Yunnan Sourcing

for once this tea got a tad bitter :O

this is too good for others not to try: does anyone want to swap a tea for some of this?

I have about a quarter of this cake left.

its a great tea to brew via cup and strainer, and grandpa style

this tea never goes bitter if steeped in a strainer with a 250ml cup for a while. Even with 10g of the tea :D

still an awesome tea even though it was sitting in my grandma’s living room for a few months

the best sheng puer in the world

what a lovely tea! if you have tried it, what do you like/dislike about it?

so i got my new gongfu set today. as well as the rest of my order and all is well with it.

gong fu style:

first steep 10s: the tea was very smooth and sweet with smokeyness and honey tasting.

second steep 20s: the tea was very sweet with sugarcane notes as well as honey and mild smokeyness.

third (final) steep 30s: this was the best steep with all of the above notes.

the lingering taste was of sweet hay like taste

VERY TASTY :D

new score
Score 85 —> 100

a nice pu-ehr tea that tastes like honey and campfire :) smooth and tasty too

Many thanks to Yunnan sourcing and Scott Wilson for this tasty tea

This is an excellent ripe puerh from Menghai Tea Factory. It is one of their best numbered cakes without a doubt. I have this one in 2008 and 2012 and I think 2011. It is excellent with a moderate amount of fermentation flavor left. It is not for those who can’t stand a little fermentation flavor but it is good.

I brewed this once in an 18oz teapot with 8.8g leaf and boiling water for 30 sec. I most often brew this in the morning so it doesn’t often get gongfu brewed but it is good western style too.

This is an excellent ripe puerh that I certainly hope gets better with age. After all I bought a tong of it about a year ago. It has developed a bit of a dates note to it. I don’t notice much in the way of chocolate notes but there seems to be a little behind the tongue. This tea is an overall winner of a blend.

I steeped this once for my morning tea in a 18 oz teapot with 10g leaf for 30 sec. No time for a gongfu session before work, I wish there was time. I may resteep this tea later.

This tea is really good in the first steeping, a little too bitter in the second steeping and good after that. It is a tea I like. I did not want to try something new tonight as I knew I could not give it my full attention. It is too late and I don’t want the caffeine tonight. Tonight I steeped this only twice, in a 350ml teapot. First for 15 sec then for 10 sec. I used 12 g of leaf and boiling water. In the first steep I noticed some interesting notes, I would describe chocolate for one and there were others but I was too tired to pay attention. There is a definite bitterness in the second steep, I think I should have given it only 5 seconds. I know from drinking this tea that that bitterness soon disappears. But overall it is a strong tea not for the weak of heart.

This tea has long, medium large slightly curled and loosely wound leaves covered in a copper gold down. They are beautiful to look at.

I used 1.6g in 150 ml of water, and the result was a golden brew that lasted me through 5 good steeps. ( 50*2, 2,3,5 min) in 85-90°C water.

50s. Honey, smoke, cocoa, spice, dried fruit.

Savoury spicy taste like a mole sauce, dissolved in honey and smoke flavour added in.
Plum lies underneath. The taste is surprisingly bold and rich for a delicate looking tea. The broth is creamy with a medium viscosity. Touch of malt apparent as it cool.

50s hint of butter, malt and stronger fruit among the other previous scents.
Very faint hint of candyish floral.

Savoury, smoke has dissipated and fruit, cocoa, lighter malt and spice all meld into each other, hint of citrus, bright mole and fruit, with a hint of beer.

Honey and citrus as it cools along with cream and plum!

2min in strong honey cocoa, plum, light malt, nectar, light citrus., butter. Faint leather and grains with a touch of smoke. It has a faint nutty tone.

3min leather, plum and a hint of grape, malt, honey, floral tone, hint of cocoa.

5 min, honey, malt, and floral notes, a hint of ash.

7 min. Discarded, vegetal.

This tea was richer and more savoury then I expected initially, but it was a great accompaniment to the first half of my day.

Thanks boychik I really appreciated the chance to try this tea. I like it.

Stephanie threw this one into our swap as a bonus tea. Thank you! I’ve been eyeing the teas on Yunnan Sourcing’s website recently. Everything looks delicious, but I really better wait on buying more tea. ;)

This is a nice black tea. It was malty, sweet potato-y, and after looking at the description, I think I’m convinced I tasted molasses as well. Sometimes I wonder if I actually taste a note listed, or if I’m just easily persuaded! Ha! Overall, though, a very enjoyable tea.

I much preferred this ripe pu-erh to the “Hong Kong” style I tried earlier. This was much softer, and felt more mature. It wasn’t musty but had a delicate sweetness to it.

I had to modify my brewing time because the first brew was quite weak (I guess the leaves hadn’t fully woken up), but the second brew created a very deep dark liquor.

A very faint smokiness on the second infusion that dissipated on the third that just revealed a sweetness. A very easy one to drink for a beginner like me!

New Ranking
Price = 100
Taste = 85
Representation = 80

New Rank = 88.33

Lewis and Clarke TTB

This tea is pretty, brown and gold leaves twisted into strands.
4g 4oz 195F 1,2,3 minute steeps. Sweetened

The first cup is dark and malty, and a touch of dark cocoa. The second cup looses the cocoa, and is very malty. The third brings back some of the cocoa again. I don’t know if its because of the sweetener I added, but I (thankfully) didn’t get any bitterness from this.

http://yunnansourcing.com/en/yunnan-black-teas/2885-feng-qing-classic-58-dian-hong-premium-yunnan-black-tea-spring-2014.html

Lewis and Clarke TTB

I can almost believe that theres an ever so slight cinnamon note here. There’s also some subtle cream-like notes, and what seems like honeysuckle. Later steeps bring out some hay and oats.

This is a light and delicate tea.

http://yunnansourcing.com/en/whitetea/2887-silver-needles-white-tea-of-feng-qing-spring-2014.html

Lewis and Clarke TTB

This tea is so cute. Little fuzzy bud and the first two leaves.

First steep, is very light and delicate, it sort of reminds me of nectar. But there’s just slightly the barest hint of something deeper. There’s also a nice, refreshing, cooling mouthfeel.

Second steep, the flavor deepens a little. Like I have a cup full of sweet gentle nectar, and someone drips a drop or two of molasses in there.

Third steep brings out a faint floral note, and an almost hay like note, while still tasting sort of nectary.

Forth steep is honey and grains. Sort of like oats drizzled with honey.

Fifth steep theres an almost fruitiness to this cup, while still honey like.

http://yunnansourcing.com/en/whitetea/2913-yunnan-yue-guang-bai-air-dried-white-tea-spring-2014.html
Another tea I’m glad I got a chance to try!

http://yunnansourcing.com/en/yunnan-black-teas/2908-light-roast-wild-tree-purple-varietal-black-tea-of-dehong-spring-2014.html

From Marco Polo TTB. This is the last of the YS teas I am trying from the box. It was different from the others and I liked it. It smelled a lot like a darjeeling, sort of a grape-y smell. It transfers over to the tea. It isn’t malty at all, but has a sort of darjeeling flavor and a bit of an astringent finish. I enjoyed it very much!

Lewis and Clarke TTB

I usually like to use my little cup I got from Cozumel because it only holds about 9oz when filled to the brim, making it my smallest mug and the best choice I have for gongfu style. But I meant to put it in the fridge yesterday to cold steep yesterday’s golden strand, and instead accidentally put it in the freezer, and I guess it cracked during the expansion from freezing. sad face

First cup I steeped up for 2 minute and was rewarded with malt, cocoa, and molasses. This is delicious.
Second cup I forgot to set a timer so I have no idea how long it steeped for. I didn’t notice any bitterness or astringency though. Just more malt and cocoa and bread and molasses. Yum!
http://yunnansourcing.com/en/yunnan-black-teas/2934-wild-arbor-feng-qing-black-tea-pure-assamica-spring-2014.html

This was really nice, more subtle and lighter than what I usually drink so it was a nice change of pace. Photo of my gong fu with it: http://imgur.com/LWCu73p

I don’t drink a lot of whites, but really enjoyed the chance to try this one.
http://yunnansourcing.com/en/whitetea/2887-silver-needles-white-tea-of-feng-qing-spring-2014.html

Lewis and Clarke

This tea is so pretty. Lazy curls of golden fuzzy buds.
First steep (60s) this a sweet potato drizzled with honey. So much honey sweet potato it’s crazy.
Second and third steeps are sweet potato and honey and raisins and malt.
Forth steep I forgot about while it was steeping, but I didn’t notice any bitterness and only a very mild astringency at the back of my throat. But not in an unpleasant one.

This can probably keep going, I’ll try some more with it later.
Product page:
http://yunnansourcing.com/en/yunnan-black-teas/2875-jinggu-golden-strand-pure-bud-yunnan-black-tea-spring-2014.html

From Marco Polo TTB

I like Assams, and this one is very multi layered and deep. It brewed up as dark as coffee, but isn’t so strong that it is off putting. It’s just smoothly bold and very enjoyable. Thanks to Yunnan Sourcing for providing the samples for this box!

http://yunnansourcing.com/en/yunnan-black-teas/2934-wild-arbor-feng-qing-black-tea-pure-assamica-spring-2014.html

From the Marco Polo TTB.

The timing on this was great, since just this morning I was looking at Yunnans on the YS site. I was debating if I should order a large quantity of a tea I had never tasted. Then the TTB arrived and this tea was there. Serendipity!

It was quite delicious. I drink a lot of Yunnan blacks and found this one to have all of the malty, yammy qualities that I love, but with a really nice smoothness. None of the flavors smacked me in the face, but blended together in a very balanced brew. I definitely won’t have any issue ordering this one!

http://yunnansourcing.com/en/yunnan-black-teas/2875-jinggu-golden-strand-pure-bud-yunnan-black-tea-spring-2014.html