2014 Yunnan Sourcing Gua Feng Zhai Spring Wild Arbor Raw

Being newer to Pu’erh, I did’t find as much complexity as others, but I thought this was a big powerful young Sheng. It was all a bit much for my mate!
The wet leaves smelt deep and savory. 1st steep it had an oily mouthfeel, initially on the palate a deep hay note and some bitterness. There was apricot fruitiness and later sweetness. 2nd steep : opening up with more mild pleasant bitterness and later vegetal sweetness, broad beans. 3rd steep more oily sweetness starting to come thru early and by steep 5 it was somewhat sweeter, with huigan that just kept on coming. I went for a big steep for no 9: sweet and bitter, cloying with some oily character left, long aftertaste.
8g gaiwan 2 rinses & 10min rest. Steeps (sec): 10; 10:15 : 15: 25 : 30 :45 45 :90 : 80 : 90: 90

I ordered this tea as a sample. I’ve been saving it for an evening after a stretch of stressful days. The dried leaves were largely intact thanks to Scott for his thoughtfully breaking off the tea leaves from the bing into flattened layers instead of thick chunks.

This is a powerful tea. Definitely something to drink without distractions. The wet leaves are highly fragrant. The tea has a wonderful body and huigan with a fruity, flowery and nectar-like sweetness for many steeps. The huigan intensifies from the 3rd steep on wards, slowly expanding in the mouth and throat with a warm flowery sweetness.

Other notes I’ve picked up are wild honey, lavender, sandal wood, dried apricot, cane sugar, minerals, and camphor. It becomes more complex and savory in the 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th steeps. I’m going to leave the rest to finish tomorrow otherwise I won’t be able to sleep. The tea leaves a honey-like aroma in the empty cup. I would purchase a tong if I had the cash. Teas from southern Xishuangbanna are reputed for their aging potential, and this one is definitely worth adding to any collection for current consumption of future aging.

This cake is beautiful! I opened up my package to reveal the most loosely compressed beeng ever! These dark long slender leaves are wildly threaded to form a gorgeous cake. I thought that it was going to unravel in my hands. The dry leaf carries a dry wood and prunes scent. I was incredibly excited to dive right in to this treat. I placed these long tendrils in my warmed yixing and gave them a shake. The aroma of raisins and thick smoke consumed my tea room. I began brewing immediately. This brew has a powerful soothing qi feel. The flavor is one to match. It’s a complex taste. This drink gives a smooth mouthfeel of apricot and oak. Then it leaves with an uplifting qi and sweet aftertaste. The brew became even more powerful with further steepings. It left my tounge with a thizzed sensation. It lasted well into the double digit steepings, for it still yielded a topaz colored liquor. The steeped leaves smelled of bold smoke and tobacco. This is definitely one of my favorites, and I’m so glad I was able to treat myself to this Sheng.

https://instagram.com/p/3tcse4zGWt/?taken-by=haveteawilltravel

I brewed 8 grams in a jian shui pot about 15 times. Only a year old now, and the tea is simply excellent.

Full bodied, bitter sweet, incredibly durable and long lasting. Great tea, for a great price…Yunnan Sourcing for the win. As usual.

This tea has improved quite a bit over the course of a year. When I first broke into it, it brewed a bit green and the flavors were somewhat thin; as of today though it brews thick gold, and has fragrant notes of sandal wood, raisins and wet clay. The large amount of long stipes included in this cake seem to add to the sweetness. If I were to complain about anything, it doesn’t have a whole lot going on in the huigan department, most of the flavors seem to be more up-front on the palate.

Edit: so reviewing sheng is a bit awkward because, well, it changes over time, for better or worse. In this case better. What began as a pleasant, sweet and viscous yet otherwise unremarkable puerh cake has aged quite well over the summer. It has grown a shade darker, and its flavor reflects this, with a pungent, almost meaty, floral/fruity taste. Drinking it today, I found it to be thick, dark and brothy, with face-melting bitterness and cha qi. I might have to pick an extra one of these up for long-term storage…