Mei Leaf

Sweet floral notes with some grassy undertones and just a touch of milkiness.

Something baked, nougat, lingering sweet liquorice, pastis, nori seaweed. A very interesting combo of flavors.

So fragrant and light. Sweet wild strawberries and delicate jasmine. Beautiful rose gold liquor.

Sweet and floral with a slight green tang underneath. Milky and buttery notes which bring along a salty sensation when I focus my attention on them.

Despite being spring 2017 material (acquired by the vendor about 8 months after picking), it tastes like it has a bit of humid storage on it, which matches with the darker leaf colour.

It has a fairly thick, creamy texture with accompanying sweetness. There is no bitterness and only some light astringency. Menthol/camphor aftertaste is immediately present. Later, longer steeps are even sweeter and plummy.

There’s some huangpian present and it’s quite stemmy, but also includes some buds along with fairly small leaves.

I think it is a good introduction pu’er. The price is quite high, so might be more suitable as a gift.

Rose lokum (turkish delight) and muscat grapes with very subtle tartness. Liquor is dark amber with hints of rose gold. Sweet and floral finish.

I was personally disapointed by this tea. There was no complexity. Just sort of dirt and old wood, which is fine but it was dull.

Flamed lemon peel, quince, sweetness, pleasant minerality and bitterness. As odd as it sounds I can also smell homemade ljutenica – something I didn’t expect to get in a tea but it’s just a hint and it brings back good memories.

Charcoal, caramel and stewed apples. High minerallity.

The wet leaves do have the smell of damp autumn day in the forest, wet caves and burnt paper, but the taste is super clean. I didn’t get any of the sweet stuff though. I should give it another try.

Sweet floral explosion. Incredible rich and buttery creaminess. Some lingering saltiness (that’s a first for me). And of course the egg custard. So much going on. Just amazing…

Still getting my palate used to puerhs. There’s definitely the wet earthy note. I also get the magnolia in the aftertaste, and the sweetness and the olive oil throat sensation.

There is the initial minerality but it’s less pronounced when you take out the smaller particles and keep the brewing times short. Apricot preserves, vanilla pudding, honey and linden blossom.

First raw puerh I’ve tried. The first two or three infusions have a very strong initial minerality with wood and leather on the nose. This tones down on subsequent infusions. For me it’s the finish that is really interesting – pronounced lingering sweetness of honey, strawberry and apricot preserves, a hint of flowers and linden blossom.

Cracked cardamom pods, cooling mint, pistachios, strawberries, cold rocks, and a greeness like eating a dandelion stem. And when it hits the back of your throat incredible sweetness like raw honey.

Dark and mysterious. The infused leaves have a charcoal smell to them, which carries over into the tea soup, which is creamy and thick, with notes of charcoal, burnt toffee, high-octane raw chocolate, coffee beans and raw cocoa. Very much to my liking.

Spring 2016 picking.

Brewing notes:

Brewed gongfu style, 10g in 200 ml Yixing pot, 95C. First infusion 15 seconds, +5 thereafter. Flash rinsed before brewing.

Sensory details:

Honestly, in terms of flavor, all I can say is “umami.” I do not have a sophisticated or developed tea palate. The liquor was thick and almost syrupy. The last drop clung to my glass Gong Dao Bei like it didn’t want to let go. The color of the liquor approximated soy sauce, or a Medoc wine.

The experience:

At first, I was sipping, trying doggedly to dredge up details for a proper tasting review. By the fifth infusion, I was like, “Rack ‘em up, bartender!” and belting down shots. This would be an awesome tea to drink with a rare filet mignon. After the sixth infusion, I decided to take a break, and will pick it up again this evening. After roughly 1.2 liters of this tea, I feel like I’ve just had really good sex. You know, muscles loose, mind cleaned out.