, returning creamy sweetness over these base tastes.  It’s a nice full taste with a deep, mid and light aspect to it.  So Menghai in taste, feel, and Qi.

The eleventh starts to feature the smoke first then woody and barely sweet.  This is what a lot of these smokey shengs end up doing when the initial flavours drop.

The 12^th has an almost juicy fruity onset.  The bassier flavours drop to the background and the juicy sweet flavor is mellow but prominently featured here.

The 13^th has a juicy almost oily taste and feel with very mild smoke, mushroom, woods in the distance.

The 14^th infusion is slight bitter slight fruity slight smokey taste there is a progression to creamy sweetness on the breath but the smoke is building again…

15^th infusion is much the same with a bitterness starting to significantly build as well as smoke.  The closer the time between these last infusions, the more bitter-astringent they are on the guts as well as the mouth.

I decide to end here… my head buzzing as I break into a Qi sweat.

Overall, this puerh has a balanced taste between deep mushroom woody smokey tastes and light sweet creamy and sometimes almost fruity tastes.  It has enough to keep it interesting.  It has a pretty classic smokey Menghai character in here that I enjoy.  This blend is a nod to a more classic puerh taste and feel that you can touch in some 80s and 90s style cakes which I value and enjoy but that which very few vendors seem to be able to produce these days.  The mouth- and throat-feeling sit more in the background and just keep things running smoothly.  Look at those wet leaves- there is a diversity of aged material in there with a feel of a 5-8ish year old Guangdong storage.  The Qi is a big strong type.  Overall, this puerh is pretty good, its just hard for me to justify a purchase at this price.  There is something about the classic feel to it that twists my brain into thinking that it should also have a classically low price… but its 2018… so this is what we get.

Peace

Changes in Tea Drinking & China Chadao Event: Zeta (2011 Douji "Pashi") and Eta (2010 Douji Pure Series "You Le")

Most definitely my style of drinking tea has changed with the move to Saskatchewan. I wake early and drink simple tea from a beautiful buncheong five person tea set by Korean ceramic master Kim Jong Pil, then at the office I drink tea from a ceramic one cup pu-gak style tea maker by ceramic master Huh Sang Wok while enjoying the view from the window, then a few times a week I travel two blocks down the road to Life with Tea & Art Ltd. to drink from a full Chinese Tea set up on a wood table with yi xing pots and porcelain cups. These last two samples from the China Chadao Event were sampled with tea shop owner Bill Hanbiao Ye. They were done over conversation and very informally. The following notes reflect both my and Bills opinions of the samples...

The Zeta was the only sample that I didn't get to try before reading Hobbes posting. In the posting Hobbes explained that it is a 2011 Douji "Pashi" Special Maocha.


The very long dry leaves contain lots of vibrant sweet smells in the mix of many light hairy mao cha. They smell of deep perfumery sweetness balanced with a slight light sugary pungent edge.

The first infusion delivers very light, sweet taste, very pure tastes. There is lots of odour in the cup with florals and full sweetness taking charge.

The second infusion was left for a good minute (oops) over lively conversation. The result is full of deep tastes of malty depth as well as sugar cane and wild flower high notes. A cool sensation is left in the mid-throat as it opens gentley. A malty-sweet sugar cane taste is left in the mouth. This long infusion delivers a nice balance of depth and sweetness.

The third infusion is another long steeping (double oops) once again caught up in good conversation! Again this pot displays a nice balance of deep bitter-sweetness and mainly sugar cane high notes. The qi of this tea is very calming on the mind- it has a profound impact on ones perspective.

The fourth infusion is much the same as the third but deeper notes are now exploited even more. The throatfeel reaches a deeper level in this infusion. The mouthfeel is fine but full.

The fifth infusion shows fatigue from the longer steeps at the beginning of the session. It stars loosing its kick but still has a very nice throat feel. There is a barely melon sweetness linger in the mouth.

The sixth and seventh infusion are much the same, watery now. The qi from this session is very mellowing.

The next tea sampled the following day was coded "Eta". This tea was also steeped up in the teahouse.

The dry leaves contain only a weak, distant odour. The faint smell is almost mushroom with a faint ambiguous sweetness that is hard to grasp in this mix of a few longish hairy leaves mixed with dark browny-greens.

The first infusion is very rich, velvety, and buttery. This creamy initial taste is somewhat expansive in the mouth and throat- finishing cool in the throat. There is a butterscotch aftertaste on the breath. This first infusion has only a bit of depth- mainly just smooth tastes.

The second infusion gives us a strong bitter-creamy initial taste with a slight rough mouthfeel. The creamier, malty tastes are drowned out by the bitter heavy edge.

The third infusion is much the same with bitter tastes becoming even stronger now. A single malty sweet taste underneath emerges more in the aftertaste.

We steep this tea for a few more infusions and conclude that this tea is likely of single mountain origin because of its monotone taste. We surmise it is likely around 2010.

Guess: Either 2010 Douji Pure Series "You Le" or "Yiwu"
Actual: Pure Series "You Le"

Peace

2010 Yunnan Sourcing Pasha

This sample was gifted by Hobbes with about a hundred others. One sampled this tea just before traveling last month.

The Yunnan Sourcing website provides great background on the Pasha tea growing region and makes claims that this tea has a "strong pungent mouthfeel" and "cha qi [that] is very energetic and lasting". Let's drink some tea a see if it is true to these claims.

The dry leaves are a mix of many white and very hairy long, big leaves. They smell of very sweet florals- you can smell a pungent kick to these leaves.

The first infusion is prepared and pours a brown yellowish colour. Very soft, sweet somewhat spicy straw and potato sweetness slowly slides away into a bland dryness. A rubbery, bland wood taste is left as an aftertaste. The lips, mouth, and throat are veiled in a thin dryness.

The second infusion begins watery, light, and woody in its initial stage. Very little fruity sweetness returns, what does is only a brief glimmer before turning into dry wood and dry rubber in the mouth. This tea has very little sweetness, if any. It grips the mouth with a thin, rubbery dryiness. Even when less leaf is used this unpleasant sensation remains. The aftertaste is so light and overshadowed by the mouthfeel that it could very easily not exist, lost in the tugging mouthfeel.

The third and fourth infusions are similar with the same watery wood start with no inital sweetness. There is just a glimpse of berry notes before descending into dry, rubbery wood in the mouth. The aftertaste shows signs of green wood that seems to amplify the unpleasent taste of dry and bland. The chaqi quietly retches the stomach and shows harshness to the bowels even when less leaf is used.

In the fifth infusion the pleasant but brief berry taste seems to be getting longer with each infusion. The inial taste carries some hay notes on top of the berry notes that fade quickly to dry, rubbery wood. The aftertaste here has some interesting sour grapefruit notes, the mouthfeel is developing some sharper edges.

In the sixth infusion the berry taste has been pushed into the returning sweetness which is not really sweet at all. There is the faintest hints of these flavours in the aftertaste which is somewhat sour again. The chaqi has a harsh physical presence but does not even nudge the mind.

In the seventh infusion the harshness of this tea relents a bit leaving more lighter notes but they are still very faint and, at times, barely detectable.

In the eighth infusion lighter tangy berry notes are so faint but are there and are now the dominant taste in this very mild tasting tea. These tastes disappear into a rubbery almost bubble gum aftertaste. Very faint but complex florals now emerge.

The ninth infusion shows the depth of lighter notes that were once washed away by the harsher elements. The tastes of black berries, raspberries, florals come out to play with the tastebuds.

The tenth infusion starts with a very light fruity wood taste then turns to wood and slight rubber and ends in a berry taste. The long eleventh shows tastes of fruity chokecherries and becomes mild and creamy. There is nothing left to this tea after one long infusion.

Link to Hobbes (The Half Dipper) Tasting Notes

Peace