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nice looking; this is how the camera saw it too, no editing |
The owner of Tea Side sent some very nice looking samples for review; many thanks for that. The newest additions to his stock looked really interesting, and I've been on the theme of South East Asian pu'er-like teas in general lately, so it's perfect timing.
I'll review this one alone, no comparisons, no tasting theme gimmicks. Breaking form further I'll go ahead and cite his description of it before reviewing it, to support why I think these sound so interesting:
2016 "Dragon" Raw Pu-erh Tea
For this raw (sheng) pu-erh we use leaves from a garden with trees of different age, from 80 to 700 years old. The main age of trees from which the material for “Dragon” raw pu-erh is collected is 200-400 years. This is Chiang Rai province in the north of Thailand. The elevation is about 1300 meters.
2016 was very successful for Pu-erhs. Spring Mao Cha turned out bright, tasty and deep. So this tea immediately entered our collection of single cultivar sheng puers.
The aroma of the tea is bright, with the sweetness of tropical fruits. The taste is dominated by fruit jam, floral mix, and dried fruits. Tea immerses in a calm contemplative state.
I tend to never completely get that last part, the cha qi effect, but we'll see. Fruit in sheng can be really nice; we'll see about that part too. I tend to not make much of tea tree plant age claims; the tea is how it is, and maybe using older plant sources could've been a positive input.
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great wrapper graphics (credit Tea Side site) |
Three years old is a good age for sheng, typically, although that really does vary by the initial character. For some they're best within the first year, by far, and for others they would need a lot more time for bitterness and astringency to wear off. For a relatively intense, moderately bitter version three years is a good age to round off slight rough edges, to soften a little, and for initial intensity to transition to a milder feel and limited range of other flavors. The main aging transition occurs after a dozen or so years but sheng can deepen and shift a bit in the first few, before typically going through a longish subtle period, kind of in the middle. Of course timing and the nature of changes depends on storage conditions, in particular related to the humidity, temperature, and degree of air flow related to storage.
It doesn't work to say how Thai sheng tends to taste (or feel, etc.) in relation to versions from Yunnan or elsewhere. Versions vary by individual growing location, weather issues, soil type, plant type, processing choices, and so on, so although some typical profiles for narrower locations can occur, as these tend to align, it doesn't work that way across an entire country. Old Assamica plants are only located in the far North of Thailand but that's still a large area, and processing is probably less consistent outside of Yunnan. Let's get to it.
Review:
The first infusion was for about 10 seconds, standard enough. The tea is very pleasant right away. Light astringency, moderate bitterness, sweetness, and a green wood vegetal note stand out immediately, with a lot of other flavor that may be fruit or floral range. Or across both; the effect is complex. Feel will probably thicken as the tea gets saturated but it's not thin at all now, and aftertaste lingers pleasantly. I'll try to sort out flavors more in the next round; for now it just seems like there's a lot going on.
It's pleasant, and a bit intense. This definitely didn't start out as one of those light, smooth, very approachable sheng versions that would have faded over the first three years, and it's not as if it really needs another decade to become pleasant.
Second infusion:
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shading where I'm drinking this darkens it a little |
Transition is positive; the green wood aspect pulls back and floral tone ramps up. It still may show a good bit more fruit as it cycles through changes; for changing as much as it did over two rounds I'd expect a good bit more transition. It's a warm, rich, and complex floral range, probably covering more than one flower type, or likely including a hint of dried fruit filling in that warmer range.
Bitterness didn't really pick up; that stayed at a moderate, well-balanced level. Underlying mineral tone is pronounced in this tea. That not only gives it a good effect of complexity and balance of flavors, it also typically pairs with extended aftertaste as an outcome of tea being from an older plant source. Aftertaste effect is significant in this tea.
Feel is nice too; it has some structure to it, it's not syrupy or thick and smooth, but strikes a good overall balance, not coming across as overly dry. A bit of dryness remains along your tongue and roof of your mouth after you swallow, but it's also a bit mouth-watering, slightly juicy in feel.
Third infusion:
Not so far off the last round. Sweetness is still really nice in this; standing out just as much as the bitterness gives it a pleasant balance. Perfume-like floral is the main dominant taste at this point. Trying a flash infusion (versus brewing it for a bit under 10 seconds, as I have been) may shift the overall effect; I'll try that next round. I probably pick up more fruit than I would've noted if I'd not read that description, citing that as the main range. Given that as an input and direction it does seem a little jammy. It's still more floral, I think, but it's probably fair to say that it's there.
The overall effect is pleasant. Sometimes it can be hard to communicate that, how these aspects come together. That green wood aspect (flavor, now a supporting aspect lower in degree than the floral) and hint of dry feel (maybe like biting a tree branch tip) wouldn't work as well if this wasn't as sweet and full and wet in feel, but it all balances. I do also like sheng versions that are soft and sweet, more just fruit, with less bitterness, astringency (which is mild in this; I keep noting it because the form is novel), and without the green wood taste range. At three years along such milder versions would've probably faded quite a bit, and this is just transitioning, and will probably be quite pleasant for the next two years or so, until middle-age does quiet it down. Even then middle-age character may appeal to some, the subtlety that seems to result.
Fourth infusion:
I brewed this round for under 5 seconds, not really a true flash infusion, but close enough.
It might work better this way. Flavor didn't give up any intensity and the feel softened, also not losing the thickness, just with that dry edge dropping out. And plenty of aftertaste remains; the tea is intense enough that a short infusion time is enough.
Flavor is in an interesting place. It's still as floral as anything else but lots of complexity is adding to that. Berry works as a description for some, although I'm not convinced that's exactly it. Maybe the complexity makes it hard to separate, to get a clear read. Mineral is still pronounced, a light mineral tone, granite or something such. The flavor picks up a depth that joins with the creaminess and sweetness to come across as along the line of macadamia nut. Flavor seems to be transitioning though (although that could relate to the brewing time change too), so maybe it'll be different next round.
Fifth infusion:
It's nice drinking just one tea, being able to focus, not being overwhelmed by caffeine input after 4 rounds. Background screaming is even moderate this morning, and I'm not yet running late for a Sunday morning swimming class, although I will be mentioning that in another infusion or two.
This was shifting a bit; it's different now. The fruit description makes even more sense. Berry or jam works, but it's really a bit non-distinct, layered together with the rest. It's nice the way this is so intense, but also so pleasant in character, with bitterness and a light astringency edge now a minor balance point for intense flavor and moderate but more pronounced sweetness. It's quite clean in effect.
If this mineral tone or what remains of the green wood edge (now more cured wood, and definitely a background element) were shifted a little they wouldn't be positive contributions, but both are very bright and clean in nature. It hasn't lost a youthful vigor for having been around for 3 years, probably only softening and transitioning some.
Sixth infusion:
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a little color beyond light green, but not so aged or oxidized |
This has been a half liter or tea, which I know since I'm using a thermos to brew it outside. Funny how in doing all those comparisons I tend to not think about that, the total volume. The bottle may have been down a little (they may count to the lip), and there was a rinse, but 7 * x = 450 ml in these infusions calculates out to 65 ml of produced tea per round. I thought these gaiwans were around 90 ml, something I checked a long time ago, but don't remain concerned about. It's interesting to think I will have drank two 8 ounce cups of tea, and this will brew at least a third.
More of the same this round, really. Flavor complexity is such that lots of people would interpret this in lots of different ways, as fruity, focusing on floral range, considering mineral input, noticing a pronounced green wood tone, and I'd mentioned a nut type (macadamia), etc. I see it as mostly floral, but I could relate to other reads. For fruit it would have to be a complex mix of fruits, including a deeper dried fruit aspect (like dried longan, or maybe dried mango) and a brighter fruit element for high end, like a sweet version of local tropical pineapple. Pineapples are only tropical, but versions that make it back to the US seem to be citrus heavy, not as warm and sweet as local versions tend to be (some of them; it depends on what you like and what you buy).
I suppose that it's possible that eating mostly tropical fruits has me interpreting this complex and somewhat non-distinct fruit range as tropical fruit. Often I would do alternative interpretations in these reviews, and you can imagine what all that would transfer over as, dried fruit closer to a dried apple or pear, that warm citrus more berry range instead. Pineapple isn't exactly citrus, but the last version I just finished was in that range, and the other kinds I'm talking about share some common ground for character, they just don't taste that much like an orange.
Seventh infusion:
This isn't really fading, kind of what you'd expect for a tea that intense, complex, and bright in character early on. Some of the brighter notes are transitioning to warmer tones. Strawberry jam might work as a better description than a brighter berry, for example. It's still really nice, and will continue to be, just changing and tapering off a little.
I am late for swimming now; I'm off. There won't be that much to add for conclusions later, much as I rambled on so far.
Conclusions:
That general impression of the tea related to aspects and how they balance seemed clear enough. Maybe it'll help place that to talk about the style in relation to other teas, and the value. That last part is complicated; teas are worth whatever they're worth to you, and a match to personal preference is more meaningful than some general quality level, and broader supply and demand issues come into play, how much others want the same tea. It's still an interesting point to consider.
This 200 gram cake sells for $60. That converts over to $107 per a 357 gram cake. There is a clear middle range of sheng pricing that tends to cover $70-90 (per that standard amount); I'm not sure why, just how things seem to have shaken out. It's interesting considering if this really is that much better than that standard range, or if it's instead closer in appeal to the $1 / gram consistent range pricing for gushu sheng. It's good tea, and non-standard in origin and style enough that it just depends on someone's take on the tea, how it matches their own personal preferences.
It's definitely as good as those middle quality level teas tend to be; it's complex, pleasant in character and balance, etc. It fares well related to markers for better versions people tend to look for; the aftertaste is pronounced, mineral base gives it complexity, sweetness and bitterness balance nicely, and feel structure is fine. That edge of dryness may be an issue with the last; teas can be full in feel with both structure and rich thickness, but without a touch of dry edge. For me that doesn't matter, and the relation to seeing the green-wood tone as negative or the pronounced floral and fruit as positive would be more relevant (or the opposite, I guess, but to me that's how those would tend to arrange). In the end it just seems like a normal market rate for a good and unique tea type, not selling as a value-oriented tea, but not above standard levels, beyond missing that standard middle range on the high side by just a little.
Three years of aging can be seen as a value addition, or at least that's often how vendors tend to interpret that. They bear the cost of holding onto the tea for those extra years, of tying up investment. Aging also relates to proper storage, adding operational cost for them, with some risk that something could go wrong, and some degree of added value if things go especially well (eg. it's not wet stored enough to be musty, or dry stored enough not really change, to keep an astringency and specific vegetal edge that's an indication it didn't ferment). If you like the same tea younger on your end it's not much of a value-addition. Shifting the pricing back just a little to account for that (extra cost, and potential extra value) it's right in that $70-90 standard size range (or 20 to 25 cents per gram, if that's how you like to think of it).
It's difficult to compare this to other versions or styles; it's kind of its own thing. I have trouble holding a matrix of standard local source area profiles in memory as other people seem to, and I'm not sure this character or set of aspects would be quite similar to another anyway. It's definitely not "off" in terms of being non-standard in style, related to Yunnan versions, just a little different. It's good tea; that much I had expected, and wasn't disappointed.
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