Yunnan Sourcing
Edit CompanyPopular Teas from Yunnan Sourcing
See All 2540 TeasPopular Teaware from Yunnan Sourcing
See AllRecent Tasting Notes
I’m shenging again! Woo!
Method: 3.3 g, 3 oz, 205 degrees, rinse & 15-20-25 seconds, filigree gaiwan and Dr. Who mug
Aroma: Wow. The dry tea smells just amazing. Grapes and some other delicious thing that I can’t quite place. I bought a sample b/c the cake is pretty pricey. I kept sticking my nose in the bag!
Flavor: Smooth and sweet. This is a little fruity, but not with the apricot flavors I normally find in the shengs I have tried. This is harder for me to determine, but I really like it. It’s so pretty and comforting. It leaves my tongue tingling a bit, also. There weren’t any reviews for this one, so I think I just picked it on a whim. Go me!
Edit: And I lied! I did another set of steeps at 20-25-30 and the apricot IS there! These steeps are more brothy as well. I’m watching Sharknado 2 with this really excellent tea. Sheng happy!!!!!
Preparation
Balanced, complex flavor and a sweet after-taste. Moderetly compressed factory cake – not too difficult to pick. Evidence of a few buds and whole leaf. Tea soup is a clear reddish brown with a wood and fruit flavor profile. Seems to resteep several times (4 so far) and still produce a flavorful cup. Appealing quality to price ratio making it a solid choice for an everyday ripe puerh.
Preparation
Terri sent me this a long while back and though i’d had it a few times now, i haven’t yet written about it because i hadn’t really figured out how i felt about it. Often with puerhs i generally either really like them right off the get go, or i dislike them. This falls into that random not sure how i feel about this sort of puerh. it’s sort of malty..but mostly just kinda of middle of the road, not really committing to anything solid. I feel like this wouldn’t be a bad intro to puerh for someone who didn’t like really bold black teas or something. Would i ever purchase this myself? nope. I’ve enjoyed others more..but it’s not a bad tea.. thanks terri!
Are you still sipping down? How many more do you need?
oh i am still sipping down… working from home today so i can go through a few of my puerh samples lol
Bahahaha. That’s awesome. I’ve been drinking my puerh too for the same reason – a lot of little bags. :)
i might actually make my sipdown goal this month…though my oldest tea goal won’t be made.
Woohoo!
Also, c’mon. That’d be totally unreasonable if you made BOTH goals. You’re already making everyone else look bad. Hhaha
I figure i can meet my oldest cupboard goal by september. I’ve got 6 january teas left, 2 feb and 2 march…so by September i should be through all of those. That being said, uh April, May and June teas are ridiculous but i DO have 3 months before i have to be in to those.. Just need to keep my purchases down so that i can get through teas heh
That’s really decent! A lot of my old teas are actually matcha from the contest I won last Sept, so I just need to focus on matcha for a bit… After that it’s purchases from Black Friday. :) So my oldest cupboard is older than yours, but so long as I stay under 1 year I’m happy.
yeah i’m happy under a year as well, mostly i’m just trying to see if i have it in me to be able to get a 6 month cupboard going by figuring out my purchases…you know, me and games and organising. lol
I’m supposed to be hoarding this tea because it’s one of my highest rated teas AND the YS website says you can keep it and it gets better with age. I am failing. This tea is the fall/winter version of YS gorgeous golden yunnans. It is a beautiful yunnan with a sweater on. The toasty notes make me toasty inside. Chilly mornings beckon for this tea. And I caved this morning…. nom.
Preparation
Quality Assurance check this morning…..just making sure that this tea is a good as I said it was when I drank it last week. I’m staring into the cup with disbelief, because it is as good as I said it was in my review….and it’s cheaper than other Yunnans, and it’s toasty nomilicious flavor makes me want to stuff my face in the cup and gulp…. my verdict stands. I really really like this tea. Good thing Yunnan Sourcing sends a 4 cup sample, as I still have 2 more to go and that makes me happy.
Flavors: Floral, Grain, Malt, Toast, Yams
Preparation
I’ve been really impressed with all of their teas, including the cheaper ones. And I agree, this tea is nomilicious!
Cameron, I’m looking for someone to swap black/red tea with….I’ve started a thread in the discussion section…. are we too much alike to swap? :)
I dunno! I don’t really have any YS teas right now, just the remnants of some small samples from Nicole.
That being said, if there are any black teas in my cupboard that you’d like to try, let me know! :)
I received this as a sample with my first order from Yunnan Sourcing. In the past, I have tried darker versions of favorite teas and have been put off of them because my expectations were different in my head. THIS time, I’m clearing my head of all expectations…just because a tea package says “Yunnan”, shouldn’t mean I expect yams and raisins and apricots, right? Well, it’s a good thing I cleared my head!
This tea is a wonderful Yunnan in it’s OWN way ~ and I’m saying that in a “OOOOOOOH!” way! In the cup, the tea smells of raisins and a touch of yam…. but there is something else…..a lovely yeasty-grainy-toasty smell! It’s the first time I’ve gotten a toast note from a tea, but there it is! Black Gold has a medium mouthfeel with a wonderful depth to the flavor. The bottom notes of yam and raisin are not heavy, but when paired with the toasty grain middle note and the stone fruit top note, the tea becomes more complex…more wholesome feeling than the average Yunnan….similar to having oatmeal for breakfast compared to cereal…is it possible for a tea to have a “stick to your ribs” quality? If so, this is it! This tea is very much a hearty breakfast tea alternative, expecially for those that love teas from this region. And that would be me!Flavors: Grain, Malt, Raisins, Stonefruit, Toasty, Yams
Preparation
I was excepting something different and exotic with the Yak Butter but it wasn’t much different from the milk teas I was having earlier.
I’m not sure what yak butter tea suppose to taste like, I’ve only had cow and goat butter teas, it don’t really taste much like a butter tea to me, but it does have a buttery smooth kinda mouthfeel.
It has that same little twang that all these instant milky teas have and it’s super creamy and smooth and not too sweet, not quite as sweet as the milk teas.
I didn’t get the salty one, I want to try it now tho :)
I’m so happy you reviewed this. I am really interested in Yak butter teas. I have no idea why, because I don’t eat butter, but I find these fascinating. My boyfriend wants to try these, so they may end up in my house soon anyway!
Excellent note, thanks! I have a box of the salty version that I bought for a Buddhist friend who wants to start making yak butter tea. I figured we could always add sugar but I don’t how much salt to put in. I also ordered a Xiaguan Tibetan Flame mushroom (2007, I think) for my friend to make the real thing, but we are going to use the boxed tea to get some idea of how it should taste first. Your note is helpful. I am not sure if I can take the real yak butter tea. My friend is from India so I am not worried for him so much.
So jealous!
Funny you should mention this. I’d been wanting to try the real salty-and-buttery deal for a long time, so my beloved got me a gift certificate to the Rangzen Tibetan (http://www.rangzenrestaurant.com/) restaurant near us in Cambridge, Mass. First of all, the food was absolutely terrific. Even my kids were raving about it. The tea? Well, what can I say? Poecha tastes exactly as described on the menu “Traditional Tibetian [sic] tea blended with butter, milk and lightly salted.” For those of us accustomed to unadorned tea, the addition of butter and salt is, well, startling. It wasn’t bad tea, but I’d say it’s definitely an acquired taste that I have not yet acquired. I am absolutely thrilled, however, that I got to check that one off my tea life list. as I told my kids, it’s a new experience, and one should never pass up an opportunity to try something new.
Yak, buffalo are kinda like cows I think
I’ve been tasting Wisconsin butters and bought a log of Amish butter to make the tea.
This is a nice slightly aged sheng, and pretty economical. It brews a deep fall orange and has a mixture of dry and juicy flavors. It can be pretty bitter if brewed with lots of leaf, and must have been a real bruiser when it was young. Light camphor flavor, peach, sandalwood, tobacco, walnut, and fall leaves are the flavors/scents that come to mind.
This is the first tasting note I’ve posted for quite a while now, and it feels good to be back on Steepster. I like the new interface, and it’s great to see that the pu’erh loving community here has expanded.
Flavors: Camphor, Peach, Tobacco
Preparation
The dry leaves have a thick aroma of ripe fruit and tobacco. Most are medium-large leaves in a deep purple black hue with high contrast of bright red, green, and gold leaves standing out.
Initial infusions have a strong smoky quality. More of a bold “charcoal” flavor than the lapsang barbecue type. The smoke was much stronger, but has faded over the past months.
The tea brews a gold-orange color. Clean, pure, wild taste with a thick mouthfeel and a fruity aroma that stays in the mouth long after you drink it. Strong tropical fruit flavors (something I associate with purple tea) like guava, longan, and plantain. Very tangy, but also very hearty with tobacco, barley, and dark beer flavors.
The charcoal taste fades in the later steepings, and is replaced by a nice mineral quality. I’m left with strong qi feelings running along the forehead and feel strong and steady like a mountain. This isn’t my favorite tea from Yunnan Sourcing, but it is quite nice and I enjoy the unique purple tea qualities. Good bargain.
I’m really itching to place a big YS order, it’s been almost a year! I’ve been saving up money for it, but this past week the vacuum tubes in my guitar amp have gone microphonic, so it seems my tea acquisition has been set back yet again.
Flavors: Fruity, Mineral, Roasted Barley, Tobacco
Preparation
Have you tied 2005 Wild Tree “Ye Sheng Cha” Raw Pu-erh tea brick of Dehong? i was thinking to get a sample
Oh yeah!!! I just ordered 5 bricks of this and it is almost gone on the US site. I really love the Wild Purple Dehong Black made from this leaf so I knew already I will like these cakes but they are in the mail and on the way to me! I got another bag of the Black since they don’t have a whole lot of it. Really glad to see a note here from someone on the brick, thanks for posting! Like and triple like!
No I haven’t, but that’s actually one of the things I was planning on ordering haha. If you get it before I do you’ll have to tell me how it is!
I just ordered my second bag, I’ve got a review up for it on here. Simply put, it is the best black I have ever had and I think I will ever have, and the highest score I’ve given on here to date. The smell of the liquor is actually present in the taste. I might get anxious and order more later in the year when it runs low.
I love the black tea too! Very nice and unique. I tried the standard roast Dehong which was my favorite, and the Fenqing area version which was good but more mild and floral. I’ll have to try the light roast Dehong too
Yeah I should go edit the tea, looks like a typo on it.
This is a nice little gem from the Boyou factory. The cake has a nice feel to it – a pretty wrapper and all. It is very tightly compressed. First infusions are sweet and flowery, with notes of Lucky Charms. Later infusions taste a bit deeper and darker, with some age showing through. But it still tastes young overall, probably because of the compression. A little huigan, sourness, and just a touch of astringency and smoke here and there. Overall a nice drink.
a nice little tuo-cha :) tastes good to me :P although not as good as the other Pu-ehr i got from Yunnan sourcing
reminds me of those glue sticks in grade school with the rice sent lol :P
also i never heard of the herb they use in this tea before :)
thank you to Scott Wilson and Yunnan sourcing :)
Flavors: Earth, Forest Floor, Herbs, Rice
Preparation
Today I sat down with the last of my second brick of the 2010 version of Menghai’s Lao Cha Tou ripe pu erh brick. I’ve now gone through 500g of this stuff. My remaining chunk was around 9g so I just used the whole thing in a 185ml yixing instead of having 2 smaller weaker sessions. Also, it’s nice to finish with a tea in my daily rotation box as it makes room to take a new one out of storage and add it to the rotation! :)
I like this tea because it is deep, dark, rich, and creamy. Perfect when I’m in the mood for a creamy rich decadent puerh that gives and gives. I’m on my 7th steeping at 15s and the liquor is black, and I mean BLACK! I can hardly see through it when I’m pouring the tea into the pitcher or cup! And that’s after SEVEN steepings!!! The flavor profile is not very complex… notes of dark chocolate syrup, leather, and perhaps a hint of dark cherry wood. Very dark and rich. Not much in the way of cha qi, and some mild hui gan in the early steepings.
This tea becomes interesting in the later steepings as the leaf portions start to open up and change while the nuggets are still giving strength to the tea. In typing this I moved on to my 8th steeping at 20s… still black, but now I can see through it when I hold it up to the light. I love it! I’ll probably approach 20 steepings of this tea today. While it’s nothing too spectacular this is a great tea for a dark, rich shou pu erh experience. Another solid shou from Menghai.
EDIT: On my 17th steeping now, the tea is still giving a golden – amber colored liquor and has really opened up with a deep soft lingering sweetness after an early punch of mushroom with light floral essence. Still tasty!
Flavors: Dark Chocolate, Dark Wood, Leather
Preparation
time for a full review:
when I smell what’s left of the bar, it smells nice and musty :)
when I smell the brewed tea it smells like earth. like a forest floor smell :)
when I drink the tea it is just like the smell :D really mellow and smooth too
I steeped this tea two times in a row
an awesome tea! :D once again many thanks to scott Wilson and Yunnan sourcing :)
Flavors: Earth, Forest Floor, Musty
Preparation
An awesome and extremely smooth and mellow ripe Pu-ehr tea! :D i can taste earthy taste. its the best smooth and mellow ripe Pu-ehr i have ever tried! :D many thanks to Scott Wilson and Yunnan sourcing
Flavors: Earth
Preparation
2013 yunnan sourcing blue snake cha tou ripe puerh brick 250g review.
Engraved dragon teapot gongfucha
Dry leaf: musty, earth, fermentation, roses.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BIIdU3aArg4/
Wet leaf: same but intensified.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BIIda35gW8j/
2x medium rinses.
Light steep: I taste/smell;
slight —> cream, mushrooms, marshmallows. Light -→ camphor, roses, metallic (copper).
Medium earth/fermentation.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BIIdXmzg861/
Medium steep: I taste/smell; slight cream. Light to medium —→ camphor, roses, metallic (copper).
Medium earth/fermentation.
Heavy steep: I taste/smell; light —> cream, mushrooms. Medium -→ camphor, roses, metallic (copper). Strong earth/fermentation.
All in all a wonderful tea. Lovely taste, aroma and cha qi. I have not had this tea for over a year. I’m glad I bought two bricks. One for my place and one for grandmas place.
Bonus photos:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BIIfyNiAN6A/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BIIdPRIAwpY/
Bonus video: https://www.instagram.com/p/BIIgk4xgsZw/
Flavors: Camphor, Cream, Earth, Marshmallow, Metallic, Mushrooms, Rose
Nice!! Also sheng high fives :)
High fives, eh? I thought that if I drank enough sheng, ya’ll might show me the secret handshake :p
(That’s because it’s a teacret handshake…)
Glad you’re enjoying your first YS sheng :-)
Ha! I am going to keep shenging on until someone shows me the teacret handshake! I will not be deterred!
(Been shenging for a while and still don’t hold the teacret hanshake. Some say it’s mystic, that you must reach the level of Sheng-Jedi to obtain it…)
OK, I shall forge ahead!
Have you gotten the sheng “Sweat” yet. I know it sounds crazy but the good ones will cause it.
Noooo! What phenomenon is this????
Tell us Mr Mo!
You will just kind of break into a little sweating with a powerful sheng. It usually happens in the later steepings as I think the leaf gets really hydrated and puts forth some of it’s essence.
I usaully sweat on the forehead and under the chin/neck area.
Interesting!
LOL! I freaked out the first time this happened to me. I think I was having a Lao Man E blend. It was winter, my apt(DC) has really big windows so the apartment was cold, at the end of the 4th steep I feel light headed. I was similar to getting of from the bed really fast in the morning, but lighter. Then I realized I was sweating and shaking my hands a bit and I felt hot in a cold apt. :P
Lao Man E , Bulang and LBZ seem to hit the hardest.
I’ve definitely felt some physical effects, but I don’t recall any sweating. The lightheadedness has definitely happened.
I’ve gotten a little light headed before, but not noticed sweating. Neat!
What is it in sheng that does this to us, exactly?
I don’t know what causes it but do a 10 gram steep with 10 oz. water for about 30 seconds sometime.
will do!!!!!
I’ve learned about so many scary things about pu’erh these past couple days, it’s ridiculous.
Are you talking about the “what’s in your pu?” Thread?
That too. Pu’erh is such a beast.
I just tried my first sheng. It made me feel very caffeinated for about 15 minutes and then I literally could not stay awake. I feel asleep in my chair in the middle of analyzing data at 5 in the afternoon. After 45 min or so, I woke up and felt normal. It was a weird experience.
Ooohhh… interesting mj. I haven’t experienced that before!