63 Tasting Notes
In March 2024 this tea seems to be opening up a bit with eucalyptus , bark, leaf, moss, and olive oil flavors with a hint of bitterness, a hint of orange pekoe in the background. It does seem like a complex, old tree tea to me. It still has an evolution ahead of it. Flavors are long lasting. I’m liking the depth of it.
Nine years after my last note, and recognizing that Jalam teas recommended drinking this tea when they sent it out, I tried this again today. It has evolved. The camphor flavor is just a hint now, but still adds interest, along with the vegetal taste (green/hay). It is a very light tea, but one that creates a strong salivary reaction for me. Still not exactly delicious, but still interesting.
This is a lovely tea in November 2023. The flavors are of a refined type, high toned, with forest flavors, but also a lovely fish taste that is unlike what I tend to think of as a flaw in shou teas, but rather a lovely and clean sea like fish flavor that enhances this tea. It is worth trying just to see how this differs in its flavor profile. Color has mahogany hints, quite attractive. The tea has many subtle tree and forest flavors that all in all are quite enjoyable to me. It seems quite ready to me. It is hard to tell if this tea is different from the same year’s loose leaf version since I have not tasted that, but if you have some of this cake I’d recommend you try it. Jim
Preparation
This is a complex, flavorful, interesting tea from a single tree. It has a strong cooling flavor, rather green in taste, like basil, as well as a forest, piney flavor and has a strong salivary response for me. Really very interesting tea that I look forward to tasting for a few years.
Preparation
This tea is progressing along nicely in Aug. 2022. This is from a 30g sample of the tea stored in a drawer of sheng puer in northern coastal California. Early steeps provide a hay like note but one that is “deeper” than young sheng, and has a dark note as well. The tea deepens as the steeps continue, and now on steep 5 in a clay pot a touch of forest and bitterness arises. It tastes good, and has good salivary activity for me. I will keep the rest of the tea and try it again in a few years, although it is quite nice at present.
This tea continues to integrate, becoming fuller, with more harmonized flavors of green olive, aged hay, and orange. It continues to be an interesting tea, with good pick me up.
Preparation
Hello old friend. Good seeing you out here.
Nice to see you too! I hope you are well and your tea is wonderful. I’m not buying much tea these days as I have collected enough to last me for 20 years, but the tea plant we planted (next to a Kwan Yin statue) is doing well, and I made some oolong tea from it this year. Amazing. Be well, Jim
Doing as well as we can. Yeah I’m still collecting. Glad to know that tea plant has bore fruit. I bet you got some good tea off it. Now you need to devote a tea to puerh as well. Stay safe too my friend ,John.
I unwrapped this cake for the first time on 12/25/2021 to try. It has been in my tea cabinet for at least 8 years. It is impressive for such an inexpensive tea, so kudos to Yunnan Sourcing. Taste of molasses, a hint of cherry, and lingering sweetness. I did not detect any bitterness, but a lasting salivary reaction took place. It is an enjoyable ripe pu-erh.
Preparation
In December 2021 this tea (one of the first cakes I ever purchased from Yunnan Sourcing) continues to relax and unfold. The hay, olive, earth, forest floor, and citrus flavors are a bit more mellow than previously. It still engenders a strong salivary response. I look forward to trying more in a few years.
