Cha Gel Sheng Concentrate

That is right, pu-erh concentrate. A gent named Coloradopu who I chat with on occasions on Tea Chat was nice enough to send me a few nuggets of this curiosity. Frankly, I do not know much about this concoction other than it is supposedly sheng which has gone through quite a bit of processing resulting in what you see here. The pieces resemble a Jolly Rancher in consistency but considerably more brittle. They give off a faint caramelized odor which really makes it seem more like candy than something that you would infuse to imbibe.

I was warned by Coloradopu to use only a small bit as it is very concentrated. I decided on a piece the size of an eraser end to start. Not wanting to risk of contaminating my Yixing ware, I figured a Gaiwan would serve my purpose.



Well, here goes nothing!



Almost instantaneously the nugget started to infuse into the water as you can see. Actually looked quite nice.




Not wanting to over steep, I decided I would leave the Gaiwan lid off so that I may gauge the strength of the liquor. Wanting to play it safe and not wanting to over steep, I decided to decant the yellow liquor into my fair cup only after 10 seconds when it reached what I thought was the appropiate color for young sheng pu.

Decanting







Well, it looks like sheng, but unfortunately that is where the resemblance stops. I was not putting too much hope in this product, after all anything instant sux. Honestly, its not a bad tea. It almost tastes like sheng which has been overly roasted (which I have done on occasion). The liquor has no astringency or bitterness. It is not nuanced but straightforward. The liquor itself doesn't give off much of an aroma. However, there is a definite sweet, roast smell wafting up from the fair cup. It almost smells like a yan cha. There is really nothing great about this tea other than its novelty. I guess if you are traveling and do not have any time to stop for a steep or don't want customs examining your bags wondering what this green stuff is in your carry-on, I guess it may serve a purpose. :D

Nugget after first Infusion

I actually was able to steep this nugget 6 times before it completely dissolved.



Thanks ColoradoPu for being so generous! Btw, stay tuned for the Cha Gel SHUPU Concentrate which he was also kind enough to send! :D

MengHai Factory DaYi #7582 Sheng Beeng

The 7582 recipe is an older MengHai Factory recipe yet rarely produced. In fact, I haven't seen any other productions of the #7582 other than the '06, of which is also becoming quite elusive.

The recipe of the #7582 contains a 6-9 grade blend from YiWu and the Ba Da mountains however it is unknown what is the percentage of each. What is known however is that the '06 is one of the most expensive DaYi code recipes of that year.

First Impressions



The first thing grabbed my attention other than the leaf grade was that surface of the cake was quite peppered with yellow leaves. Not a big problem of course but was just unusual, at least for me, for a DaYi product. Certainly I have seen 'some' yellow leaves in DaYi but never to this extent. Interesting to say the least. The dry leaves appeared to be healthy and certainly do correspond to the leaf grade of the recipe. I can even say that they have darkened a bit since I have purchased it. They had a lovely melon and grassy sent that were quite noticeable even though the wrapper.



The maocha was not as compact as they appear at first glance. They easily pried off with my toucha pick with very little effort.

Brewing Parameters

Method - 150ml Gaiwan

Amount - 6.2gm


Infusion Times

1-15s
2-12s
3-25s
4-35s
5-55s
6-65s

Tasting Impressions





Aroma

The aroma was really not that captivating. This was not to suggest that it was not pleasant - indeed it was; however, I was expecting the lovely notes of YiWu that one receives from young sheng. For the most part, the aroma was quintessential pu-erh with hints of citrus and pine resin. I guess it wasn't all that bad. The latter infusions had become grassy which of course is not that surprising and very much consist ant with the former infusions.

Taste

From the onset, it was a powerful drink. The very first infusion woke my palate. Most of the sensations were concentrated on the sides of my tongue and the top of my mouth. Still very youthful in quality - brassy and astringent. The acidity was also exceptionally strong which was indicated by its brightness. The initial notes were subdued honey and faint hints of melon. However, the only word I could find to describe the latter infusions was, meaty. There was indeed a meaty quality to it. Not the meatiness that we at times associate the taste or sensation of Umami , but meaty in the sense that the flavors were not relenting in any way. It was like every taste bud was affected by some search and destroy misson. The huigan did not reveal itself until after the 4 round. However, a little to late in that the liquor soon after leeched out.

Spent Leaves



Final Impressions


I am not sure if my analysis was too critical. Perhaps I was judging it to other Yiwu blended products that I have. Nonetheless, it certainly has the oomph needed to age and I presume that that it will. In fact the liquor seems a bit darker than the last time I sampled it. Not that liquor color is any a good indication but at least I know that it is certainly trying to transform. Nonetheless,it will have to age because I am not touching this one again for at least another 3-4 years.

It was not that the flavors were brutal but they are much to potent to drink on a causual bases. That said, I can say with out a doubt that I can characterize this example as androgenous in that it has both female and masculine qualities - the flavors were to some extent pefume-y with a pleasing quality to them but very much an alpha. Unfortnately, I was unable to gauge any chaqi with so much going on. I am very excited to see how these beengs will develop.

2001 MengKu "Yuan Yieh Xian" of MengSa, Thick-papered 357g

I have had these beengs for sometime. There are two versions of this particular 2001 MengKu offering - the thick paper and the thin paper version. This review will be of the thick paper version that has gone through some traditional HongKong storage.

I have had the privilege of tasting and comparing both. My conclusion and possibly everyone one elses is that although they were produced by the same factory and made of the same mao cha, "Mengsa Shan", they are indeed different animals. Interestingly, the paper of course is the culprit. The thick paper allowed for more of the moisture to linger longer on the surface, and consequently causing less evaporation. Conversely, the thin paper allowed for more 'breathable' conditions lending itself to more of a dry storage condition.

I have read numerous thoughts suggesting that the thin paper version is much better than the thick paper example. I do plan on reviewing the thin paper but until then here are what the some of the experts at Teapot Magazine have to say about it.



"..elegance of its aroma with soft honey taste. Within this great tea fragrance, it is actually a plentiful and complex along its thickness. ...very good mouth feel...extremely cool and sweet after taste."

Needless to say, the description is tantalizing and I agree having tasted it first hand. However, to suggests that the thin paper is better, in my opinion, is not fair. Both both great in their own away and offer something different to the puerh world. The thin paper is a great example of the potential of a dry stored pu-erh, while the other is an excellent example of wet storage beeng. Though, perhaps, the wet storage effect may have been accidental, it does provide a good bench mark in which to judge the potential of other HK storage or wet storage beengs.

Initial Impression

I was not "wowed" when I first unwrapped the beeng. It looked like your quintessential HK storage fare. The leaves did not have any signs of mold infection, which was great considering how dark the leaves were. Although there were a couple of 'frosty' stems in the bunch the surface was very clean. The aroma was a bit dank but other than that it looked like a nice beeng.



Brewing Session


Amount - 4.5

Method - Gongfu Yixing 100ml

Infusion times

1-15s
2-12s
3-25s
4-35s
5-50s
6-75s
7-85s
8-95s
9-100s
10-125s
11-140s
12-150s


Aroma

The initial aroma was what you would expect with a wet-stored beeng. Lots of matured earthy wood notes with very little nuances. On occasion I had caught a whiff of camphor but for the most part, generic. These notes aren't bad and were quite expected, however, what was not expected was that they had become sweeter after the 5th infusion. There were slight notes of honey, fresh grass, dark currants that were enveloped in a medicinal quality. Generally, it has been my experience that wet stored fare will remain consistent throughout the session. Indeed a nice surprise.


Taste

The taste very much resembled the aroma, notes both in theme and in transition. Initially, the notes were dark and matured. Very woody, very earthy, with an almost cacao finish. The liquor was very think and had a gelatinous quality. It was far more viscus than I would have imaged. Later in the infusions, the notes had also become a bit more sweet, and in fact some of its youth gleamed through. The liquor had a pleasant feeling as it entered the throat. In the most latter infusion, the darkness very much dissipated which left only notes of fresh hay intermixed with freshly cut wood essence.

Final Impressions



First and foremost, I tried not to judge this beeng comparing to its much more revered twin. In the final analysis, the thick paper certainly has much to offer. I have had many wet stored examples which leave you uninspired. However, the thick paper MengKu certainly is a great example of the potential of wet storage fare. On the down side however is that it did take time for its huigan to come through. Yet, when it did, it certainly was decent. Another caveat is its current price.

Although it is certainly ready to drink now, I believe that given time to allow some of the maturity to diffuse may reveal something much more exciting.

My New Cup

I think this is a good time to unveil my new cup! Well, many not that new but new to me. Its an early Ming Dynasty making it roughly 600-700 years old . It's porclain, roughly 40ml in volume and very smooth. It is hand painted in a rustic pattern in blue which has certainly faded over the centuries. I love saying that :P

2003 Rui Rong Hao Da Xue Shan Sheng " Big Snow Mountain"

This 2003 is an offering from Sampan Teas . I was excited to try this tea since I have a great affinity for Big Snow Mountain puerhs. Though Da Xue Shan teas are not as sought after as other famous mountains, they always seem to agree with with me. They are not aggressive and more often than not I feel I can drink them earlier than most others.

Unfortunately, I was unable to sniff out any substantial information about Rui Rong Hao factory through my detective work. However, if you will allow me to conjecture, my assumption is that Rui Rong Hao may be a subsidiary of the Chang Tai Factory from the looks of its wrapper. Nonetheless, it looks like a quality beeng but the proof as they say is in the pudding.

Initial Impressions

The aroma from the dry leaves was very intoxicating. It had hints of dried fruit and an overture of spice. There were no notes of smoke or unpleasantness to speak of, just a genuinely refreshing odor. The leaves are slightly dark which are accented by its nice glossiness and long stems.



Instead of the quintessential Nei Fei "inner ticket", the factory decided in a more classy approach adding a personal signature mark pressing a large broad leaf which is said to have been plucked from a 2000 year old tea tree right into the beeng along with a silk red ribbon of which you can see slightly in the center of the beeng. As to whether the claim of a 2000 year old tree leaf is true, I am not sure. If memory serves me correctly, I believe the oldest tea tree is said to be roughly 1,700 years old.

Brewing Session

Parameters

Vessel - 100ml Ming Guo Zhuni Yixing

Amount - 4.5g

1-15s
2-12s
3-25s
4-40s
5-65s
6-90s
7-100s

Aroma

In the first infusions, the liquor had a wonderfully long lasting musk that I enjoyed immensely. It lingered in the aroma cup relatively a much longer time than I am accustomed to making for a very aromatic session. As the aroma cup cooled, the pleasant musk transitioned into the always welcoming honey and floral notes.

In the latter infusions the liquor started to assert itself where notes of dried fruit and melon had become the theme. However, as the potency of the liquor started to wane, these sweet notes eventually transformed more in to a peppery spice coupled with a dried hay note.



Taste

I would have assumed that the liquor would reveal sweet notes as they were apparent in the beginning infusions in the aroma, but to my amusement, the notes were quite leathery and somewhat masculine. It had a berry acidity which kept things interesting which culminated into a decent huigan. Although the liquor was not as viscus as I had hoped, the flavors nonetheless lingered on the palate.

As for the latter infusions they were very consistent with the former, although somewhere after the 5th things started change a bit. The huigan seemingly became much more apparent wjocj was coupled with a nice chayun. Interesting to say the least as it seems counter intuative.

The liquor was very clear and wonderfully bright. Although quite green for its age. Possibly as a consequence of aging in a drier than normal climate.

Spent Leaves



Although the claim is that it is made of wild arbor leaves, the leaves quite flimsy. Probably plantation. The leaves also seem to be of different harvest - a mixture of Fall and Spring. They are not the best looking leaves - mediocre at best.

Final Analysis



The tea provided a pleasant session. Although I question the claim of it being wild arbor, it still provided nice sensations. The cha qi was light and really didn't make much of a statement at all. The aroma was its high point followed by its clarity. I was not very enthused by its lack of maturity. Perhaps it needs to be stored in a much more suitable environment. Be that as it may, I do not think its a younger tea since many of the adolescence has dissipated. Its an honest tea which can be enjoyed now.

Summer Finally

Hey folks,

Just wanted to say that I am still around. Please look forward to new post very shortly! :D I'm transitioning into summer so things are getting hectic. I hope all are well.

Cheers!

Bill

Need the right Equipment

Lin's Ceramic Studio 500cc pot and adjustable burner

Ahhh! New in the box


Here are my new acquisitions to my tea ware collection







One thing about Lin's is that they have superb packaging. Touch of class in a custom storage box.

Contents



Well, everything is here. Brochures and "how-to's" Even threw in a jet flame lighter whoohoo!


Wickless adjustable burner



I love these things, they actually let you control the heat from simmer to boiling. Great! Best of all no more cotton wicks to replace.



Clay Kettle



What makes Lin's great is that they are known for elegance and for quality in their designs. One of their claims is that they use a secret formula in their clay which reacts to the minerals in the water improving its quality.


Put all together





My new old Yixng Pot

Custom Made Wood and Silk Box




Pot nestled snugly. Wish I could get that comfortable!




The Pot



Old Zhuni Shuipin Pot 100cc Chop Mark "Jing Xi Hui Nan Meng Chen"

Nice Zhuni pot. Perfect size for drinking alone. Age - Circa Late Ming Guo making it well over forty years old. Acquired from Life of Tea

2002 JingMai Shan Gu Shu Zhuan Cha

Producer Information


The China Tuhsu Yunnan Tea Import & Export Corporation was established in June of 1938 in KunMing. Under the leadership of Geng Shang Rong, and the oversight of the CNNP (China National Native Produce and Animal By-products Imp. & Exp. Corp.) the company produces a variety of products which includes black teas, instant teas, green teas, and tisanes.

With an annual income of over a 1,000,000 USD and just under 1,000 employess, the corporation is a far cry from their humble beginnings. Now, mind you, this is not a tea factory per se; they contract tea farmers to produce teas for export and are quite successful with annual export rate is over 60%.

Brick Information


Despite the grandiose description of their corporation, they can still produce quality and at times rarer stock - this particular brick is one of them.

The 2002 JingMai Shan Gu Shu Zhuan Cha (JingMai Mountain Ancient Tree Brick Tea) was an extremely limited 2002 production. It is a single mountain brick composed of Jing Mai mountain material. For more information on JingMai Shan please refer to a previous post.

According to the description ticket, these bricks were produced of Spring first flush broad arbor leaves from ancient trees of least 1000 years old.



Initial Impressions




Though the bricks have been aging now for 7 years, you could smell a smoke odor emanating from their quintessential CNNP boxes - Not a problem. Some don't like the smoke aromas and I can only tolerate so much, but sometimes it is a nice change of pace. Please do not consider smoke a negative. Although smoke can be considered a production defect, it is still considerably acceptable.

Definitely machine pressed as you can see the 'nails' or the bumps left from pressing on the surface of the brick.

The bricks appear to have been stored in my opinion much drier climate as the colors of the bricks do not correspond to the age. I would at least think 7 years of aging would have presented more of a brownish hue. Nonetheless, the proof is in the taste.

Brewing Parameters

Vessel - Duanni Yixing Teapot 150ml

Water - Generic Spring Water

Infusions

2 Rinses
1-15s
2-10s
3-15s
4-21s
5-26s
6-34s
7-41s

Aroma

The aroma was very pungent. Fortunately,the smoke was not as heavy in the dry. I believe that 2 rinses before the infusion removed most of the peaty notes. There were really no floral notes to speak of. For the most part, the aromas were more grassy and less sweet. I found additional notes of grain, tobacco and what can only be characterized as raw potatoes. The latter infusions were somewhat less straight forward. Sometime after the 4th, the aromas began to exhibit its greenness.


Original art work by Aaron Fisher

Taste

The liquor certainly did grab my attention right away as it had grabbed every taste bud with vengeance - though not in a distasteful way. In fact, to the contrary. However, you definitely knew that you were not drinking a dainty brew. The profile was very masculine with its variable notes of smoke, leather and grain. The latter infusion became more subdued, yet still very aggressive. The woody and grain notes began to transition more into what you would find in a more youthful pu and became more oceanic - Very rustic indeed. The liquor had a tantalizing acidity and viscosity which could be felt as the liquor made its way to the back of the throat. The chayun was relentless and remained so throughout the session. The Chaqi was wonderful and quite numbing -almost tranquilizing.

Spent Leaves



The spent leaves were remarkable. They had a course quality that when manipulated with my fingertips, they had maintained most of their integrity. The leaves were thick and bold with a seemingly wild character.

Final Impression

Its power suggests that it is definitely something to store. It is one of those teas that grabs you by the shirt and throws you across the room. The flavors, sensations and chaqi were all quite pleasing albeit much too rustic to enjoy now.

2008 Bamboo Wrapped YouLe Shan Sheng Nugget 50g

I received this interesting offering courtesy of the Puerh Shop . According to Jim, the nugget was produced by the Chinese minority that live on YouLe mountain - part of the Famous Six Tea Mountains.

I am personally not as acquainted with unadulterated Youle maocha as I would like. When I have tried it, the maocha is generally a blend of different growing areas.

First Impressions



The tea was not that remarkable. It has what appear to be plantation growth fare which had a very light compaction. I did find unwrapping the bamboo a nice change of pace. The maocha doesn't really have much of a odor - no smoke, no greenness, nothing really. In fact, it was difficult for me to detect any. The odor I was able to be alerted to was difficult for me to discern whether it was a result of the bamboo leaf or the maocha.

Brewing Parameters

Amount 5.6g

130ml Gaiwan.

1 - 15s
2 - 12s
3 - 20s
4 - 45s


Tasting Notes

The aroma was not what I would expect. It really smelled like a roasted oolong type tea. In fact, I would say it smelled somewhat like Tiequanyin. The first infusion and second infusion were the best, and simply waned from there - very quaint to say the least. There were notes of roasted tea, melon and fresh grass which were for the most part very consistent.



As for the liquor itself, it was subtle yet not displeasing. Very light roasted tea flavor, with no bitterness and virtually no acidity. Despite its lack of development, it did have a charming Huigan. It had a wonderful color and clarity, something that I did not expect.

Spent Leaves




As stated previously, the maocha was unremarkable. The unfurled leaves remind me of green tea and pu-erh. Nice color.


Final Impressions

Well, definitely not something for aging. In fact, it is quite enjoyable now. It is a wonderful novelty which will certainly entertain a few. Frankly, the price is nice and it didn't really offend and somewhat amuzing. I would even recommend it to non-puerh drinkers as a green tea. :P

My WenGe "Cultural Revolution" Yixing Teapot

WenGe Teapots


An interesting class of Yíxīng teapots is from the WenGe “Cultural Revolution” period (1966-1976). WenGe teapots are distinctive, due to a large part for their lack of distinction. These plainly styled teapots were manufactured when the assertion of pre-Revolution Chinese culture were frowned upon. Workers and master potters alike were forbidden from placing personal marks on individual pieces. As a result, these pots were typically and simply stamped Zhong Guo Yíxīng “Yíxīng China”. The state exercised complete control over all aspect of the Yixing factories – the most famous of which being Yíxīng Factory #1. -Note- Zhong Guo Yixing does not authenticate the piece as a WenGe since Zhong Guo Yixing chops are still being produced either by Yixing factories who are sanctioned to do so, or fake artist passing them off as later pieces.

Zhong Guo YiXing Mark "Yixing China"






The State also controlled the mining operations for zishā ore. Consequently, most pots during the WenGe were produced with relatively good clays as there were no other competitors. Although at first glance, it may sound reasonably well for the State to be in the pot business, there is one caveat - many revolution teapots exhibit poor production quality.

In an effort to automate the manufacturing processes under the new State, many of the quality measures you would find in an artist studio were abandoned. For instance, many pots were mold made (such as this particular one), have muddy odors from having been fired too low; others have lids that are not level, do not fit properly and spouts which do not pour water in a straight line. So, why would anyone want a YiXing WenGe pot? Well, despite the sometimes low quality of revolution teapots and their non-distinctive artistry, they still command relatively high prices due the quality of the zishā clay mined during this period. Zishā mined during and prior to the WenGe is said to provide a “roughness” allowing more tea oil to be absorbed.



As anyone will tell you who has engaged in teapot hunting, it is virtually impossible to buy a nice pot online. And living in the States only exacerbates the situation since most of the nice and authentic pots are in Taiwan. Sure, there are Taiwan and Chinese auctions online; however how do you know what you are buying is authentic or “as described”? You can’t! Well, after doing a considerable amount of auction hunting (trust me difficult if you don’t speak the language) I had decided to go to the source and give Life of Tea a chance.


My Pot



This 150ml Shui Pin pot was made early in the WenGe and was manufactured through the use of a mold. Although the word "mold" can generate images resembeling a Play Doh Factory kit where a lump of clay is put into a press and voila - the word is somewhat misleading since the pieces were and are formed by hand and then assembled through the facilitation of a mold. Additionally, the pot was fired in an open kiln. If you look closely on the lid, you will see firing deposits on the surface from the "open firing". As for the clay, it has a lovly dense quality to it. It is also quite heavy considering its size. Perhaps, Xiao Hongni? ZhuNi? The texture is somewhat smooth. It has a nice 'ping' when tapped. A good sign that it was fired sufficiently. Its performance, well it has a nice pouring through its single hole spout. However, I am afraid that the lid did fall victim to the misfortunes of the era in that it is very loose and does not fit very well. Nonetheless, it makes a scrumptious tea! Note - The pot looks much more orange in sunlight or from a camera flash. It is really a very nice red.


These pictures are more representative of the true color *almost*





I was told ZhuNi, and I am starting to lean this way. Look at the texture of the clay. Beautiful IMHO. But then again, I am somewhat biased.


Qing Dynasty Porceline Teacups 35ml