2007 MengYang Guoyan Yi Wu Zheng Shan Arbor Beeng 380g

The MengYang Guoyan Factory


Product Research

The Mengyang Guoyan Tea Factory, under the direction of Ms. Dong, produces some of the best pu-erh that Xishuangbanna has to offer for the price. Located in the village of Jinghong next to the famous Youle tea mountains, the Guoyan Factory has access to some of best pu-erh making materials. However, this particular product is made from leaves which were harvested from the famous YiWu tea mountain, which are regarded by some pu-erh collectors as the best in the world. If you will notice in the title, the the beeng was given the label of Zheng or "Original". In order for a beeng to recieve this label (in its orthodox usage), it must be made mostly of leaves from the given area - in this case, YiWu. - Of course there are dishonest producers -

- Interesting Factoid - The world famous pu-erh collector, Mr. Chen had commissioned the Guoyan Tea Factory to mold his mao cha into the now famous Xi-Zhi beeng.

The beeng is said to be made of 80% YiWu and 20% Nannou arbor leaves and produced in the traditional old method using a stone mold press. Stone molds creates a beeng that is loosley compacted, making it more permiable to oxygen, which ulimately faciliate the aging process. The picture above show's the factory's stone molds which are used for compression.


Initial Impression



The beeng is filled with fragrant arbor leaves of which are loosely pressed. Just a beautiful example. One unique feature of this beeng that I must mention is that each are assigned a hand written serial number on the neifei; truely a indication of pride and patience.

Brewing Parameters

Source - Dragon Tea House (Ebay Vendor)

Water-Bottled spring water. Source of water - Frontier Springs, PA

Amount – 5g

Water Temp - Boil then cooled for 3 breaths

Brewing Method - Gongfu

Brewing Vessle - Yixing Teapot 150ml

Infusion times
1-15s
2-12s
3-16s
4-17s
5-19s
6-26s
7-34s

Tasting Notes

First Infusion

Aroma - Powerfully floral; cooling to honey and fruit; suprisingly no smoke.

Taste - Very nice palate; execeptionally sweet with a balanced bitterness. A subdued flutter of dried papaya and honey.

Second Infusion

Aroma - Even more floral in the aroma. Less honey however. No vegetation or metallic notes. Soothing.

Taste - Slightly more bitterness; it compliments the sweetness quite well. Taste is consistant with the first infusion.


Third Infusion

Aroma - The floral notes are starting to wane. It really smells like a cup of tea and honey, cooling to sweet grass. No young assertivness whatsoever.

Taste - Nice playful acidity that excites the sides of the tongue. A hint of chamomile with subdued fruit.

Color Liquor Differential First and Seventh Infusion

First



Seventh




As you can see, there is virtually no difference in change; really potent.

Spent Leaves




As you can see the leaves are definitely arbor leaves, which range from 3 to 4 inches in length and almost 2 inches in width.

Overall Impressions

This is possibly one of the most balanced examples in recent memory. Just a pleasant brew with all of the quality indicators for aging with its excellent durability. Although not as feminine in taste as other Yiwu teas, the Nannuo leaves provide a great oomph and complexity. Furthermore, this particular beeng is significantly cheaper than many YiWu Zhengs on the market, making it an attractive choice for those who would like to try a YiWu tea without the having to empty out the entire contents of their wallet. All in all it was a great find! I will drink a beeng now, and save the others for the future!

Special thanks to Gordon of Dragon Tea House who has given me fantastic business and has become a friend.

2002 Yunnan Tse Chi Beeng Cha - Yellow Label ZhongCha

Product Research

Tsi Chi Beeng Cha or "Seven Son Tea Cakes" are products of the China National Native Produce & Animal By-Products Import & Export Corporation (CNNP). The name Seven Son was chosen by the CNNP as a symbol of good luck and prosperity as both are considered to be lucky in the Chinese culture. CNNP products are unique products with a a rich and fascinating history which deserves anyones' attention. There are numerous factories and styles that will give any collector lots to maul over.

This particular ripe example was produced by the KunMing Branch of CNNP National Factories under the auspices of the Chinese Government. The tea leaves were harvested from the Simao area, whose leaves generally tend to be a bit more robust in flavor than other growing areas.

Initial Impression

The beengs smelled very rich and malty. The leaves were loosely pressed and it appears to have a considerable about of gold buds; very luxurious.














Brewing Parameters

Source - Awoono-Puerh (Ebay Vendor) Awoono-Pu-erh is relatively a new vendor. She is a great communicator and does have lots of interesting products. She is orginally from Simao and now is located in Vancouver Canada.

Water-Bottle spring water, generic brand. Source of water Lafayette
Springs, WS.

Amount – 5.5 gm

Water temp - Boil

Method - Gongfu/2 washes

Brewing Vessle - Yixing Teapot 150ml

Infusion times
1-15s
2-12s
3-15s
4-18s
5-21s

I decided to go with 5.5 gm instead of the 5gm that I usually use for 150 ml. I generally tend to use this amount when the example's leaves can be easily broken off. It is in my opinion that loosely packed pu-erh will lose more of its aroma and essence over time as it is less dense.

Tasting Notes

CNNP products are very consistant and this example is no exception. However, since the beeng had been aging in "dry storage" in KunMing for 5 years, you can definitely taste the difference when compared to younger ripe pu-erhs. I think that Simao leaves are great for ripe pu-erh, and IMHO, produce ripe pu-erh which generally tends to be more complex and quite flavorful.

Its aroma was quite captivating which consisted of subdued honey, woody and chocolate notes.

The infusions which lasted 5 rounds. All had layers of chocolate and malt with its subsequent brews being laced in black pepper and currants.

It was a rich, sweet, velvety brew with a throat pleasing viscosity.

Liquor Color Differential

First Infusion & Fifth Infusion



Spent Leaves


Well, what can you really say about ripe leaves. However, the leaves do seem to have keeped some of its integrity.

Overall Impression

From my tasting notes you can probably assume that I enjoyed this product very much. It was much more velvety and smooth than what I thought it would be. I haven't enjoyed a ripe pu-erh session in quite a while. Great find!

For you Gaiwan Users Out There

Since some you tea lovers had found interest in the YiXing videos, I thought it would be nice to post a gaiwan video showing A Chinese minority woman making mao cha. Notice the traditional dress. Enjoy!

2006 NanQiao 753 Qi Zi Beeng Cha

Product Research

The NanQiao Tea Factory located in MengHai County was only established in 2004, but has already generated buzz in the pu-erh drinking community when its 753 won a gold medal in the green cake competition at the First Annual Pu-erh Tea Quality Assessment and Shopping Festival (Best Chinese to English translation) in Guangzhou China.

The NanQiao 753 Qi Zi Beeng Cha is by the local villagers utilizing old tree leaves and traditional methods under the supervision of Chairman Tang Jie of the "High Tea" Division of the NanQiao Tea Factory.


Initial Impression












As, I only examined a sample, I am unable to describe the entire beeng structure. However, with the 50g sample that I was able to inspect, the leaves had a lovely floral scent with virtually no smoke. It was easy to see from the pieces that the beeng was not heavily compressed and composed of bud and broad type leaves.

Brewing Parameters



Source - PuerhShop.com

Water-Bottled spring water. Source of water - Frontier Springs, PA

Amount – 5g

Water Temp - Boil then cooled for 3 breaths

Brewing Method - Gongfu

Brewing Vessle - Yixing Teapot 150ml

Infusion times
1-15s
2-12s
3-16s
4-17s
5-19s
6-26s
7-34
8-40

First Infusion

Aroma - Slight Vegetable, muted smoke and a hint of honey. Floral and menthol as it cools.

Taste - Very sweet; slight bitterness in the back of the tongue; a hint of rubber. Silky mouth feeling.

Second Infusion

Aroma - The slight smoke is now totally gone, and unfortunately so is the menthol. On the upside, there seems to be a more pronounced honey. Very pleasing for a beeng so economically priced.

Taste - No increase in bitterness. Frankly, not even noticable when compared to other young beengs. Very very mellow for being so young. Just a flutter of rubber with a cooling fruit end note. Nice viscosity.

Third Infusion

Aroma - Still a very nice fruit that gets over powered with honey as it cools. Extremely pleasant!

Taste - Just a tease of honey which is suprising considering the aroma is honey laden. Still silky-sweet finish that lingers quite well.


Liquor Differential

First Infusion


Eighth Infusion


The liquor was very clear throughout the session with beautiful hues of yellow. As you can see there was very little change in color from the first to the eighth infusion.

Spent Leaves




As state previously, the leaves were a blend of bud and broad type leaves. There seems to be some slight foliage bruising on few of the leaves, however, it did not affect the flavor.

Overall Impression

Strong Points

I was very suprised with this particular beeng. It compared well with other beengs much higher in price. It is an economcial choice for everyday drinking for those who like to drink pu-erh in its greener state as it provides a satisfying and durable brew having gone eight rounds before ultimately cashing out.


Low Points

Its level of bitterness could be of a concern in terms for its aging potential. Most collectors will agree that a certain level of bitterness must be present for proper aging and future complexity. In addition, leaf quaility may further be a factor in the aging process.


Conclusions
Although there are leaf deficiencies, the liquor flavors and aromas surely made up for it. All in all, you can't really beat the quality for the price.

2004 CNNP "Old Tree Pu-erh"

This particular "Private Reserve" CNNP pu-erh is said to be a non-blended cake made of leaves from the Xishuangbanna area. What is unique about this beeng from other CNNP products is that its entire manufacturing processes (picking up to its final compression) is said to have been supervised by a well known pu-erh tea collector from Yunnan who went to MengHai specifically for this purpose, where upon its completion, was certified by the CNNP.

-Note- If you have any further questions please contact Jim of the Puerh Shop at puerhshop.com as I am unfamiliar with this particular Private Reserve product. Jim is always glad to answer any questions you might have about this pu-erh tea or any others he has in stock. Best of all he is in Indiana!-


Initial Impressions



The leaves are loosly compressed with no smoke or wildness; somewhat floral. The name of this pu-erh suggests that it is made of "old Tree" leaves. I can only assume what is mean't is "old plantation" leaves, possibly from plantations 50 years or older. Definitely not Ancient arbor leaves. It its appearance actually reminded me of a 8582 Menghai that I just recentely tasted.

Brewing Parameters

Source - Puerhshop

Water - Bottled spring water. Source of water - Frontier Springs, PA

Amount – 5g

Water Temp - Boil then cooled for 3 breaths

Brewing Method - Gongfu

Brewing Vessle - Yixing Teapot 150ml

Infusion times
1-15s
2-12s
3-16s
4-17s
5-20s
6-26s


First Infusion


Aroma - A muted floral scent wrapped in a pronounced grain. Very rustic indeed. Actually reminiscent to maze or hominy. I wonder if it were stored next to grain or if it is natually occuring. I have not encountered this flavor before. I've tasted grainy before in pu-erh but only in much older examples. Nonetheless, interesting.

Taste - Virtually no bitterness. However, slightly sharp on the sides of the tongue. Touch of floral. It appears the grain is also present in the liquor.

Liquor - Nice and clear with the hues of yellow and gold.

Second Infusion



Aroma - The grain has waned considerably which has allowed the floral notes to come through. Slight undertone of honey with muted fruit.

Taste - Metallic now, but still not very bitter. Floral notes are less noticable, however, the fruit is more assertive although not very pronounced.

Third Infusion



Aroma - The grain is still noticable. Now the fruit and floral tones are muted, although honey is more noticable, but suttle.

Taste - Very low bitterness as in the former two. The fruit is comming through again with a nice sweetness with an attractive thick and lingering viscosity.

Liquor - The liquor is still as the former. Nice and clear! The color is consistent

Spent Leaves



As mentioned, I believe that they are not ancient arbor but possibly from older plantations. IMHO they are too gracile to be anything else.

Overall Impressions

This was definitely an interesting Gongfu session. I can only describe this pu-erh as masculine. Although it did have floral and fruity notes, there was nothing feminine about it. There is nothing static about this pu-erh as well. It takes you through many different palates and aromas that lasted for 6 rounds. Its almost as if I had drunk 4 diffent pu-erhs in one session! It has a very pleasing rustic quality to it.


-Note- As you will notice that the colors of the pictures fluctuate which makes hard to gauge with any degree of accuracy the true color of the liquor ( well as true as it can be over the computer). I have just bought a new camera and I am still unfortunatly getting used it. I promise I will get better! :)