Bing Dao origin shou pu'er

 

I reviewed a sheng pu'er from Bing Dao from Oriental Leaf recently, here, and this is a shou version, the pre-fermented pu'er range.  Many thanks to this vendor for providing this tea for review!

To me two thoughts come up immediately when considering Bing Dao shou pu'er.  1) is it real?, 2) does it make sense to pre-ferment (wet pile) Bing Dao material, to turn it into shou?

It's probably real.  It's from a main producer in that area, Mengku Rongshi, per description from this vendor, so that would comparable to questioning if a Lao Ban Zhang from Chen Sheng Hao is real (known for a long term sourcing contract in that area).  It could still be fake, and people can think whatever they want, and that conclusion is a knee-jerk reaction in some tea circles.  But it's probably not.

Does it make sense to pre-ferment some of the most exceptional tea material you could find in this way?  Not to me, no, but of course it's for people who like shou more than I do.  I'm a sheng drinker, and I'd rather drink above average sheng than the best shou available.  But is seems a bit harsh and judgmental to say that the range shouldn't even exist.  It makes no sense to me, but it would to some others, with different preferences.

Let's consider the vendor listing:

Bingdao Aged Ripe Pu-erh (2026 · Coin Cakes) — Mengku Rongshi

40 grams worth, five 8 gram coins, sells for $14.50, which does sound kind of low in cost.  It doesn't say when the tea material was produced, even though it claims to be aged, which people could take as a second red flag, if so inclined.  The divide between spring and fall material comes to mind; they could be using autumn harvest tea for this purpose, and the material would be worth less to start with, and the origin area would still be the same.  In sheng you can often pick up a bit of difference in intensity and character type, related to autumn harvest versions, but it may not stand out as much in shou.

I tend to value the tea experience more than the story anyway, so it matters less, from that kind of perspective.  Their description:

Ripe pu-erh from the Bingdao growing area in Yunnan — one of the most regarded tea regions in China — fermented using Mengku Rongshi's box fermentation method and aged before release. No waiting required. The tea is ready to drink now, packaged in individual tins of five 8g coin cakes. Each coin is scored with a cross so it breaks cleanly into four pieces — a practical feature for adjusting your brew weight. Available as a single tin (40g) or a full box of eight tins (320g). [that sells for $110, again lower than you would expect).

Bingdao is a tea-growing area in Shuangjiang County, Lincang, Yunnan — the same county where Mengku Rongshi has been based since the family began making tea in 1935. It is one of the most sought-after origins in Chinese pu-erh, known for material with a distinctive character: clean, sweet, with a cooling finish and strong salivation that lingers after the cup is empty. These qualities are not common in ripe pu-erh, where fermentation often softens or masks the character of the raw material. Getting them to carry through into a finished shou pu-erh requires both good material and careful process.

The Process

Mengku Rongshi ferments this tea using their box fermentation method — a controlled approach in which the tea is managed in enclosed fermentation units rather than open large-pile wodui. Temperature, humidity, and timing are monitored and adjusted throughout. The result is a cleaner, more precise fermentation with less of the off-notes that conventional large-pile processing can introduce...

Aroma: Sugar and caramel lead, with a background of fruit and dry wood. The cup aroma carries a clean, candied sweetness.

Soup: Deep red, clear, and bright. The texture is smooth — silky is the word that comes up most often. Not thin, not heavy; just even and continuous.

Taste: Sweet and smooth, with a distinct sugar-and-caramel quality throughout. The Bingdao character comes through in the finish: a light cooling sensation on the tongue, strong salivation, and a clean rock-sugar sweetness at the back of the throat that stays for several minutes.

Smaller batch shou processing has been a somewhat well known theme in "the West" for the past decade or so, but there isn't that much of it made, so there aren't lots of options to try different versions.  But it's no secret, and examples do turn up.  It's more typically presented as an experimental approach, not something a vendor has been carrying out for a long period of time, so results might vary.  

Here's an example of a Thai vendor, Tea Side, producing 2016 and 2018 versions, posted in 2019 here.  Those were good.  Not like this, but the material surely didn't have the same potential, and it was the results of processing after some trial and error, but not a couple decades of consistent production (or whatever this relates to).  This was a review of their 2021 version, in 2025, probably representing a more developed, slightly age transitioned version, as a more developed example (which they described as "Chocolate Noir;" both that and this Bing Dao version share pronounced cacao flavor).

Review:

First infusion:  I let this soak for well over 30 seconds, so that it would open up in the first round.  I didn't use a rinse, which wouldn't work as well for a pressed shape like this anyway, since you would be rinsing only the outside surface.

Flavor is really nice.  As shou goes; I'm not a natural shou drinker, which I'll address more in an intro that I add later.  There's a pronounced cacao note, the main thing you notice.  Then an inky minerality, and what comes across to me as rich dried fruit, that could be interpreted differently.  Some shou has a funky sort of fermentation related input that fades after a couple of rounds and if it's in this it's really moderate, and hard to notice.  It can taste like wet cement block, petroleum, fermenting cardboard, or in worst cases like fish, or fermented fish sauce.  There's really none of all that.

Body / feel is really thick, of course.  Cacao carries over most in the aftertaste, so far.  There seems to be a savory aspect included, that's not strong, so it relates more to background, giving it depth.  It tastes a little like sun-dried tomato.  That's quite a lot of aspect range for the first round, but then this is brewed strong.  Shou never really picks up problematic aspects when overbrewed, or put another way, it's hard to really overbrew it.  I'll try it lighter though, and see what that changes.

Second infusion:  this round I brewed for 5 seconds, just long enough to stir the leaves around a bit with the lid, then poured back out.  Intensity and feel strength drop, of course.  The flavor profile doesn't change that much, but how it comes across does.  Warm mineral tone evens up with cacao for intensity.  Fruit isn't as noticeable.  That fruit was so rich and heavy that I'd have to make up a dried fruit type to come close to capturing what it was / is.  Prune is close enough though, dried plum.

This is pleasant brewed light, and intense enough, but probably brewing between 10 and 15 seconds would be an optimum, for me.  That's a really strong infusion strength, for using 8 grams in 100 ml for a tea this intense, but it works for this type.  

Dark bread range seems to enter in as a main flavor range, replacing some of that earlier set, or combining with it.  Really dark bread, like pumpernickel, maybe just without that one seed spice flavor input.

Third infusion:  not so different than last round; that description still applies.  Heavier dried fruit range might be lighter, on towards a dried berry input instead.

Is this so exceptional that it justifies existing, changing what should have been great quality material sheng into a shou / wet pile fermented form?  Preference for types enters into that kind of analysis and conclusion.  To me no; this must have been better as sheng.  But for people into distinctive, unique forms of shou the answer might be different.  It's really for them, not for me.  It will be interesting to see how pricing works out, which kind of factors in, but again that's a separate theme.  I think ordinary but more exceptional factory shou is good enough, and represents the type range well enough, but again that means little coming from a shou drinker.

I've been through this before.  A friend passed on a gushu shou from some known tea area before, and I had trouble placing if it made any sense, for it to even exist.  It has been nice having that better shou available to drink during fasts.  I have other more ordinary range shou around for that, and I might have drank through half a kilogram or so of it on fasts over the last three years (I fast a good bit; four times a year, five days each fast).  But it's nice trying something a little different and better.  I've kept experimenting with what else my stomach can tolerate, without much success beyond aged white tea, and very limited other hei cha range.

In trying this round again the flavors seem to flatten out a little, losing distinctiveness related to covering more scope (now mineral and dark bread, plus cacao, and limited dried fruit).  It's nice that it's so clean; often a touch of what leans towards sourness comes across in shou.  You wouldn't identify it as sourness, necessarily, but it relates to aged books or old cardboard smell in way that starts to be comparable.  Cement block mineral is more of a Liu Bao thing, and more general mustiness often relates to a storage input, or at least seems to.  None of all that is present in this.

Fourth infusion:  the balance of those different flavors is interesting.  I let this brew between 15 and 20 seconds, and that brings back intensity that works better for me, of course related to infusion strength.  

Feel includes some richness and fullness, and aftertaste carries over, but for a sheng drinker all other tea range can seem a little limited related to those.  Shou can be oily and thick, so I guess it's just a different effect, not less of one.

The flavors I had already mentioned integrate well at this stage.  They're harder to identify as separate aspects or notes, which doesn't necessarily enhance or degrade the experience, it's just different.  I suppose the dark bread aspect is shifting towards a lighter spice note, which is still related to that dark bread theme.  You wouldn't really necessarily identify this as tasting like cacao or dried fruit at this stage; it combines with the rest, and mineral base, spice, and dark bread have shifted to be more of what you pick up.  I suppose I see it as including that range, giving it complexity, but you can't really separate out those notes as they seemed to be expressed earlier on.

I'll give this another longer yet infusion time, around 30 seconds, and that might be enough notes for this.  There is late stage transition to note and consider, but I'm often fine with skipping that part, seeing the main story as already told.

Fifth infusion:  it picks up more strength as mineral depth than the rest.  It's a relatively different context for a comparable effect, but Dian Hong black tea can land in a similar place, related to a general pattern, of expressing depth more than forward flavor.  I like that in Dian Hong; it works for me, even though it could easily be regarded as a flaw or limitation in a tea version.  In this it's fine.  I think a shou drinker would relate to it more as I do with that black tea, than how I do trying this round.  It's interesting, and not overly negative, but not necessarily appealing either.

Mineral tone changes.  I really could probably review this tea again and just write about how the mineral tone is coming across each round.  Descriptions of that end up being vague, mentioning rock types, or partial comparisons to non-food related inputs, like fallen tree bark or petroleum.  

I suppose as higher level, general character summaries go this may come across as expressing a clean version of forest floor notes, to some.  That can be very pleasant when it works well, and this is clean and positive.  Imagine yourself sitting by a bubbling spring, in a wet, cool, green forest, on a spring day, with pines sheltering you, and ferns filling in the forest floor.  It tastes a little like that would smell, with wet rocks and fermenting fallen tree logs standing out.  Of course I'm picturing a specific place in describing that; I'm from the forests of western Pennsylvania.  There's a feel to such places that captures your imagination, making you think that animated local spirit influences might actually be real.  I digress.

The tea is pretty good.  I'll add more about that in conclusions, after adding a vendor description.

Conclusions:

It's interesting seeing caramel in the initial product description.  That's the kind of thing that you would notice if you had read it in description, since it would bring it to mind.  Rich, warm toned, relatively sweet tea could always be identified as tasting like caramel or toffee.  I just didn't make that connection.

It's interesting considering how good this is; is the quality level really as high as shou tends to get?  Are the flavors and other character roughly as positive as any other shou that I've tried.  Sure, they are.  That would mean more to me personally if I loved shou more.

It would really seem a waste of this tea to drink it as something your stomach tolerates well when fasting.  Fasting doesn't exactly throw off my sense of taste, but how you relate to flavors is different then.  A baseline for a lot of life experience shifts.  To me it adds an underlying layer of stress to life experience; you are always not doing something, that your body is inclined to do, to eat on a daily basis.

Of course when I re-try a later round I notice pronounced sweetness, which I do associate with caramel (per the comment about the power of suggestion).  I'm writing the edited version in the early afternoon, which isn't usually how that goes.  This is probably the cleanest version of shou I've yet to try; there is no fermentation related murkiness.  It makes you wonder about the actual age; over just 3 or 4 years a lot of the early fermentation effect clears up, any off flavors, but over a decade or more depth picks up, tones clean up a little more, and some limited forward flavor range gets swapped out for that depth.  This could be more than 3 or 4 years old; it would explain that clean character.

For shou drinkers I suppose this would be a must-try sort of version.  Some people might even miss the rough edges, the heavy, complex, intensity that good factory shou brings across, bumping that intensity at the cost of including rougher aspect range, and edgier feel.  This might seem too refined.  But then it's interesting trying extreme ranges of different tea types, to help place the rest.  

To me that even applies to bad tea; that rough, harsh, problematic Chinatown shou, that's earthy in an off way, and a touch sour, helps you place the middle and higher ends of shou range better.  You might not make it through a whole cake of that kind of thing, if you end up buying it, and it might be better for your health if you didn't.  But it's nice experiencing the full range of what tea experience can be.  This version represents the "higher" end instead, which people would relate to differently, depending on their individual preferences.

Tea Side 2021 "Chocolate Noir" small batch shu pu'er

 

I've written about Tea Side small batch shu / shou pu'er before.  It was exceptional.  Valerie of Tea Side recently mentioned finding some of an old batch that is also exceptional.  "Old" here means 4 years old; that's always relative.  A year or two is plenty to air out most shu, to get most of the fermentation effects to settle.  In some cases longer might make a positive difference.  Four years is definitely suitable.

The backstory:  Tea Side experimented with making small-batch, basket fermented shu some years ago.  Typical shu processing involves wet-piling a lot of tea, maybe tons, in a large room environment.  Small batch shu isn't unheard of; they definitely didn't invent that theme.  In theory it can produce very novel results, where larger batch processing is oriented towards achieving a standardized positive result.

I considered tasting this in comparison with another exceptional shu version, which might have shed more light on it, but to save time and keep this simple I won't.  Maybe I can refer to the other range of shu I've tried from memory.  I've reviewed a couple of very exceptional versions this year, one from Vietnam (really an anomaly), and another a great version from Farmerleaf, of course a Yunnan pu'er.  

[Later edit:  this was distinctive enough that comparing it to other versions or making general quality level assessments didn't seem so relevant, so I didn't].

Review:

1:  yep, there is dark chocolate.  Impressions and interpretations can vary, so maybe someone could make it through a whole tasting without placing that, but when you expect that it stands out quite a bit.  This is roughly as good as shu tends to get, sweet, complex, and balanced.  It will pick up intensity on the second round, once it's fully wetted, but it's already good.  Of course there is a pronounced mineral layer beneath the dark chocolate / cacao.  I'll save the rest of the breakdown for next round.

Sometimes I don't mention parameters, but I might as well.  Of course I've not measured an amount, but this looks to be 7 or so grams to me, a good bit, but not maxed out for a 100 ml gaiwan.  Water is hot, but not full boiling point, since I'm using a filtered version that is heated by a hot water dispenser, which wouldn't quite make it to that temperature.  Transferring it through a thermos would drop out a little more heat.  I brewed that for 15 seconds or so, and this next round a little longer, although shorter would also work. 

2:  Marshmallow really ramps up in this.  I've encountered that a half dozen or so times in trying teas, and it's pretty much always really pleasant, as nice an herbal input as one generally encounters.  To me this tastes more like marshmallow than cacao / chocolate at this point, but both are there.  I've included some background on the plant input that marshmallow is copying, or originally included, which is exactly what you'd expect, the root of a plant that grows in marshes used to make a candy version similar to but different from our modern marshmallow form.  If memory serves it was used more as a thickener than for the taste, but both could be pleasant together.

The flavor list seems a bit short, even though this comes across as complex.  It includes marshmallow, cacao, and limited dark-toned mineral.  Some of those warm tones resemble a really light roasted coffee.  Of course it's not bitter, astringent, or harsh in any way, instead smooth and rich.  Sweetness level is nice; the rest combines better for that being present.

3:  I'm brewing this a bit faster, around 15 seconds, mostly to experience variation, if that comes up.  One thing I might've already mentioned is that there is a particular sweetness and flavor to clumps of tea that form in the wet-piling process, called cha tou, or tea heads, and this resembles that particular sweetness and flavor.  For people who haven't tried that it wouldn't necessarily be informative, but if you like shu it should make your list of things to get to.  

There isn't that much variation in shu to try, so I'll list out what I see as other types or themes here.  Small-batch versions can be different, like this one.  High buds content versions taste different, and can be pleasant, sometimes referred to as Gong Ting grade, or imperial or palace grade.  Aged lower fermentation level shu is another type that is valued, often sold as CNNP / Zhongcha versions from the late 90s or early 2000s, usually as bricks instead of cakes.  There are lots of claims about gushu shu, or versions made from desirable material locations, even up to range like Bing Dao, but those claims can be hard to place.  One might try something offered as from a decent Jing Mai source, and let the more exotic range go, since it could be fake more often than real.

This round is slightly less intense for being brewed faster but it's still quite intense.  Aftertaste expression actually increases, for whatever reason, and it might seem a little sweeter.  Thickness of feel and complexity drop a little, brewed less strong.  Flavor range doesn't vary so much; only the balance or proportions of the prior list shift.  Marshmallow is really strong, but that was probably true last round too.

There may be one type-typical description of the cha tou / tea clumps / tea heads standard flavor that I'm missing, a different way to place that.  It's so bright, sweet, and complex that it leans a little towards tangerine flavor, but it's definitely not that.  Like vanilla?  That seems to work better.

4:  Not so different, but a bit more intense and complex.  Since I'm describing this as tasting like cacao and marshmallow one might wonder if it tastes like a s'more.  It does.  I don't think much of the graham cracker carries over, but that's probably still open to interpretation.  

This is already about as much as I'm going to interpret, without trying another half dozen rounds to explain later stage transitions, which would occur.  This already covers the basic, early infusions, main flavors.  Earthy range will probably pick up as this needs to be stretched a bit more to get the same intensity.  Brighter, lighter cacao and marshmallow should keep fading, but probably not that much over the next 3 or 4 rounds, only in the later stage.

As for conclusions, it's pretty good.  The way they describe it works; it's distinctive, complex, pleasant, and exceptional.  It's as good as shu gets.  Related to value or fair cost range people would have to place that for themselves; options and pricing ranges vary from different kinds of vendors.  

It's hard for me to relate to the very highest quality and most distinctive style range of shu, or for that matter for any tea type.  Different versions out there, of different types, sell for $1 a gram or more, but typical shu range is at the opposite extreme, or more in the middle for the best versions.  It's interesting checking Tea Side's listing and seeing where it falls, and how they describe it:

2021 “Chocolate Noir II: A Long-Forgotten Stash” Craft Ripe Pu-erh Tea ($22 for 50 grams)

This shou pu-erh I crafted from old Thai trees, averaging around 300 years in age—the very same material I always used for "Raspberry Pine." The fermentation was completed on December 5, 2021. And the tea then went off into aging to develop the right, well-rounded profile.

Over the following year, I checked in on it regularly, but wasn’t quite happy with the flavor. So I shelved the box higher up in our warehouse and, honestly, forgot about it. After 3.5 years of storage, it resurfaced during an inventory check—and now, I’m completely satisfied with the profile.

This tea unfolds gradually, requiring water as hot as you can get it, and a generous steeping time. We didn’t separate tea heads from loose leaves: the leaves infuse fast, while the heads maintain excellent steeping durability.

The dry aroma is classic—slightly salty, woody. Once rinsed, the scent transforms into soft, sweet woodiness, with notes of chocolate and raspberry jam.

The flavor profile is smooth, dense, and even: teak wood, a solid chocolate body, and a pleasant coffee-like bitterness finishing each sip.

This shou distinctly recalls our “Chocolate Noir”, which was produced later, from different material and slight adjustments in processing. Over years of aging, the raspberry-berry nuances have faded, replaced by a harmonious, rounded fusion of chocolate and wood. However, if your nose is keen, you might still detect faint traces of berry jam in its fragrance.

The aftertaste is lovely: like a childhood chocolate candy, with the gentlest touch of coffee.

It probably would've been better using the hottest possible water, instead of in the 90-some C range, as I brewed it.

It's interesting that I did mention chocolate (also in the marketing) and coffee in this, leaving out reference to jam or dried fruit, and adding that it tasted a good bit like marshmallow to me, and maybe just a little like vanilla.  Interpretations would always vary; that's normal.  The general impression seems about the same.

If someone was open to spending nearly 50 cents a gram on a shu I guess this version might justify that as well as any.  It's probably as good as any shu version I've ever tried, and I've tried a lot, some presented as exceptional.  Still it's just shu.  I never could relate to people focusing on that type range as a primary preference, but then preferences do vary.  

Even for people not so interested in the type it might make sense to buy a little to see what the high end / most distinctive range is all about.  I probably wouldn't, but then having a tight tea budget narrows a lot of choices down to very few.  I wouldn't buy sheng for 40-some cents a gram either, and that kind of offering is a lot more common.

2016 and 2018 small-batch produced Thai shu from Tea Side

There's probably not much need to set this background up related to who this vendor is but I'll add a little about that.  Tea Side is a local Thai vendor that seeks out rarer and better Thai versions of teas to sell online.  I've reviewed plenty of sheng and shu from them, which is not necessarily pu'er, given that those are from Thailand, which makes naming problematic.  I guess calling it "pu'er-like tea" resolves that, it's just cumbersome. 

I've reviewed black teas from Tea Side in the past, more or less in Dian Hong styles (including three I bought last year reviewed here), and well prior to that some oolongs, even a 20+ year old version.  To be clear these teas I'm reviewig were sent as samples, provided by the vendor.

They started trying to produce their own shu in smaller batches than is typically used in the last couple of years, including these two.  I can cite their own content background as reference to all that (which is interesting to me at least:  tea-side.com/blog/craft-shu-puerh-tea-interview):


At first, of course, I was afraid that the raw materials wouldn’t warm up to the minimum required 50 degrees. As it turned out later, this problem do not arise at all. To warm up the pile, a small amount of leaves like five kilograms is already enough. There were other difficulties. For example, when you work with a small volume, it is difficult to keep its humidity within certain limits during the entire fermentation period. A small pile dries very quickly. Adding a new portion of water should be very careful. The overwatering leads to too rapid processes inside the basket. And there is a high risk that the material will "burn out"...


The actual descriptions of these two teas cover more related to that background, starting with the 2016 0201, leaving the aspects description in:


Experimental craft Shou (Ripe) Pu-erh made of spring 2016 material from Thai 300-500 year-old trees. Chiang Rai province, northern Thailand, 1300 meters above sea level.  Fermented in September 2016.


Dry tea smells milky, walnut and conifer with hints of salinity. In the taste is interesting interweaving of coniferous oily tones with raspberries and dairy. Since the 3-4 infusion sweet woodiness and almonds appears. Aftertaste with pine and walnut tones, slight bitterness.


I probably would have matched that description more closely if I'd read that review beforehand (I typically don't and didn't, since that affects interpretation). 

The other description, the 2018 0101 version:


Handmade Shou (Ripe) Pu-erh made of spring 2016 material from Thai 200-400-year-old trees. Chiang Rai province, northern Thailand, 1300 meters above sea level.  Fermented in March 2018.

This shou pu-erh is new for our project. It is made of the same material as our sheng Dragon. It is presented in two different forms: classic loose tea and the heads (cha tou).

In a dry aroma there are dairy and woody notes with pleasant sea salinity. In rinsed tea, the woody background opens up multifaceted, berry tones of raspberries and strawberries with milk are added to it. The taste of tea is dense, even, and rich. Despite the youth (short time storage after fermentation), this shou pu-erh is easy to drink. The taste is dominated by woody tones with coniferous hints and a milky-berry theme.


They sound good, and they were nice in review tasting.  I don't usually address tea pricing in review posts but just noticed both of these sell for $17 for 50 grams, kind of a lot for a shu (that would be a $120 or so cake).  I'll consider that value issue further after the description write-up.

Review

2016 left; odd it brews lighter but more intense in flavor

2016, 0201, loose shu:  cocoa hits you right away in tasting this shu; that may be the most pronounced cocoa aspect I've ran across for this tea type.  It can be the main flavor aspect in some black teas but shu usually mixes in other earthy range.  Of course this includes other flavor aspects, the cocoa just stands out.  It's almost like the effect of an actual dark chocolate bar versus cocoa often coming across more like the powdered, processed version.  Beyond that the earthy range is typical, just lighter, cleaner, and sweeter than usual, the darker-range mineral and such.  It hints a little towards spice; this could develop in different directions from here.


2018 0101, as "tea heads / cha tou:"  this tea will need another infusion to really get going.  It had been in the form of shu curds or chunks, and those aren't completely opened up yet, even though I ripped the large one that I'm brewing apart.  It'll remain to be seen if I've guessed out proportion well too since I'm not into weighing amounts. 

I was concerned that this might have some fermentation related effect left (a fermentation processing, or wet piling, or wò dūi effect), since that can be a bit rough for the first two or three years, depending on factors I'm not really clear on.  It's not necessarily better that a shu tastes completely clean and easy to drink within the first year, and not necessarily better that it doesn't.

In looking that term up in Wikipedia I ran across an interesting reference to shu compounds:

Wet pile fermented pu'er has higher levels of caffeine and much higher levels of gallic acid compared with traditionally aged raw pu'er. Additionally, traditionally aged pu'er has higher levels of the antioxidant and carcinogen-trapping epigallocatechin gallate as well as (+)-catechin, (–)-epicatechin, (–)-epigallocatechin, gallocatechin gallate, and epicatechin gallate than wet pile fermented pu'er. Finally, wet pile fermented puer has much lower total levels for all catechins than traditional pu'er and other teas except for black tea which also has low total catechins...


The caffeine part just looks wrong, doesn't it?  It doesn't seem possible that fermentation processing would increase caffeine level, and it seems unlikely that other factors that would cause that variation would cause that (eg. younger leaves and buds contain more caffeine than older leaves; shu is usually made from lower quality material instead, so if anything leaves would be older).  If they took a small sample for that study normal variation could account for it, just random chance.  Which of course would call into question the validity of the other results, if the sample size was small enough that random variation could be a main factor.

Anyway, it'll be easier to say more about this tea on the next round, once it's brewing more completely.  It includes some cocoa aspect, just not as much, and it doesn't seem like strong flavors related to processing are going to be an issue (tar or petroleum, peat, etc.).

Second infusion

2016 left again; I let this infusion run a little longer to get them going

2016:  this picked up a good bit of complexity, and it's probably not even fully expressing where it's headed yet.  The cocoa dropped back a bit in proportion but it's still prominent.  Whatever that one flavor is in marshmallow is present in this; that's catchy, in this context.  Of course there is some warm earth and mineral range beyond that.  The earthiness is woody but in an unusual sense, not at all how I would usually use that general range description.  Part of that is like aged barn wood, that sweet depth that comes with extensive aging of wood, and a fresh and bright part more like a tree bud, but without the astringency edge of young wood.  Next round I'll express that better, but the tea will probably have shifted in character a little by then.

I was concerned that these teas might not be on the same level of other shu since they're just ramping up processing (if I've got what they even are right) but that turned out to be no concern at all; these are great.

Specific expectations and preference always factor into that kind of value judgement.  These being this drinkable right now imply that they might not be as intense in 4 or 5 years when a shu that's been developed in such a way that it's a bit much the first couple of years is settling out.  That said, it's not my impression that negative characteristics after very little aging time are necessarily a requirement for shu to be good, or at some level for quality or intensity.  I haven't fully sorted out how it all maps together, but a tea being very positive right now is a great sign, especially if the idea is to drink it right now.


2018:  this version is finally coming online, only starting to fully infuse.  It might run behind the other in the cycle then, as that worked out, related to the two being in a different form.  This was essentially like brewing a compressed shu cake that I didn't bother to completely tease apart, thinking that it would unravel itself faster than it did.  It's my impression that it's not even compressed, that the producer sent me the chunks that form naturally, which per my impression (informed only by limited hearsay) are prized for having a unique character.

Some of that marshmallow herb is present in this tea too, and the cocoa, but it's different.  The balance is different, and the other aspects present, the context.  I can't really say one is lighter than the other, or pin down a difference in other earthy range, or mineral, at least just yet.  Both are complex, both have a nice rich feel, both very clean in effect.

When people say that they don't get shu, that it doesn't appeal to them, they may mean a few different things.  Some people would be referencing never having tried a good version, but I think that might be a minority case.  Regular factory shu is ok; any $35 cake should clue someone in to where the range is going, even if in below average versions it wouldn't come across very well.  Others say that it lacks the complexity of sheng, or that they prefer the different flavor and other range, not so much missing bitterness, but the rest that can balance that in sheng.  For others the comparison is with good aged sheng; that's too much to even get into, how that broad range of potential plays out.  Of course that's quite different.

Trying a version this good with this particular character (related to both of these) wouldn't come up quickly in trying random teas.  I'm not sure for how many people "not getting" shu this would turn out to be a revelation, or even just a different experience.  For some, to be sure.  These are still simple and approachable compared to good aged sheng experience; that goes without saying.  But they're not simple in character compared to the range of other teas, or any less pleasant, just different.

While I'm on a tangent here I looked up what that "marshmallow" flavor is.  In modern marshmallows it's only cited as "natural and artificial" flavors, and digging deeper doesn't turn up more about that.  Of course it might and probably does tie back to an original plant type used to make marshmallows, as referenced in this Wikipedia source:


The word "marshmallow" comes from the mallow plant species (Althaea officinalis), an herb native to parts of Europe, North Africa, and Asia which grows in marshes and other damp areas. The plant's stem and leaves are fleshy and its white flower has five petals. It is not known exactly when marshmallows were invented, but their history goes back as early as 2000 B.C. Ancient Egyptians were said to be the first to make them and eating them was a privilege strictly reserved for gods and for royalty, who used the root of the plant to soothe coughs and sore throats, and to heal wounds...


But do modern marshmallows still try to match that flavor?  This "Star" reference more or less claims that they do:

...Those bagged marshmallows, incidentally, are no longer made from marsh mallow roots. They are made from a mixture of sugars, egg whites and gelatin beaten together.

As you scratch into the soil at the base of a marsh mallow plant, the resemblance of marsh mallow roots to marshmallow candy becomes immediately apparent... 

Third infusion

2018 (right) leaf looks lighter; less fermented?

2016:  this hasn't developed much since the last round, so I'll just fill in details I'd missed.  The tea is creamy in effect.  It's an effect not so different from how Guiness Stout comes across, and some of the earthy range even matches, that touch that's a bit towards coffee in a flavor range that seems somehow related, but not quite to that.  The marshmallow flavor is stronger than the cocoa now, the main aspect, with earthiness like aged barn wood behind that, but in a presentation that isn't musty in the slightest.  One other flavor is like dark chocolate.

It's nice the way the feel is full (and creamy), and the taste range sticks around after you drink it; both add to the complexity of the overall effect.  I've been drinking a lot of shu over this past year (mostly thanks to Moychay; they've been hooking me up with a range of good versions) and this compares well with that range.  The character is a little different; it seems like most people might really like the way that sweetness, cocoa, and marshmallow herb work together, and some might not, expecting or desiring something else, more towards slate mineral, coffee, tar, or peat.  It sounds odd saying that someone might want their tea to taste like a petroleum product or dirt instead but those earthy ranges can work well, in the right context and aspects balance.


2018:  this isn't too far off the other tea, just a bit milder, more subtle.  They both share some of the same sweetness, creaminess, cocoa range, and unusual spice range (marshmallow herb).  This might have a touch more depth to it, and this tea might develop differently across the whole range of infusions related to that.  It's more whole-leaf, so it might just be that it's releasing compounds (flavor and other aspects) slower, so coming across as less intense just relates to brewing process varying by leaf presentation, more cut up versus more whole.

This if familiar ground.  It's possible to just let brewing time run longer for a more whole-leaf tea, to balance that out, but in general character won't be identical even with that adjustment.  With sheng often the whole-leaf version is much more positive for that dropping back astringency and allowing other flavor to stand out more in proportion, but shu doesn't have that as a main aspect to be concerned with.  If I'm just brewing the 2018 version slower, and to some extent that probably is the case, after a half-dozen infusions it would show up in the form of the tea continuing on more in the same intensity level and character range.

Again this doesn't necessarily reduce back to a "better or worse" consideration; the teas are just different.  It can seem that the 2016 version is more intense, as I'm brewing it, but I'm pretty sure it relates to brewing process.  I'm preparing these with very moderate infusion times, around 15+ seconds, but to me that's the right range, it's just odd that it doesn't match for tea leaf wholeness, so it's not identical.  I'll use 10+ seconds for the 2016 and 15+ for the 2018 to match that back up next round.  Both of these teas would still work well brewed between 5 and 10 seconds; it's just a matter of personal preference to brew them a little stronger than I prefer some other tea styles, as I do soft and sweet black teas.

Fourth infusion

a little redundant but these are cool looking teas

2016:  more of the same this round; the tea really isn't transitioning.  That complexity, balance, and character is really nice; it's as well.


2018:  it's interesting how much aspect range these two teas share, and how they really are different.  This version is still a little more subtle, even brewed for the extra 5 seconds, but it has a different depth to it.  Again I think the full character difference would only come out related to brewing them through the full round, preparing another half dozen infusions of both.

I won't do that for these notes though because I'm off to do a "Fun Day" outing at Kalani's school, the kind of even where they bring in 15 or so play stations for the kids to cycle through (bouncy castle, face painting, etc.).  That will be intense; a lot of children's joy to experience, to the point that it tends to seem overwhelming after a couple of hours.  Or maybe that's mostly the Bangkok heat, but at least it's cool out today, probably around 27 C / 80 F right now.

To add at least one extra detail this tea might have less of a marshmallow herb effect and a touch more dried fruit going on, towards dried tamarind, but not that.  The aged wood trace aspect in the first version doesn't really carry across to the second, but there is a good bit of complexity to it, subtle earthy layers below those that stand out more.  In that relative "space," where the trace of aged wood aspect is in the 2016 version, the 2018 has a depth and feel that's relatively neutral in flavor range, but not completely neutral.  I mean in the way chamomile tea has an intensity and complexity in flavor that almost seems like it's not there it's so subtle, but it is there.

Rambling on about these teas for 3 or 4 more rounds would've been nice, but that is the basic story.  I suspect the 2018 version has more to show, that being more subtle in the early rounds would translate to transitioning differently later on, and that one part of the story is that the 2016 version would've played out a bit faster.  I did try them again, with more on that added in the next conclusions section.

Conclusions

I really liked the teas.  To me these are a good example of well above average shu, not just decent versions.  Even for going on about complexity, interesting flavor range, feel, and aftertaste, there still is something to people preferring sheng for being more complex, beyond just being different.  To me these teas are very positive for being more approachable than most sheng (perhaps even aged versions, depending on the tea quality and type), and easier to appreciate, but that would vary by preference.

In trying them later the 2018 version did evolve to be even more positive, and slightly different, while the 2016 version settled into more of an earthy mineral range instead, giving up some sweetness and positive complexity.  The 2018 tea stayed creamy and subtle but intense, well-balanced, and complex in an unusual way, more pleasant than the other version across a number of additional rounds.  I get the vendor reference to it being "resistant to brewing," which I didn't cite earlier.


I didn't interpret these as fruity to the extent the vendor did, but to some extent that's probably a matter of normal interpretation variance.  These notes do mention an aspect coming across as tied to tamarind, or maybe undetermined fruit, and emphasize cocoa and an unusual herb input instead.  Using different water or even drinking them brewed stronger or lighter would make a difference. 

It's hard to evaluate general quality level of these teas, placing that in relation to their cost, mentioned earlier ($17 per 50 grams).  They're unique in character.  It's odd seeing shu selling for that but being a bit different, and in general better than shu's typically are justifies that.  You just don't see small-batch, distinctive style, older plant source, outside-of-Yunnan origin shu coming up (except maybe from Myanmar, but that's another story).  I guess the problem is probably more on the demand and expectations side; there might be a smaller audience demanding higher quality shu than for many other tea types.  For people who are into better shu these are options to consider. 

I'm not sure why the 2018 version didn't include more negative fermentation related aspects, that it didn't need time to settle, related to being made less than a year ago.  It really could be more lightly fermented, leading to less of that as an experienced aspect.  At some point it's just about enjoying teas as they are instead, not figuring them out.

Off-topic, about that kids' event

Kalani's two best friends at that Fun Day

Keo helping out in a magic show

the "Foam Party" section