Tea Mania Mansa Gushu and Moychay Lao Man E sheng (2017)

Tea Mania cake (Mansa Yiwu)

Tea Mania leaves

Tea Mania wrapper

Moychay loose Lao Man E sheng

I was recently going through some tea storage and samples and noticed a few teas I really should get around to trying, including these two.  They don't necessarily go together (usually the point in combined tasting) but given variance in teas tasting will identify how similar they are better than a brief vendor description or source-area reference.

The other sheng I tried from Tea Mania were really good, way at the top of the scale of the rest of what I've tried.  I'm not sure if this tea will be standard related to other Yiwu I'm familiar with, sweet, intense, very floral, and approachable as bitterness goes.  The "cha qi" reference on that label sticker I won't be able to evaluate in combined tasting; for someone most interested in that this approach would make no sense at all.  I've been there and done that with drugs and alcohol and I'm not into pursuing shifts in how my body and mind feel from that sort of input.

Moychay sells a broad range of teas, types and qualities, but in general their pricing and descriptions give you an idea of what is what.  Aspect descriptions are a bit limited but that's really standard.  It's probably as well to not go too far into those since interpretations tend to vary, and teas like these will change from year to year.  For them pricing indicates how good they think a tea is, which can also be influenced by the demand side and rarity of products, so it's not really a one to one correlation.

These should be pretty good sheng.  I don't have lot of impression of these areas to go on. "Mansa" didn't really ring a bell (an area within Yiwu; with more on that theme here).  Lao Man E is known as a region that produces high quality, in-demand teas, but my impression had been that they're intense and perhaps not typically ideal for drinking young.  I'll look up vendor descriptions and add those at the end but basically I'll taste them as 2017 sheng.

They both have a really cool look; that's a good start.

Review

Tea Mania Mansa left, Moychay Lao Man E right

Mansa:  I gave these leaves a relatively long soak after a fast rinse (over 10 seconds; not that long) to get them started but the flavor is still a bit mild; it will develop more in the next round.  For once I'm avoiding the "packed gaiwan" level of proportion in order to get through more infusions so I'll probably need to stick with 10 second or so infusions versus closer to flash steeps as I more typically prepare sheng.  The flavor it does express is interesting for overall range and depth versus tastes that are pronounced.  It feels full and round, but moderate in astringency. The taste lacks bitterness with a light mineral and woody base, sort of in a dried hay range for main aspect, at this point.  I think it'll unfold more so I'll leave off at that.

Lao Man E:  That's unique.  There's a medicinal quality to it, right on the edge of tasting like mint, which is a bit different than range I'm familiar with.  It tastes a little like turpentine.  All the same all that is kind of interesting and positive.  It's not all that bitter or astringent either; strange.  It's not as light and smooth as the other version, with both still opening up.  Bitterness is present, but in a different form than I'm used to, and the level isn't what I would've expected.  It's slightly medicinal in character but nothing like aspirin.

Second infusion

Mansa:  this tea isn't bitter or astringent but it is a bit dry, kind of reserved as forward flavor goes; hard to describe what that's about.  It's intense but in a subtle way, something of a contradiction.  The feel is really substantial, and the aftertaste lingers, but as far as flavor intensity goes it's subdued.  Even the mineral base that comes with a lot of sheng, and is definitely present in this one, is integrated and not pronounced.  The main flavor range is along the line of dried hay, with some wood, and a bit of floral tone supporting that, but a mild floral aspect, like chrysanthemum.  Or depending on interpretation that could be flipped; it could be strong and pronounced chrysanthemum, with some dried hay and seasoned mild wood supporting that.  The second is probably a better description.

You can imagine how those types of flavors could mix together and be pronounced but still subdued (maybe?).  For someone looking for bright sweetness like in standard profile Yiwu this just isn't that.  I get a sense that even though strong flavors and a good bit of astringency typically mark a sheng that's going to develop over time, with that bright, sweet Yiwu nature possibly just fading instead, this might gain complexity and flavor instead of losing it.  There's a subtle intensity to it that's hard to place.

Lao Man E:  wow!  This is complex, on the opposite side in some ways.  It tastes like taking medicine, and like Christmas, with some pine, spice, and mistletoe hanging around behind that for context, probably even a touch of mint (although I'd probably flag that as eucalyptus, more menthol).  If that medicine range could move into a warmer spice or a touch of dried fruit would counter it this would fall into a balance I would really love.  The feel and aftertaste are really intense too, and I don't doubt that feeling these teas kicking in already (cha qi, that drug-like effect) is also related to this one, but maybe the other too.  It's interesting, and pleasant for being so intense, but I can't help but guess that this will work better as an older tea version, that the shifts related to aging will be positive.

Third infusion

Tea Mania Mansa tea left, Moychay Lao Man E right (these start to repeat) 

Mansa:  not so much transition.  There is a light, underlying bitterness I've not made much of, but otherwise it's still in the chrysanthemum / hay / mild wood / underlying mineral range for taste.  It's funny how it comes across as intense in terms of fullness and feel, and aftertaste, but doesn't taste like much, or at least it's quite subtle.  I get the sense that's because of how that particular range of flavor comes across, that "intense chrysanthemum" isn't how that works.  To put that in perspective, just a bit of menthol really stands out though (in the other tea version), and a moderate amount might be too much for the balance with the rest.

Lao Man E:  this is developing from where it had been last time but it'll probably work as well to say more about that next round once it gets further.  The balance is leveling out; mineral, menthol, mild spice (that's hard to place, bay leaf?), and pine are somehow softening, deepening, and seeming more balanced.  It has complexity and intensity going for it; the feel and aftertaste aren't moderate either.  It's not as if the first tea suffers in comparison but the volume is turned way down across the flavor range in that tea compared to this.  Now that I think of it that spice is probably closer to cardamom, which is kind of in between cinnamon, nutmeg, and menthol.

Fourth infusion

One or both of these teas is really strong in feel effect.  It's almost a body-high sort of thing, more than feeling a head-buzz or stoned, so I'd be ok with quite a bit of it, unlike when it's more like an opiate side-effect.

Mansa:  again intense but mild.  Sweetness is picking up; that's nice.  A mild root or bark spice aspect is joining in with the rest, subtle enough that it's hard to place.  I'll go with sasafras (the original flavor for root beer); it's reasonably close to that.  This is an unusual tea, being so intense but at the same time the flavor being so mild.  The flavor that is present is clean and positive, and it joins a really full feel, and doesn't vanish after you drink it.  It's different.  To some extent that could seem more extreme for trying it along with a really intense-flavored and complex tea but next to anything else it would still seem like that.

Lao Man E:  it shifts so that pine stands out more now, with menthol way dropped off, a trend that had been clear in the last round.  It's also nothing like medicine at this point.  This balance really works.  As for that warmer spice tone that had joined in it still seems most like cardamom to me.

Fifth infusion

This will be a lot of tea; it might work to try this round and get back to these.  Teas that don't have as strong an effect I could drink more of but this feel isn't just caffeine kicking in.

Mansa:  more or less the same as the last round, maybe losing a little intensity

Lao Man E:  also not transitioned that much, maybe also slightly less intense.

Often when I brew teas they won't change character so fast because I'm maxing out the proportion and using really fast infusions but with these brewing for around 10 seconds each round, or just over, they're changing faster.  Both work just as well on the quite-light side, even though the first tea would be moderate in flavor aspect level brewed in different ways.  That's the funny thing about that tea though; the flavor range has a depth to it, with a good bit of soft mineral and mild flower, so it's not tasteless, it's just subtle.

It's odd that optimizing or working around bitterness or astringency never came up.  The Lao Man E has more bitterness, which matches well with the pine flavor and flavor-intensive character, but it's not at all bitter as 2017 sheng would go.  Being whole-leaf changes things; broken up it would probably come across quite differently.

Sixth, seventh, and eighth infusions

I tried one more light infusion after the break; they were mostly as I remembered them.  I'll let the seventh run longer to see what that changes, closer to 30 seconds, and based on that result extended the last round time similarly (the last round I'll make notes on; these teas aren't spent yet).

The Mansa tea is still nice.  It's slightly sweeter than initially, still with a nice full feel and overall impression of complexity, even for being mild in flavor aspect character.  That round, smooth fullness reminds me a bit of how some Taiwanese high oolongs come across, the rest of the aspects just don't match that same tea type character.  Even on the 8th infusion it's still quite positive.

The Lao Man E is moving a bit from pine and the rest into a dill-spice sort of aspect range.  It's unusual but not bad.  These teas have been through a lot so even with the longer infusion time the intensity isn't too much; it's about where it should be.  I like the other tea a little better where they stand in the last round but they both still have positive character.

Conclusions and subjective impression

I still have to add what these are, especially related to the "Mansa" description.  Both weren't what I expected, not challenging due to being younger versions.  Intensity was fine for both; that was interesting.  I've been acclimated a bit to bright, sweet, and often approachable young sheng, or "wild" teas that are mild and interesting in a different sense, and these were slightly different in character.

I'm curious what both would be like as years pass but I really can't guess.  If one was bitter and astringent I'd guess that would mellow and turn more positive so the question is if this more subtle, or at least approachable, character of both would give a similar positive transition result.  It was odd for the Mansa tea to be intense across some aspect range but so mild in flavor; that's new.  Also odd for this Lao Man E to be so intense in so many ways but not really bitter or astringent.  It'll make for an interesting reference point for other teas from that area later on.

Vendor background review

I'll mostly pass on what they say about these teas, more than actually research much here.  It turns out Mansa Gushu Spring 2017:


For this Bingcha we used tea leaves from up to 300 years old tea trees in Mansa. We were already last year very pleased with this tea but we were unable to produce them at that time. The samples taken with us have developed so well that we desperately wanted to have this tea. The tea trees in Mansa are partly shaded and partly at the blazing sun. This special condition results in a particularly balanced aroma. The shaded tea leaves are particularly flowery in the aroma, while the sun-kissed tea leaves provide a strong Cha Qi.
Harvest: Spring 2017
Pressed: 2017
Type: Sheng
Taste: Flowery, a lot Cha Qi and a sweet aftertaste.
Origin: Mansa, Xishuangbanna prefecture, Yunnan province, China.
Preparation: Appx. 5g per tea pot, temperature 100°C. Rinse the tea leaves before infusing with boiling water.

Tip: This tea is ideal to mature a few years.


It did seem like it might improve with age.  I tend to associate bitterness and astringency with a character that requires aging, or is best suited to transition positively, and this was just a bit unusual, intense but not in those ways.


Onto the Moychay description:


It was made in the mountains of the Bulangshan Mountains (Menghai County, Xishuangbanna).

In the appearance: greyish-brown leaves with long thin cutting and silvery beige buds. The aroma is calm, woody-balsamic with fruity hints. It turns yellow during steeping.

Woody-balsamic with spicy, nutty, floral and fruity notes. The aroma is complex, woody-balsamic with floral and fruity notes. The taste is full-bodied and sweet tartness, light citrus sourness, minty coolness and lingering finish.

Brew tea with hot water (95 ° C) in a gaiwan or a teapot made of porous clay. The proportion is 5 g per 100 ml. The first infusion should last for 6-8 seconds. After that for short seconds (for 1-2 seconds), increasing steeping time for each subsequent step, if necessary. You can steep the tea up to 12 times.


I've included preparation recommendations since that may be of interest but I tend to take those with a grain of salt; people can prepare teas however they like them.  Sometimes for a novel type the advice does end up being good input but for a standard tea type it probably wouldn't add much.

As for price range these aren't inexpensive tea versions but not so far off; the one listed on the Tea Mania site (for what seems to be an earlier-year version of the same tea) lists at $70 for 100 grams (70 CHF, but it's about the same; the currency values might be linked), and the Moychay version sells for $88 per 100 grams.  They did both seem like well above average quality level tea, the kinds you wouldn't buy a $60 357 gram cake of.  I suppose it might also relate to the Tea Mania character really relating to older plant growth material, and the other to demand for origin area, but beyond those concerns the aspects in the cup came across as interesting to a different degree.

Then again the first Moychay review listed ends with "good everyday sheng."  I guess what just seems normal to different people varies.  I didn't flag any "tartness" in that Moychay version (related to that description) but the menthol was unusual.  It's worth noting that for sheng any descriptions would be dated; wait a year and the tea character would change, at least a little.

Both were very interesting teas.  To me they seemed to have a lot of potential to develop further over the next few years.  Both didn't really require long-term aging to be approachable, so identifying the "sweet spot" for them (when they are best) might require tasting them across a range of time.  I would imagine for some people they might be best now, I just didn't experience the same bright, sweet, floral hit in the Yiwu (Mansa) version that would clearly indicate the tea is expressing something that many might not prefer the tea to transition away from.


Peter mentioned that he liked the effect of the Mansa version being "clear."  I get that, and one description comment even mentioned that as a description, in the original notes and in this final review version.  There was an intensity to it that was hard to describe, which I guess I only described by saying that much.

I really expected the Lao Man E version to need more age than it did, to not be so approachable.  It's interesting experiencing the different character ranges in teas like these two.