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Son La left, Naka middle, Bangwai right, in all photos |
In reviewing two Tea Mania gushu sheng pu'er versions recently I felt as if I didn't really place quality levels and style as much as I'd hoped to. In comparison reviewing a vendor's teas along with each other the main current benchmark, the other version, tends to be something similar in style and quality level. This adjusts for that.
Of course there are flaws and limitations to the approach. Style of tea varies a lot, and you need to take that into account in description. Personal preference can favor a style most others would see as inferior to experience, related to their preference. I try to make all that explicit in these notes, but I can't drill down too far across all the scope. When reviewing a number of teas together it's natural to focus on flavor aspects more than mouthfeel or aftertaste range; that narrowing of scope of consideration happens automatically.
I want to keep descriptions short here because comparison reviews run long. Let's let the vendor's descriptions introduce what these are.
Viet Sun Son La cake (the 2023 version, the one I tried, seems to be sold out; I can cover 2024 instead related to product description, and mention what I knew of the other).
2024, 200 gram cake, selling for $48
A very special tea from Sơn La province in northwest Vietnam.
This is a tea from arguably the best ancient tree gardens in Bắc Yên district of Sơn La province growing at 1400m. The people living and making tea here are of the H'Mông ethnicity.
This tea was made in an area called Tà Xùa, one of the more well known areas for old tree Assamica tea in Vietnam and is located just south of where the 2023 Sơn La tea was made. Tà Xùa mainly produces wok made green tea but we were lucky enough to have the chance to get some of the raw puerh version.
This tea has some aggressiveness and kiss of smoke from the wok which is typical of this area although subdued compared to the 2023 tea. This tea brews up into a rich gold green soup. Heavily floral, fruity and sweet with some citrus notes, medium bitterness/ astringency. This tea has a pleasant minerality with a rich lasting Huigan and strong qi.
Apparently the 2023 version listed for $77 for 370 grams, so 21 cents a gram instead of 24. What is that, a 15% increase in a year? Viet Sun teas always were going to increase in price once awareness and demand ramped up, and this is probably how this will go. They'll outpace inflation for a half dozen years and level off as costing what main source Yunnan teas do now, $100-120 per cake.
Cheng Sheng Hao Naka sample, part of a sample set, selling for $79 per 195 grams.
That's not double the Viet Sun pricing but getting on towards that. Some of their teas included were really exceptional, and some more ordinary, making it hard to assess value.
2022 Na Ka (那卡)
“Na Ka” is the sweetness representative of Pu-Erh tea. The soup has an attractive pale-gold color in the cup. The aroma and taste are alluring, exhibiting a noticeable peach-like flavor and strong sweetness in the later infusions. There is also a strong cup scent left behind in the early brews.
Tea Mania 2022 Bangwai sheng, 200 grams for $111
Harvest: Spring 2022
Pressed: 2022
Typ: Sheng
Aroma: Spicy, much Cha Qi and sweet finish
Terroir: Bangwai, Lancang prefecture, Yunnan province, China
The rest of the description pretty much just says that it's gushu, from old plant material. It includes description like this:
The Bangwai Gushu is celebrated for its meticulous, traditional handmade processing and the selective use of the finest tea leaves. This dedication to quality is evident in every sip, making it a treasured choice among collectors. Due to the limited availability, Pu-erh teas from the Bangwai region are released in small quantities each year, adding to their exclusivity and allure.
So these sell for 24 cents a gram (the 2024 Son La version, the only one available now), just under 40, and 55 cents a gram; quite a range.
It's not a fair comparison with the Naka version because 3 of the 7 in that set were presented as more exceptional, higher demand, award winning versions, and the other 4 at representative of a local origin type. There's no way to estimate how some better versions represent higher value for the average, without looking up other things that they sell, which I'm not going to do here.
These teas are from 2023 (the Son La version), 2021 (Naka), and 2022 (Bangwai); that will throw off comparison a little too. I won't emphasize likely changes from aging input and storage conditions here, going more by experienced character, because again a three-way comparison tasting is a lot to cover, and to read.
I really wanted to try a sample of a 2024 Son La tea with these, to get to tasting a little sent along with the last re-order of a 2023 cake, but to keep the aging input more consistent I didn't.
Review:
Son La #1: this won't be a fair comparison at this stage because this version is loose, ready to start brewing right away, so I infused it for less time, 15 seconds or so, versus over 30 for the others. It still won't balance; it will start faster.
This is ready to review for flavor profile description, even if a little light. Floral range is pronounced and complex, sweetness is good, bitterness not really started yet, and feel is starting in. There might be a faint hint of smoke but I think that drops out. It's good, a personal favorite.
Naka and Bangwai: I'll skip saying anything; even next round these might not be started yet. Compressed forms are like that, and separating apart these forms is not easy.
I'll use 10 seconds for the Son La version and a minute or so for both others again to get these to balance being wetted better, but that will probably even up more in a third round.
Son La #2: intensity picks way up. Bitterness does really enter in, and sweetness elevates to match. Flavors range is mostly floral, although I'd interpret some of it as fruit as well. Feel is nice, a bit full, not overly structured, and not challenging. Intensity draws out aftertaste experience already, even though this has only been brewing for about 20 seconds so far.
Naka: there's an odd woody flavor component to this. I've always wondered if using cardboard as storage container wouldn't impart some flavor, if that's not what I pick up when some teas taste a little like cardboard or wood. It will probably fade fast as the main tea flavors pick up. I had an interesting experience with the earlier two Tea Mania teas I tried barely getting started in the first two rounds, as the tea opened up and wetted; that may be going on with this. It's not soaked through yet.
Bangwai: a really catchy fruit tone shows through. It seems like it's probably coupled with a spice input, which makes it seem all the more complex and interesting. It's still too light for clear evaluation though. I'll again brew the Son La version for about 10 seconds and the other two for over 30, backing off the full minute I gave them last round. Of course I'm breaking normal form and discarding most of these first two rounds, since tasting three teas will add up fast for volume.
Son La #3: a bit strong; I've probably botched proportion for using an amount too close to my normal range, maybe backing off to 8 grams instead of 10, but it's still too much. [later edit: wetted leaf volume, a better indicator of amount, if you don't weigh the material, indicates there isn't as much difference as it seems through most of this tasting]. Warm tones pick up in this round, and intensity is high. Bitterness is pronounced, and sweetness; they balance.
It's clear from the leaf color alone that oxidation level varies in this tea, which some people would see as a flaw. For me the final experience is the thing, and this works, so it's not really that, just unique in style. That warmth and richer flavors in the profile must relate to that, at least in part.
Naka: this tea is quite decent, but it's probably going to suffer in comparison with these other two. Sweetness level isn't pronounced, but it includes some sweetness. Floral range is there but it's also a bit muted. Feel is decent, with moderate fullness, but it all seems a bit muted in comparison with the Son La version. That tea is much further along for brewing, so it's not a fair comparison.
Bangwai: flavor range is quite novel for this. I'd place that mainly as root spice, at least at this round. Floral range fills that in, but it's less distinct. Bitterness and feel aren't so pronounced or challenging, but it works for balance. It comes across as refined; there are no negative inputs or rough edges, and there's an experience of depth.
A friend recently asked what I mean by root spice. Does this taste like sassafras, ginseng, ginger, turmeric, or horseradish? It's the first, a lot like sassafras, maybe leaning a little towards ginseng. There are other roots that can be brewed as tisanes, just as there are plenty of other bark spices beyond cinnamon. They can tend to group up across a common character range, even though many are very spicy, while others are mild. I went through a decade long tisane drinking phase, during which I could've placed all that better. As a placeholder, if someone is thrown off by this description, they can just swap in sassafras root, and if that's not familiar think of it as tasting like ginseng, or ignore the description.
The Son La version is dialed way up across most aspect range in comparison, with more intensity, flavor complexity, bitterness, sweetness, and feel structure, but there's something pleasant about a more limited flavor range, good balance, refinement, and depth. It's a different kind of pleasantness. Again this tea isn't fully wetted yet, so it might change a good bit over the next two rounds. Some leaves will have been brewing for 5 rounds by then, so it will gain complexity by mixing inputs across an infusion cycle.
Son La #4: bitterness seems to stand out all the more. How much I notice that might vary over time, depending on expectations, or just paying attention. In comparison with less bitter teas it's hard to miss. I'm still brewing this pretty fast but at a high proportion it's going to be intense; I would imagine most people might like it lighter, using less leaf and still a short infusion time. Probably how I drink teas varies day to day, with mood, especially infusion strength.
Some of the plant-stem sort of flavor that relates to a connection with bitterness might divide people on preference for this. I'm fine with it; it works for me. Five years ago I probably wouldn't have liked it as much, but I've drank a lot of relatively bitter tea in that time.
Naka: again this tastes like pretty decent sheng, and it balances ok, and has a decent profile, but it comes across as muted after trying the Son La. It being two years older probably isn't helping with that.
It's probably better that high bitterness and edgier feel are not present, that it balances more at fullness. It just doesn't have pronounced sweetness or strong floral range to fill in complexity. I think tasted alone it would seem better. No part of this seems like a flaw, beyond flavors being limited. Feel is fine. Given it was described as being unusually sweet I guess that's a let-down, but still it's ok.
Bangwai: this stands out for being the opposite, in a sense, unusually distinctive. It ties mostly to a limited range of flavor input, that's not all one thing, but is complex across a limited range. It seems like mainly root spice, to me, with some floral input supporting that, and range that might seem more vegetal across a more medicinal range, like herbs. Feel is smooth, full, and "round," not challenging at all, bringing across an impression of depth.
For someone looking for the blast of bitterness, sweetness, feel intensity, and strong flavor in the Son La this could also seem muted, but to me there is a good bit going on. It's just a very different kind of experience.
I've not been mentioning aging input differences, and that could be a factor. The Son La is from 2023, the Naka from 2021, and Bangwai from 2022. The Vietnamese version would pick up depth and lose sharper range and some intensity over two more years. I see that as good and bad; to me those are positive, they work. Maybe since intensity and complexity is so significant it will improve from that trade-off. I've drank about two thirds of this cake, so it won't be around for me to know in two more years, but I bought a replacement of it to fill that role.
The Naka is most muted from aging longer, 3 years instead of 1 or 2. That can bring across a positive experience of warmer tones and depth, and to some extent that occurs in this version. It's just hard to appreciate when it's giving up intensity, complexity, and distinctiveness in relation to the other two versions, as described in detail in these notes. If someone really loves a softer, richer, less challenging tea version it could be better, but the Bangwai also lacks rough edges.
I haven't finished all of these rounds, discarding some, but part of 12 cups was already a lot, right when the second two are finally fully wetted. I'll need to take a break and eat something to offset the stomach impact.
Son La, #5: again quite pleasant. Strong intensity, even brewed quite fast, stands out, along with sweetness, bitterness, and a plant-stem sort of flavor input. Floral range that I interpret as including some lighter, hard to pin down fruit component makes it complex and balanced. I think match to what I like is more of the appeal than some abstract and objective quality level, but not much of this would be regarded as a flaw, as I see it.
Naka: again I think this would come across better without the direct comparison, because it seems a bit muted and lacking in flavor complexity. It has good depth though, and is clean in flavor range, with balancing bitterness and full feel. Flavor range is fine, but it's just indistinct floral range.
Bangwai: that distinctive flavor range, a set, really, is evolving. It's still in root spice / Chinese herb medicinal range, but different now. I suppose preference for this tea would depend on if someone loves that kind of novel flavor experience or not, that particular version of it. I could imagine a lot of people loving this as a novel experience but not preferring to experience it over and over, as a 357 gram cake. These are selling as smaller cakes; 200 grams isn't the same thing, since this would still be novel for the first half dozen sessions.
I think it partly relates to having basic tastes, preference, but for drinking a tea version over and over I'd go with the Son La. This Naka version isn't offensive in any way, maybe the most neutral of the three, with pretty decent overall balance and depth, so it could work well as a sort of plain tea to have with breakfasts. Why not have that be lots more intense though? Maybe that's what sheng pu'er is supplying that I end up craving.
Son La, #6: it's interesting brewing this faster across the whole tasting, but part of that is getting the proportion wrong, using too much of this. It's more intense than the others but not that much more intense.
later edit: there is a slightly higher proportion, as shown by wet leaf volume, but not that much. It's a more intense tea than the other two. That's normal for it being younger / less transitioned. Astringency is higher too; I don't mention much of that as a trade-off, because to me it's not so negative, but it could be to others.
This is better than ever; the initial rough edges are smoothing out, and it picks up warmth and depth. Richness of feel picks up, evolving from a slightly rougher structure earlier. The rest is as described earlier.
Naka: not evolving, as described before, pretty good and decently balanced, just not as intense and distinctive as the others.
Bangwai: not really evolved in relation to the last round. This is the most unique and distinctive as flavors go, and has the most refinement and depth.
As objective quality level assessment goes this is probably the best, but match to personal preference is something else again. That flavor set someone might love or else not like. I have no idea about match to a conventional local origin type or standard character.
It would seem odd to me that this could be typical, given how distinctive it is, but I really don't know. Maybe versions from there tend to be distinctive in different ways, so it is a common generality, just not in terms of this exact aspect set.
Conclusions:
Going in this wasn't a fair test for the Naka version, from the Cheng Sheng Hao vendor. The Son La tea is a personal favorite, and Tea Mania is sourcing some pretty good tea versions, and selling those at medium-high pricing rates because of that quality level and distinctiveness.
This Naka tea wasn't presented as one of the best versions from that vendor, more as representative of a local origin type. I'm not sure that it lived up to that. I'm particularly bad at memorizing a matrix of typical local origin sheng pu'er aspect sets, but per description sweetness was the thing to look out for, and it was no sweeter than the others, and less so than the Son La version, which included other range some might find off-putting.
The story of the Bangwai version was novel flavor profile, along with depth and refinement. It's a pretty good theme. The last post comparing Tea Mania teas mentions a tasting set that they sell; that's probably a good way to assess some different versions to help place them in relation to preference, and to judge quality for yourself.
The one limitation I want to address here relates to people not being able to experience a volume of different teas, to costs really adding up. Of course someone could spend over $100 on sets from each of these vendors (often free shipping starts in at around that price level), and they'd have their own impressions, but $400 might be most of a conventional annual tea budget for a lot of people. Drinking tea every day for not much over $1 a day is pushing it, but it is practical to only drink 5 to 8 grams of a 20-some cents per gram tea per day.
It can get a little annoying seeing people present photos of $500+ orders in tea groups, as if this isn't even a factor for them. It seems to be about them promoting being ahead in some sort of exposure game. It would be nice to be able to spend thousands of dollars a year on tea, but I'm not trying to set up a high level of spending as some sort of assumed norm here.
No one is missing that much for not ever trying these three teas, or anything like them. It's just tea. If you acclimate to prefer what others regard as quality markers, and seek out rarer in-demand tea types, your required expense will escalate, but it's not necessary to spend $100 on a cake, or 30-some cents per gram, to get decent tea now. But to buy tea that's in the highest demand that's probably not even close to enough.
On the other side of that if someone spends $8 a day on a coffee drink they have the same beverage experience, over and over. To me that's $240 a month essentially wasted. It's better to spend $70 to 100 on a 357 gram cake, drink 8-10 grams of tea a day worth, and have that cover more than a month of experience. Sampling different sheng helps with placing where to go with that exploration.
Spending $100 on a month and a half worth of tea still works out to an $800 per year expense; it's still too much for everyone at or under the average in income, both in the US and in Thailand, the two places that I tend to live. I suppose that's just how it has to go, that people experiencing above average quality tea on a regular basis would face an above average level of expense. That doesn't mean that good tea is only for the wealthy, but there is significant buy-in, when it comes to above average quality sheng pu'er range.
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