2010 Rong Dong Da Bang Bing & How Close is Close?

This complimentary sample came from KL Wong of Teapals in an order I placed a few months back.  Mr. Wong tells me that Bang Bing is a mere 15 KM from the famous Bing Dao.   I know 15 Km sounds pretty close in proximity but if you have actually been to the tea mountains and understand a bit about terroir, it is really quite far.  There are lots of these puerh areas that are near more famous areas that try to ride off their popularity.  In a way this is harmless, but it is equally deceptive because most of these areas even ones only a few KM away have such different profiles.

KL also informs me that this cake is now sold out.  So I report here only for the purpose of recording my experience from a cake from Bang Bing, an area that I’ve only tired blended into Shuangjiang Mengku cakes  in the past… please sit down and join me at the tea table, pals…

The dry leaves smell of very clear high noted sugar notes, crisp wood and distant dry grasses.  The sweetness is pretty strong.

The first infusion starts off with vegetal tastes which are barely sweet and bitter.

The second infusion starts with a slightly bitter edge which has layers of vegetal tastes underneath.  The bitterness is notable and long as it recedes in the aftertaste a malty sweetness is paired with bitter.

The third infusion starts with a buttery sweetness then turns quickly to bitter there is a pop of fruit before a cooling wave heralds in malty sweet tones.  The tea liquor feels reasonably thick there is a bitterness found throughout.

The fourth infusion starts with a buttery malty sweetness with bitter underneath a soft cooling wave comes in and reveals interesting mix florals and fruits, creamy sweetness, the aftertaste is reasonably long here.  This infusions taste is very nicely balanced and quite delicious.  The mouth feeling is soft and sticky the throat is mildly stimulated.  The Qi sharpens the mind and concentration.  The body feels loose in the lower body and knees.

The fifth infusion is much the same as the fourth with a mainly sweet profile of malty, vegetal, bitter then after the distant coolness creamy sweetness, tropical fruit, malty sweetness and underlying bitterness over a soft sticky mouthfeeling.  This is a real nice fairly dry stored sweetness.

The sixth infusion tastes even sweeter with more of a sweet entry initially, a beautiful buttery thick sweetness which stays throughout.  There are some tropical fruits and creamy sweetnesses that appear in the long sweet aftertaste.  The bitterness has significantly reduced but is still underneath giving this tea much depth.  The saliva in the mouth pools a traps in the aftertastes even minutes later.

The seventh infusion has a light, juicy fruit mixed with malty sweet depth onset.  The liquid feels less thick in the mouth in this infusion but still stimulates the throat nicely.  The mouthfeel is grittier now.

The eighth infusion is thick, malty sweet, mild cooling and long sweetnesses throughout the profile.  There is a creaminess thoughout, some vegetalness.  The sweet aftertaste is trapped in the throat.  9^th infusion is the same, but more pronounced sweetness.  This is a very nice experience, I’m having here.

10^th is creamy sweet malty, it turns talc and slightly floral before transitioning into long sweet tastes.  The mouthfeel is really nice here, velvety coating.  The 11^th has a pronounced pungency to it.  The taste is sweet throughout with just edges of astringency and bitter barely presenting now.  The sweetness is very apparent and very nice.  The layers of sweetness is enjoyable.

12^th has a bit of a thinner profile now but has a long butterschotch sweetness throughout, a touch of coolness, nice tongue coating.  The 13^th becomes a bit sandy in feeling and less substantial.  Just flash steeping it still.

The clock of the day runs out on my session so I put this guy into an overnight session and awake the next day to some major deliciousness- thick and sweet and still very nuanced and interesting…

Great tea, very sweet, layered sweet, saliva pushing flavor up throat action, lots of depth, pure, clean, nice dry storage, good concentration enhancing Qi, too bad its gone….

I noticed that KL Wong has recently added a few different puerh to his website.  From what I’ve tried, he’s worth paying attention to…

Peace

Wow! 2006 Rong Chang Hao Yiwu Qiao Mu and Thoughts on 2006 Spring Yiwu Productions

Once in a while, a puerh sample will just stop me in my tracks.  Its rare these days and happens very infrequently.  Usually, it is something that I have no preconceived perceptions of, maybe a factory, production, or area I have never heard of before.  Sometimes it’s a blind sample or a Zhongcha that I have underestimated.  The following is once such instance.

I wasn’t planning on a serious gong fu session with this one.  I was just planning a casual drink throughout the day and not take any notes type of puerh.  I have never heard of Rong Chang Hao before so I just assumed that this was a transliteration error, an English is not my first language kind of mistake.  I thought the writing on the sample stood for “2006 Rongshi Qiao Mu Wang” the complimentary comparison sample that logically paired with the 2003 (Rongshi) Mengku Shuangjiang Wild brick .  Because I already have a lot of the 2006 Shuangjiang Mengku Arbour King, I was just intending to casually sample the Malaysian storage.

After smelling the dry leaves you can be sure it is not this tea…

Dry leaves are intensely creamy sweet layered odour.  This smells of very nice Yiwu material.

The first infusion starts off with creamy dense sweetness slight woodiness almost metallic.  It arrives in the aftertaste along with layers long cooling creamy sweetness and woods.  The mouthfeel is very nice even in this fist infusion.  It gives off a full feeling in the mouth and deeper into the throat.  It finishes slightly herbal medicine.  The flavor is very woody and very creamy sweet.

The second infusion has a very dense and layered Yiwu wood sweetness.  The mouthfeel and throat opening are top notch.  There is a creamy almost candy like sweetness in the aftertaste after the pungent cooling opens the throat wide.

The third infusion is very sweet with more wood bark almost astringent bitter edge now.  The mouthfeel and throatfeel are very good and pull the long pungent very candy sweet sweetness along.  The mild astringency pulls saliva into the throat.

The fourth infusion has a dense fruit and long wood taste.  This is very nice classic Yiwu with a very full mouth and throat feeling.  Thick is the word.  The aftertaste is long and stretches out nicely in the mouth.  There is a medicinal soft pungent feel to it as well.  Brassy almost like a Scotch.

The fifth infusion starts off very sweet and woody.  The returning sweetness is really intense here with a creamy almost malty caramel edge but also cotton candy and woody brassy copper.  The Qi is nicely warming in the digestion and very comfort and reassuring Qi sensation.  Deep toffee breath.

The sixth infusion is even sweeter woody very yummy.  Woods.  A long cooling penetrating sweetness which is deep in the throat and long on the breath.  The flavours here are delicious and straightforward, deep, and long.  Its taste is very stable infusion to infusion suggesting single mountain origin.

The seventh has a velvety woody taste to it.  It has a fruitiness in its woodiness but is more wood now.  A smooth and creamy at times wood with slight almost dry wood edges and astringency.

The eighth infusion starts vibrantly fruity plum a powdery kind of sweetness.  Candy like in the aftertaste.  Good unmistakably Yiwu tastes here.  The ninth infusion is much the same.  There is lots to enjoy here.

The tenth is coppery slight smooth wood with underlying fruit sweetness.  The eleventh has even more of a dry woody overture turning the one full simulating mouthfeel into an almost dry sensation.  The candy like sweet aftertaste is faint now and feel like it’s on the teeth and in the breath.

The tea is starting to wane a bit here.  I wasn’t expecting to give this puerh so much deserving attention on this busy day.  As a result, I have no daylight left to squeeze out another infusion although this tea could probably go for another few.

The next day I long steep it all day long probably 6 or 7 more infusions.  The resulting liquor is thick dense oily fruity syrup.  This is absolutely delicious stuff.

Overall, this is surprisingly a very nice Yiwu comparable to other more premium factory Yiwu teas of 2006.  In my opinion the 2006 Spring harvest in Yiwu was one of the better seasons for Yiwu puerh.  This is a very nice rounded single origin example, I enjoyed it a lot.

Just going on the production date and my experience above and knowing nothing about Rong Chang Hao I would say a 357g bing could sell for $350-$500.

Thanks KL Wong for being the Teapal he is and sending it.  This tea really made my day.  I had never heard of it before and it really stopped me in my tracks today and gave me a rewarding session.

Check out KL Wongs impression of this peruh here.  I wonder if he will sell some of this stuff?

Peace
 Edit May 20/2019: I picked up 3 of these cakes but was warned that the edges of the cake come off a little too bitter because of the pressing.  The above sample was likely from the centre because when I got these cakes the edges were a bit more intense in an already strong cake.  Overall, the Qi and throat-feel is impressive but can come off a touch too harsh at times.  Super enjoyable sheng for those who like a bit of kick and then relax unconventional in a Yiwu. Peace

 

2003 Shuangjiang Mengku Da Xue Shan Wild Puerh 250g Brick

KL Wong of Teapals makes a bold claim about this 2003 Shuangjiang Mengku (Rongshi) Da Xue Shan Wild ($39.15 for 250g or $0.16/g).  He states, “If not better, it’s as good as 2006 Mengku Rongshi Qiao Mu Wang.”  This is the line that hooked me on this tea because personally I feel that the 2006 Mengku Arbour King brick is one of the best productions that Shuangjiang Mengku has ever produced.  This is coming from someone who has also tried a lot of Shuangjiang Mengku.

Ok, let’s go back a bit.  Since, returning for my onslaught of puerh buying, this has been my only purchase that I have been tipped off by a kind email (thanks friend).  He no doubt flagged this wild tea down for me because it has a lot of qualities that I look for in a tea.

First, it’s from one of my favorite factories that is known for cheap and good quality puerh.  Shuangjiang (Rongshi) Mengku is also well known for pressing wild tea and have been doing it for a long time before any of the other factories.  Secondly, I like wild tea though drink it infrequently. The Shuangjiang Mengku Da Xue Shan wilds are some of the most famous factory production wild/ yesheng out there.  This is a very early version of these.  Thirdly, I highly value very tight/ iron compression which these bricks are.  Fourth, as stated above I’m a big fan of the 2006 Shuangjiang Mengku Qiou Mu Wang.

Seems, like this completely Malaysian stored brick has everything I like… so I ended up ordering the last 4 bricks but the big question is…

Is it REALLY better than 2006 Shuangjiang Mengku Arbour King???

Dry super compressed leaves smell of the dry leaves is of vibrant fruits in wood and slight dirt.

Slightly watery, fruity, distinct date and plum skin onset with cooling light finish on the breath.  The mouthfeel is a bit vacuous in this first infusion with a touch of barely noticeable dryness in the throat.

The second infusion starts off more earth peat mixed with date and overly ripe cherry.  It has a watery and almost tart quality reminiscent of wild tea profile.  There is a slight bready finish with moderate cooling on the breath.  The mouthfeel is sticky especially the lips and this throat mildly opens to the obvious cool menthol.

The third infusion starts with pops of dense and thick syrupy fruity vibrancy, cherry and plum initially then is swept away by a moderate cooling returning yeasty bread sweetness.  There are mild layers of wood underneath.  This infusion excites me.  The qi is starting to kick in the upper neck, down the spine effect is felt as if the head is wobbling on a swivel.

The fourth has a woodier and cherry and rum like taste, a bit like rum and raisin flavor and dried cherries.  The woody taste is not as prolific as the fruity.  There is a wave of cooling and beadlike sweetness and even dark chocolate covered dried cherry aftertaste.  The profile is pretty long and reasonably complex.  It tastes like a drier storage, I wouldn’t have pegged it as typical Malaysian.  There are lots of crispness, woodiness, and fruitiness in here more typical of drier storage.  This is likely due to the iron like compression on the brick.

The fifth infusion starts off with a yeasty bread like sweet and sour dominating with sweet fruits layered under that and wood notes even deeper.  There is a mineral taste in this one as well before cooling and converting into a long fruity and bread like sweet taste on the breath.  The mouthfeel is slight tart and astringent enough to give the layers of wild flavors traction.  The qi is powerful in the mind, spacy.  Do I still even have a neck attached to my head, I wonder?  The tart mouthfeel forces the saliva to retreat deeper into the throat.

The sixth infusion starts off strong, dense, thick fruit, wood, cooling,  The taste is real full and strong here. The Qi is real strong in the head too.  I almost feel like I can’t think straight.  I can feel qi pooling in my eyes and spine.  This is a powerful wild tea.

The seventh infusion starts with a pungent fruity bready taste, it’s almost bitter here and more woody with a more pronounced cooling throat action.  The sweeter and fruiter tastes are less.  The eighth infusion is identical with a touch more bready sweetness.

The ninth infusion has more of a sour fruit onset and strong pungent coolness to finish.  There are long bready sweetness and fruits in the breath here.  The Qi is very powerful almost dizzying.

The tenth infusion is a nice balance of dry wood and date/cherry it has a tartness underneath.  The pungent coolness reaches deep into the throat from the astringency here.  I can feel the qi beating in the chest now.  The Qi of this tea is very nice.  I clear out some pieces that have clogged my teapot filter a bit and things change…

The eleventh infusion has an almost floral sweet fruit approach, slight tart, much less bitterness and astringency and a smoothness to it.  It has a talc mineral nuance to it as well.  A subtle mineral soil taste, like licking a rock.  Still distinct coolness and long sweet bready and fruit aftertaste.

The twelfth infusion has that same floral and berry taste now.  It is somewhat refreshing in these infusions, cooling and replenishing feeling but warm in the body and face.  The aftertaste is pungent cool and long fruity breads.  This tea feels very clean and pure in the body.  My mind melts under the Qi’s presence.

Thirteenth infusion is of mahogany wood with layered fruits underneath.  Deep rich dried cherry, cooling pungent.  My energy explodes in my mind and I break into a sweet.

The fourteenth is beautiful cherry florals with a Saskatoon berry taste.  It tastes like Saskatoon berry pie with the pastry bready edges now.  A sweet fruity mineral aftertaste is enjoyable.

The fifteenth infusion is more berries and wood and mineral.  A pungent fruity long aftertaste.  The sixteenth is still at flash and delivers.  The sixteenth is fruity and long cooling pungent it is simple now but the qi is still strong and the sweet fruit note is predominant.  The seventeenth is sour, fruit, woody base really tastes like younger wild tea here.

The leaves are still very tightly rolled at this point as evidence in the picture.  This is the kind of tea that easily gets steeped for 2 days in my house.  The overnight steepings are surprisingly woody, a touch bitter, and a bit brackish.

Conclusion: I have had a chance to sit down for a few good sessions with this one.  I have found a lot of variance in session to session with this wild.  This is due mainly to the amount of dry leaves used.  You actually get the best result when the session is leafed a bit on the lighter side.  If you use too much leaf it can get bitter and astringent and turn out more woody and less fruity.

The best sessions, like my first session in the above notes, are close to the brilliance of the 2006 Shuangjiang Mengku Arbour King but really the teas are so different it’s hard to compare.  Other than the same factory and compression, the material and harvest year gives off completely different taste, feel, and energy.  I really like this 2003 wild, a wonderful tea for the modest price tag…

 With that being said, I still don’t think it compares to the brilliance of the 2006 Arbour King.

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