Straight No Chaser 2015 Fall Bulang Raw Puer

Velvet smooth with a subtile bitterness and spicy.
Images and more at https://puerh.blog/teanotes/2015-straight-no-chaser-blt

2017 Sheng Olympiad

This is a very unusual tea which is complex and difficult to name every flavor throughout the session. It smells like it’ll be smoky—similar to a cigarette—however, I’m getting a lot of floral & sweet (honey?) notes within the first few steeps. It changes after a few more steeps, though, with a touch of ash; yet, the sweetness still lingers. My palate isn’t as defined as it once was, or perhaps \, my mind wanders too often during these sessions; either way, I’m unable to pick up the other notes (leafy? Mineral? Maybe smoke?). All-in-all, I like this tea. The depth to it is appetizing to my taste and I’ll review this again when I get around to it.

Rounded flavours, slightly grassy, with a sweet-bitterness that is backed up by a pretty strong aroma which is not quite tobacco, but somewhere around that region. Not sharp, sweet like candy floss.

Had to shift my perception a bit as steep 1 & 2 were curling my tongue a bit, the sweet oily residue left on my tongue has a bitter edge that needs to met with concentration, like a whisky – If left un-thought about its an ‘adult/interesting/weird’ taste rather than a ‘nice’ one. But this is very much a central part of the experience for me – concentrating & enjoying.

By steep 5 (25 seconds) & onwards It was all about rounded sweet weird-bitter taste. Terrible description, but thats the best I can do.. the flavour started leaving and about steep 8 or so I was doing minutes trying to wring as much as I could out of it, ended up milky-bitter.

I dont know if this is a classic Bulang taste, but was engaging enough for an enjoyable session. Not always nice, and the combination of bitter & milky was sometimes off, with a lack of magic huigan, but there was a little bit of dimension to it – and the price – its cheap!

2017 sheng olympic, underleafed a bit by accident (5.5g/100ml)

This tea is mostly frontal flavor, beyond a firm kuwei most other throat sensations were minimal. Very light huigan and cooling. Sweetness is there but minimal. notes of tobacco, pine, and peppercorn. A good amount of smoke. Light florality here and there. Enjoyable but lacks deeper character. Very much a fall material tea. I think the name and imagery is fitting for the tea though. Would do a higher dose next time, i think the tea would benefit from it.

I like the name of this one; it made me excited to try it. The leaves are slightly darkened with some light tobacco tang with some sweet greens. I washed the leaves and placed it in my pot. The warm aroma carries some notes of smoke and pipe tobacco with a familiar fruity bitter greens. I washed the leaves once and prepared for brewing. The taste begins thick with a molasses sweetness; however, I do not note any depth. The tones seem to be very upright and in your face (mouth?). The next steep yields some heavy peppercorn spice with a grassy (ish) base. The brew continues in this manner with a good kuwei and a nice honey aftertaste. The qi is fair with back of the head sensations and vibrating buzz, but I didn’t notice any depth in each subsequent steeping. I tasted this a few times after and noticed the same. I have never been too much of a fan for fall teas, maybe this is a reason why.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BONTsMKAkFu/?taken-by=haveteawilltravel

Received a sample of this as part of the Sheng Olympiad of 2017 and pretty fricking happy with this one. Started out with some meatier flavors up front giving way to stonefruits. Later steeps lose the meaty notes, but in a good way that lets the rest of the flavors blossom. Gave it a 5s rinse followed by a 15s steep and increased by 10s after that (Bitterleaf recommends 5, 5, +5).

definitely smoke inside the gaiwan lid, and a bit of that peaty scotchiness in the aroma. hint of sweet first two steeps. third steep (i gave it a bit too long!) has really opened up with scotchy smoke type flavours, along with a fair dose of astringency and some slightly fruity wood in the dry-mouthed after.