Nanpu Tea Factory

I received this tea – grown in Ban Po Lao Zhai village. I’m having a terrible time getting the ratio of leaf to water correct. Sometimes it is very bitter and sometimes no flavor. Any suggestions?

First Steep – 1 minute

Mahogany in colour with a smoky, musky yet sweet wooden aroma. Flavour is very smoky and rich like velvet with notes of wood, clay, damp earth, musk and sweet straw. The smoke is definitely the most dominant factor in terms of scent and flavour.

Second Steep – 1 minute

Flavour is still very smoky but the sweetness has also increased. Still of medium strength overall and the wood, clay, damp earth and musk are still present.

Third Steep – 2 minutes

A little darker in colour now and it resembles soy sauce. The smoke is still dominant but the sweetness is toned down from the previous steep. Now the second dominant flavour is the damp earth and it remains very rich and also a little dry.

Fourth Steep – 2 minutes 30 seconds

Holding it’s flavour nicely so far, remaining heavily smoky, damply earthen and rich. The sweetness however is almost now non existent and the after taste is becoming increasingly dry.

Fifth Steep – 3 minutes 30 seconds

This is still holding up very nicely, rich and strongly smoky but the sweetness, clay and damp earth have been lightened quite drastically. The musk and dryness remains at equal strength which gives the Pu Erh enough flavour to be pleasant.

Sixth Steep – 4 Minutes

Much lighter in colour now than the third steep. The flavour is very mild now even in comparison to the previous steep. The smoke is still present but toned down from what it initially was and any other flavours are hard to detect.

Seventh Steep – 5 minutes

Extremely mild with subtle hints of smoke and wood. There is also a slight sour astringency which was not present with any previous steep.

For pictures and more information please view my blog – http://www.kittylovestea.co.uk/2013/10/22/yunnan-aged-puer-tea-cake-from-nanpu-factory/

I know, I know – it has been a great while since I’ve been able to post on here, however all has been good and life continues to speed up as the family grows older. I have NOT stopped drinking tea. In fact, there is not a day that I can remember that there hasn’t been at least a few cups that find their way to my lips. Most days, it is several pots of tea that comfort and keep me while on the go.

Anyway, here is a little concerning the tea:

This one still holds its character of a young sheng, however there is already a certain smoky, medium soupiness to the brew. The bitterness is mild considering the production date and leave a satisfying astringency to top of the tongue. I’m certainly looking forward to tasting this one a couple more times over the next week or two, as well as setting some back for a taste in a couple years. This one, I believe, can grow in it’s complexity as it ages.

For a slightly longer review of this tea, along with a few pictures – try my new(er) blog: http://www.southern-sips.blogspot.com/#!http://southern-sips.blogspot.com/2013/03/2011-yunnan-south-hill-waxy-purple-puer.html