Legend of Tea (Malaysia vendor) Wuyi Yancha; Tie Luo Han and Shi Ru Xiang

 

This source seems especially interesting to me for breaking new ground, related to what I've experienced.  

There are some good tea shops and online sources in Thailand, but in general that's limited.  Related to Malaysia, our neighbor to the south, I'm much less familiar.  The tea tradition is definitely more developed there, with closer ties to Chinese culture retaining that interest.  Malaysia is known for storage conditions, for a place to age sheng pu'er in hot and humid environment.  An online friend there, an older Chinese guy, drinks Liu Bao, which seems to be popular.  Beyond that there must be lots of local themes and preferences I'm not clear on.

I've talked to people in Malaysia before, and joined at least one online meetup centered on that regional theme.  But it never became as clear to me as the tea landscape in places like Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos, or even Myanmar.

Of course the potential for developed, high quality sourcing that also relates to low cost sales is interesting.  Maybe that's only an unrealistic dream; these teas sell for near Western rates back in China, so the highest quality, highest demand versions aren't traveling somewhere else to be sold for less than in the domestic market.  More moderate quality, limited demand, local style teas probably can be bought for relatively little back in China, but I'm probably going to run across some similar themes as in the Western market, that what is known of and demanded everywhere, including in China, is what is being brought out to sell to the Malaysian market.  All the same the potential will be interesting, and the results.

Two other factors enter in.  One is that I've been drinking mostly sheng pu'er for the last half dozen years or so, so that's most familiar to me.  I can still pass on an informed impression of other range, like the Wuyi Yancha I'll try now, but I can probably no longer pin down a difference between a typical 30-40 cent per gram version and a 60-70 cent per gram version (to the extent that framing even makes sense; it kind of doesn't).

Tying in with that sheng pu'er production styles and origin range can be a bit broad, and themes and source areas might narrow back related to high-demand, known Wuyi Yancha types.  This idea that there might be some exception to be had out there, in a market like Malaysia's, might work better with sheng pu'er.  Or with Liu Bao, but that's complicated by other factors.  As with many people I can tell if a Liu Bao is above average in quality or not, and can add a little about style, but again I fall short of being able to break down other levels of factors as I can with sheng.  And I'm no sheng expert either, to be clear, I just drink that type of tea more.

These are normal retail range oolongs, selling for the 60 and 70 cents per gram range.  In lots of reviews I might overstate how my own budget tends to not extend to that range, as if that's somehow a relevant milestone for teas being costly or not.  I was just in a Bangkok Chinatown shop, my favorite one, Jip Eu, and they said that Wuyi Yancha demand stays high and the highest quality, most sought after versions retain a high value and selling cost.  This shop does sell relatively inexpensive Rou Gui versions, which should be familiar ground for Wuyi Yancha drinkers.  Those can be great, and it's not so unusual for quality range and production volume to make pricing vary for that type range.

I'll add the vendor descriptions after the review notes and get on with this.

Wu Yi Cliff Tea | Shi Ru Xiang RM298.00 ($70 USD, for 8x12 or 96 grams)

Shi Ru Xiang blends milky and fruity notes, with a lingering fragrance in a cooled cup. The tea liquor is rich and smooth, sweet on the palate, and finishes with a gentle mineral hint. Its tightly rolled, glossy leaves are thick and full, reflecting high-quality craftsmanship. With a long history dating back to the Song Dynasty as a tribute tea, it is still honored today — the stone inscription “Shiru Retains Its Fragrance” remains at the entrance of Jiulongke, a testament to its legacy.

In talking to the vendor later this tea type is Qi Dan, or at least that's the name it goes by in Western tea circles.  That and Bei Dou are the two main, most original Da Hong Pao related tea types, both genetically related to those original plant versions (7 of them, was it?).  It would be crazy to not reference what it is given that pedigree, in "the West," but in different markets naming conventions can vary.  

It's also appropriate to mention that Da Hong Pao is often used to represent a style of tea now, not necessarily a single genetic origin type, and most are blends, often medium level roasted.  Really higher end single plant type versions tend to be made in lighter styles instead, to let the positive character of the material shine through, not adjusting that through a processing input like roasting.

Tie Luo Han  RM248.00 ($59 USD, again for 96 grams)

One of the traditional four precious Wuyi rock teas. It is asexual, shrub-type, medium-leaf, and mid-season species, with a diploid chromosome set. Originally from Huiyuan Rock in Wuyishan City, Fujian Province, specifically within the Ghost Cave, also known as Fengke Pit, it grows in a narrow strip along a small stream flanked by steep cliffs. The primary distribution is in the "rocky mountain" areas of Wuyishan.

Tie Luo Han tea has green-brown leaves with a gem-like luster. Its aroma is rich and lasting, and the liquor is clear and bright, presenting a deep orange-yellow color. The taste is smooth, thick, and sweet, with a strong rock rhyme, offering a fresh and sweet aftertaste that lingers.

Review:

Tie Luo Han:  I brewed this as 8 grams, the entire sample, and of course for others accustomed to a different approach brewing half instead, 4, would make more sense.  16 grams is too much for a comparison tasting, but it's normal for me to "brew heavy," compensating with fast infusion times.

This is exceptional; that stands out right away.  It's a heavier style, roasted more, probably with significant oxidation level input, but to me if it balances well that matches a classic form, better than modern lighter styles.  Depending on the material character it can be just great, and it works well for this.  Depth stands out, and it includes that aromatic, liqueur (brandy or cognac) related character.  Mineral tones are very pronounced.

Beyond that the rich flavor range might be harder to break apart.  It could seem to relate to bark spice range, or medicinal herbs.  It tips a little towards light roast coffee character, perhaps related to a roast input being common to both.  Floral range is definitely included, in a heavy, warm, and sweet scope.  That bark spice isn't a close match for Rou Gui's cinnamon character but it's not completely different either.

Shi Ru Xiang:  much lighter.  This really is creamy; that's an interesting effect, in combination with standard Wuyi Yancha range, the rich mineral base, and warm floral tones.  The general quality level of these does match with some pretty high expectations.

Floral range stands out a lot more, without the heavier mineral tone and warmer spice or dark aromatic wood base being so much of the balance in the other (mahogany, teak, or the like, which I guess I didn't get around to writing in those notes).  Aftertaste is more pronounced in this version, which occurs in an odd way, so that you get a sense of a very strong aromatic range while you drink it, that carries over as the same kind of note after swallowing.  Rich feel integrates with that; all of it seems to connect, in an interesting and pleasant way.

I won't be saying much more about value here, because at some level good tea is either worth more or it's not to someone on that page, but these make for an interesting experience that might justify spending more.  There are good relatively direct sources out there, of course with Wuyi Origin my favorite example, since a close friend is an owner of that family business (Cindy!), and it's hard to compete with their value, but styles and types also vary.  For someone with a narrow focus on limiting cost, on value in that sense, the pu'er range might fare better, since 60 to 70 cent per gram tea is on the high side across most types range.  But these are really good, and distinctive, relating to high demand types; it's all that background that makes spending more potentially make sense.

TLH #2:  roast input is even stronger, and cinnamon stands out even more.  Or really that last input or aspect is bark spice integrated with aromatic wood tones, or maybe incense spice, but cinnamon is definitely a part of that.  That one aromatic range I spoke of, like brandy or cognac, is really pronounced in this.  To me that serves as a "quality marker," one interesting and desirable aspect that separates better versions.  But then every desirable aspect is also a factor, and every limitation and flaw, so I don't mean to over-emphasize that.

Aftertaste experience is strong in this too, the way that rich, heavy, balanced character carries over.  It's also very refined, making the rest balance and work all the better.  What about a limitation; what could be different, or better, to turn all this around?  Preference for another style would potentially seem most negative, but that's something else.  I get it why the lighter styles are common and popular now.  Maybe this is really more classic range, as I take it, and maybe that's wrong, but either way it has a different kind of appeal.  Along a related line I suppose someone wanting this to be lighter, to express more rich floral range and less heavy mineral, spice, and tropical wood tone would make sense.  The floral range is there, but this style emphasizes the rest.

SRX:  again it's creamy, floral, balanced, and refined.  This is surely the best Wuyi Yancha I've tried since regularly tasting Cindy's teas awhile back, some years ago.  It's harder to say if this version is better than the first version.  The styles are just quite different.

I hadn't mentioned caramel before, and that input seems to help tie the creamy range together with the mineral and rich floral range.  But then caramel is warm, sweet, and creamy, so in a sense it's just a restatement of the rest.  I don't notice more to add that I didn't already express.

TLH #3:  I drank water between rounds to clear my palate, and it was funny how strong that "rock taste" was while drinking water.  Sheng pu'er drinkers are familiar with a related effect, of tasting sweetness when drinking water in between rounds, as the aftereffect slowly clears.

This isn't really transitioning yet, and I don't want to keep repeating the same description.  It will probably shift some, after another 3 or 4 rounds, but related to using a lot of tea, flash brewing, and this being so good it won't fade or shift quickly.  Integration of the parts and balance stand out, and overall intensity.  This is a really novel experience.  As a sheng drinker you adjust to "giving up" intensity when drinking other tea types, but for some it's just a different kind of intensity balance.

SRX:  this is similar; it's not really different, perhaps maybe only evolving to integrate a little better, with intensity picking up, even though it was already integrated and intense before.  It might seem a little warmer in tone; maybe I let it brew slightly longer?  

It would kind of make sense to brew half as much dry tea material for these.  You don't need to push them to get intensity out of them, and being able to refine results by adjusting timing, instead of just doing fast brews, might give you another input to work with.

It's skipping part of the job but I'll leave off taking notes here.  Six cups of these is already a lot, and my attention span is diminished by the neighbors literally tearing down one of their buildings just now, in a house complex we live right beside.  I bet that's not going to go quickly; they're a week into it, but it's a large building.

In later rounds the teas held up well, but the heavier roast level input in the Tie Luo Han fell out of the same well-integrated balance toward the end, standing out more.  The Shi Ru Xiang stayed consistent, transitioning some, but holding up well to a long infusion count.

Conclusions:

These teas have been fantastic.  The quality level is beyond the range of what I can easily critique, and styles are varied, distinctive, and quite pleasant.  They've exceeded my expectations.  But just how good are they, compared to the rest of what is out there, and how good is the value, since the cost is considerable?

They're good enough that it's hard to say.  I think plenty of curator vendors would sell similar quality and style products for more like $1 a gram instead, but that doesn't help narrow it down.  The best possible value, most direct sources online might sell equivalent versions for a little less, but not that much less, given how good these are.

It would help if I'd been drinking really good Wuyi Yancha more often for the past half dozen years.  I do keep checking in with that range, as vendors pass on samples, or a local shop does.  I drink far lower quality versions from time to time, as I buy them for local monks and get a pack for myself.

Maybe more than the quality being at the absolute highest level, which is hard to judge, because there is always room for some incremental improvement--a slightly thicker feel, longer finish, etc.--these stand out more for being two very interesting variations.  The Tie Luo Han is made in a more roasted, and probably more oxidized style, which I take to be an older classic variation.  It's possible the extra processing was used to cover up a flaw that might be hard to detect now, but probably it was just a style choice, how that producer wanted to make it.  

The other version is something I probably have never tried before; it doesn't ring a bell.  That's harder to place, but since it was so pleasant that the unfamiliarity seemed to be a good thing.

It might seem like I'm less critical of selling price for these than I typically am, given the 60 to 70 cent per gram range.  The quality and distinctiveness was one part of that, and the high-demand general type.  My expectations tend to shift depending on origin location as well, to a limited sense in terms of production and where a vendor is located, and Malaysia I can't really place.  Tea sold out of the US tends to be expensive, and local options in Thailand often cost a lot less, but then some things you buy here aren't like that.  At the higher quality end tea sales are somewhat inconsistent here (in Bangkok, and Thailand in general).

All in all they seemed fine for what people interested in these types and open to this price range would be looking for.  It will be interesting trying other teas from them that represent a different kind of value, selling at a lower cost price-point.

new family members, kittens!

Song Yi Tea blind sheng tasting (old plant source Mannuo)

 

I'm trying the second tea version sent for review by a Taiwan based vendor I reviewed versions from awhile back.  At least initially this is a blind tasting format; the label is Chinese, and I didn't look it up prior to tasting.  I just assumed it was rolled oolong at first, since they sell both sheng pu'er and that, but it was clear enough even before opening it that it wasn't that, from the feel.  It's really nice smelling sheng.

I'll fill in what it is in the conclusion section at the end in a final version of write-up, but it turned out it was a 2020 Mannuo Ancient Tree sheng pu'er (with their main website here).  The post title theme works either way, as a direct review of that or tied to the form in which I tried it, or failing to choose, and listing both.

Review:

First infusion:  very pleasant, sweet and creamy.  It's fruitier than sheng typically is, reminding me of a Nannuo that was a favorite in the past, or maybe even the somewhat matching character of several LBZ versions.  This is too light yet to really get a read on where bitterness level and type will settle, but surely it's moderate. Feel is a bit soft too, not necessarily thin but lacking a typical structure.  Some of that is probably related to a processing style input, but I won't go into guessing about that part.  This has that white grape / pear flavor aspect range I really liked in that one Nannuo (the first tea I bought from Moychay, a random pick that worked out well).

Second infusion:  a pleasant bitterness picks up in this, moderate in intensity but positive in form.  It tastes a bit like biting a tree bud, kind of "towards aspirin" as all bitterness is, but in a pleasant form within the broader range.  Sweetness stands out more, still in that fruit range, and the creaminess.  Sheng usually isn't this creamy; that part is hard to place.  It pulls that taste, which is moving more into a light orange citrus, towards creamsicle.  Creamsicle with a bit of complementary bitterness is interesting.  

Along with flavor extending a bit into cream the feel is like that, full and round, not missing structure typically present in sheng but swapping out a good bit of that for a very different fullness.  That Moychay Nannuo was like this related to flavor, a bit, and it was a low-bitterness and approachable feel tea, but it didn't have this creaminess, and didn't shift into citrus range like this.  Next round it should be more where it's going to be across a longer cycle, maybe just a bit more novel.

That bitterness is present in a stronger form in the aftertaste, or at least a higher proportion in relation to the rest.  That's pleasant.

Third infusion:    intensity is good; this is really hitting, even for being brewed relatively quickly.  Now bitterness does match the sweetness and creaminess, with complexity ratcheted up.  Right after you swallow the tea you get a rush of the experience strengthening, then the rest lingers.  A bit of stronger light mineral fills in; that's part of this becoming more complex and intense.  Feel is a bit more structured, but not astringent or challenging.  This really does seem like quite pleasant tea.  

I'm curious about what it is, and how old it is.  It could be a very young tea that just happens to be on the soft side, but it would make perfect sense for this to have had a couple of years to round off rough edges to get to this character.  The brightness and apparent freshness marks it as not really transitioned much by age at all.  If this was stored very dry this could be 3 or 4 years old but if it had spent time in Taiwan in more humid environment I wouldn't expect it to be more than 2 years old, and it could be quite young, just a soft tea to begin with.

Fourth infusion:  the real story of this tea is how appealing that set of aspects is, and I can't really do justice to that subjective experience.  It's just good.  It's so good that considerations about how it might improve with aging kind of drop out; it doesn't need to improve, and I'd need to be holding a lot of this tea to want to see the results of that experiment, versus just drinking through it.  "Creamy" may not be as clear as it could be; this coats the inside of your mouth.  It's a cool feel sensation, along with that pleasant and novel flavor range, well-matching bitterness level, and positive form of aftertaste.  

If this tea cost a good bit that would be justified, regardless of its origin story.  It's a more positive tea than I tend to usually drink.  I've reviewed an LBZ version not long ago (or "presented as such," for the skeptics, who probably shouldn't be reading this blog anyway); it would be interesting to compare the two.

Fifth infusion:  the flavor is so complex that it's hard to do better with a description.  It's on the fruity side, but that complex range of flavor could be interpreted differently, and it's my impression that it covers a set.  The list hasn't changed:  creaminess (both feel and taste), citrus (between light orange and lemon, maybe tangerine), mineral (just a bit warmer now), other fruit (kind of subdued and in the background), floral undertone (really as floral as fruity now, but in a form that comes across as vague for covering some range).  Then there's sweetness and bitterness, with both relatively intense while you drink the tea but hitting like a wave as aftertaste when you first swallow it.  

I'll skip further rounds; I have a couple of things to do.  I will look up what this is and write some thoughts on that.  Related to trying those later infusions it stayed positive but dropped off, not extending into as long a sequence of similar range character rounds as many sheng tend to.  I didn't see that as a sign of moderate tea quality, more a function of how "approachable sheng" tends to work out.  It wouldn't be unusual for people to frame that more negatively, looking for structure in their sheng, and a different kind of intensity.

Conclusions:

I looked up what it is

2020 Spring Ancient Tree Raw Pu'er sheng Puerh Loose Tea 150g (950 baht; about $30)

Name: 2020 Mannuo Gushu Sheng Puerh

Year: 2020 Spring First Harvest

Country of Origin: Yunnan Province, China

Altitude: 1300m above sea level

Flavor: Sweet Flowery Scent, strong aftertaste

That age makes sense; it was just a soft tea to begin with, with quite moderate but notable bitterness, and mild astringency.  The brightness and freshness definitely matched it being young.  The "ancient tree" part we can almost set aside, but to some extent older plants and more natural growth teas can seem to relate to moderate astringency and novel flavor range (respectively).  Gushu often can be subtle in flavor intensity with a strong mineral base flavor, but then more wild growth versions would shift that to be softer with more focus on fruit or strong floral flavor.  But it's best to take the mapping of marketing description and hearsay character per input with a grain of salt and just go by what the tea expresses.  It's definitely not a personal strength of mine to map out a large matrix of origin locations and input conditions to experienced aspects, which is why I keep the guesses a bit vague in more blind tastings.

I've tried tea from that origin before but not enough to establish any baseline.  I think I might've reviewed a pressed version from them (yep, a 2018 version, a pressed cake, the more conventional form).

Again value stands out for this tea, as much as the character.  This is selling for $60 per standard cake, more or less, 20 cents a gram (not far off what the other one was).  This is much better tea than some prior $80-90 versions I've tried from Yunnan Sourcing and Farmerleaf, although there is some adjustment to be made in that "better" evaluation related to it being based on preference, and me liking fruity and approachable sheng.  That said, this tea is a steal.  

The general character reminds me of a "wild tea" version I tried selling for well over 50 cents a gram not so long ago, which may or may not have been a good price for that; it can be hard to tell when versions aren't mainstream, types that don't turn up often (as far as I know).  That was this Moychay Yongde "wild" sheng version related to sweetness, interesting flavor, moderate bitterness, great intensity, and softer feel structure.  Then again if I tried them side by side maybe I would think my memory of that character similarity was off in some way.

One might naturally wonder if there isn't a character limitation at play that I've referenced a few times but not completely spelled out, related to the "oolong pu'er" theme, and this being so approachable at this young age.  Related to letting this sit for 15 years and appreciating it then, probably.  This will warm in tone and drop out some freshness over the next two years, but there's no astringency to soften and transition to something else.  I don't think it would be more positive after that two years, and would probably decline in appeal after that.  It's really good now though.  

To some this bitterness could be disappointingly limited, and the creaminess could be a flaw, a gap in expressing more feel-structure instead.  This is a sheng an oolong drinker would love, and for some that would be a huge turn-off.  I couldn't relate to seeing this character as a gap, the set of aspects I've expressed, but subjective preference is like that; we work with the perspective that we have.

Post-script

I've stated clearly that I really like this tea, and that it seems like a great value to me, with one more aspect of my own experience highlighting that.  I bought some for my niece as a wedding gift before this post was finally finished.  I might get around to buying more for myself too.

I didn't criticize the "ancient /  old plant source" part here.  Was it that?  I don't know.  I think I can accurately spot some typical patterns related to older plant source sheng, tied to a certain feel range, and strong underlying mineral content, and this doesn't match of that.  The "wild" plant type theme might match up better, and those two ranges can overlap.  

I asked the business owner, or business-front staff, (Sonya?; I'm bad with names), why this tea is as good as it is, which couples with the question of why it sells for what it does.  I probably sound really skeptical of any kind of input in this post write-up, since I must have said "take that with a grain of salt" a few times, so it's odd that I even ask, but there had to be a novel story there.  She said that having a close contact in Yunnan was a factor in buying pretty good tea.  

As I understand it the rate isn't necessarily the thing; it's being able to find pretty good tea versus pretty mediocre material, lower elevation plantation grown leaves. Both of those tie to local market rate expectations, perhaps not as differentiated by quality level as a factor as one might imagine, although that part is way outside the range of my personal experience.  Old plant source tea not being from plants that are that old might factor in too.  But for as wishy-washy as I am about stating clear opinions I'm pretty sure this is good tea.  Good in relation to my preferences, definitely, but I think the other kind of good too.

the kids; been awhile since I've shown pictures of them

Kalani is doing an over-dramatic pose phase

a house for a kitten we may adopt

it has a door and windows, and a decoration theme

there is even a bed, and artwork on the walls

Song Yi Tea 2019 Jing Mai arbor sheng pu’er

 

Back to reviews!  This has been as long a break as I’ve taken in years; the last was 6 weeks ago.  It has been nice to have more free time on the weekends, to focus on other things, to lean into the meetup theme, and write on different subjects here.  I probably never will go back to writing 8 to 10 blog posts a month.

This is a sheng pu’er from Song Yi Tea, a vendor based out of Taiwan, who sent samples before for review.  Many thanks to the for providing this.  Their earlier teas were quite good.  It’s hard to place “quite good,” and that’s definitely on a relative scale, of sorts.  I’ll see what I can do with aspects descriptions, tying an impression back to defining that better.

I don’t know what this is, and don’t remember what I reviewed last time.  You would think after years I could try a tea and get a clear impression of origin region, if not local area, based on how people tend to describe that sort of generality.  Lots of variables go into how a sheng version comes across, beyond terroir, source area and related less fixed growing inputs, eg. the weather that year.  And my memory isn’t set up to retain much, not names or phone numbers, certainly not a matrix of sheng aspects per ever-finer local areas.  Let’s try a couple examples though.

Yiwu tends to be sweet and floral, approachable in a conventional form but with a little more structure in some versions, Jing Mai with a little more edge, still floral but often with a trace of lemon or edgier flavor towards pine, but often not quite pine, and so on.  But I still can’t place teas through tasting, even from those places I’ve tried lots of versions from (those two, and others).  Same for the gushu theme; I could write a few phrases about what I see as typical character (higher intensity, but not necessarily stronger flavor, underlying mineral tone, durability to brew more rounds, tendency to age positively, depending on starting point character) but who knows if that’s even right.

So I’ll describe the tea experience and then look it up; the usual process (I'll just leave that to the end, and of course not adjust the notes to match it).  Even the year could be clearer; it looked like that said 2019 on the stamp, but it was hard to read.  This may be a tea I already reviewed, back when it was newer.

On brewing process, I tend to use two cups when brewing tea for breakfast, for rushing through a cycle, never exactly early related to getting to work.  On the weekend, especially for doing a review, that concern drops out, and one cup is fine, no need to switch to pull heat out (or even drink cold water out of one in between; it’s hard to drink down a liter of tea in a 15 or 20 minute rushed breakfast related to that brewing temperature).  Why not Western-style brew if in a hurry, one might wonder.  I do, if I’m drinking a tea suited for that, and if not I just rush the Gongfu process (which I wrote about not long ago, which teas I see matching which approach).

First infusion:  I like it.  I tend to brew the first round light to get introduced to the tea over the first two or three rounds, so this is just a starting point.  All that I just said about Yiwu and Jing Mai comes back to me.  The main aspect is floral, but it also has a touch of dryness and structure to the feel that pairs with a slightly piney trace.  It’s definitely not edgy, and even for being lighter it’s seemingly not going to develop in that direction.  Bitterness and sweetness level tends to define a lot of sheng experience, and this is pleasant for both, with some distinct bitterness but at a good, moderate level, balanced by pleasant sweetness.  I should probably wait a round to do more aspects breakdown.  I like where it seems to stand on the “how good” dimension, but it’s way to early to say more about that.

Second infusion:  I’ll have to focus in related to brewing time; even from the look I may have let this go just over 10 seconds instead of just under, and it could be on the strong side.  At least the impression will be clear, even if that level isn’t optimum.  More of the same as last time, but much stronger, definitely slightly overbrewed.  That’s fine; it can help pin down some aspect range better, but it does shift the balance of how flavors come across, what stands out most.  

Intensity can vary for different reasons in sheng, and it’s not necessarily that stronger is always better; it’s the overall balance that matters.  It’s not as good a sign to need to push a tea a little to get more out of it, but more typically “brewing around” a negative and relatively strong input comes up, cutting back infusion time.  Even that’s not always such a bad thing; in some cases it just means the tea needs more time to ferment and transition, that it’s not its time yet.

There’s a bit more of a towards-pine edge to this, especially for being brewed strong.  It pairs with a nice sappy, resin-like feel this time, a bit thick, but in a distinctive way.  It has a hint of dryness to it, which isn’t really atypical, but not all that universal.  Honey flavor stands out in the sweetness, along with floral, which is competing with the mineral and other heavier range.  It will compete better next round, brewed lighter.  There’s a clean and relatively balanced end effect.  

These individual aspects are coming across so clearly that I wonder if this isn’t narrowly sourced material, versus a blend.  It’s surely cheaper for a producer to make a blend of an equivalent general level of positive character, because they can mix inputs and adjust proportion to draw out better aspects and minimize flaws, to offset what doesn’t work as well.  I’m not sure I’d have an expectation for a vendor not based locally in Yunnan, in terms of what this should be.  If I just had better memory I’d know from writing about their teas something like a year and a half ago.  Again I’ll save a clearer and longer list-form aspect description for a third round, brewing this as I see an optimum.

Third infusion:  Better, more where this should be for infusion strength.  Intensity is still fine, more than adequate, brewed for a relatively short time.  In that longer write-up about differences between Gongfu and Western brewing I mention that agitation seems to allow for a fast infusion to be so intense, and the tea still brewing while damp, with water removed.  Who knows.

Honey sweetness is novel in this tea; it’s not so unusual for some of that to be present but not often at this level for sheng.  Floral tone seems non-distinct to me for being balanced by an aspect range I’m not really describing clearly by saying it’s “like pine, but not that.” Like moderately cured hardwood then, maybe, not the sappy young wood effect, and not the richer, deeper, sweeter tones of wood that’s been drying for awhile.  Somehow, to me, that pairs with and connects with both that unique mouthfeel, the structure with just a bit of dryness, and the bitterness.  The mouthfeel is complex enough that calling it structured and dry isn’t enough; there’s a resinous edge to it.

Aftertaste is interesting; all of that trails over and changes form.  The honey comes across a little more like beeswax in the aftertaste version, and the touch of dryness in the mouthfeel immediately softens (located in center of the mouth, the middle of the tongue and around the sides and top, not the throat, a general effect range that I don’t tend to prefer, dislike, or even place as much as some people do).   

I like the tea.  With this much structure and edge it won’t just fade, and should be even better in two more years.  But then it’s approachable enough to drink right now, for sure.  Flavor intensity might drop a good bit over the next 15 years; harder to take young sheng might be better for retaining that, but milder flavored teas can be positive in other ways after a longish transition.  Or before fully transitioned, if someone is on the 20-plus years aged sheng only preference theme.  Someone mentioned to me not that long ago that they only drink 20-plus year old sheng, which seems odd to me, to never crave anything like the experience I’m having right now.  Then again I can’t really look ahead and see what I’ll prefer or avoid in another decade.  I sometimes wonder if I’ll keep drinking tea; this is a bit long for me to stick with an experience cycle like this.

Fourth infusion:  I’m really feeling this tea.  I ate a Tim Horton’s Boston Crème donut when I woke up but nothing else, and usually I eat prior to or with tea to offset feeling that stoney rush.  I get it why people are into that, I’m just not.  I already did my time as a stoner.  

More of the same this round, really.  How someone would like this version would depend on how they relate to the mix of honey sweetness, floral range input (which is a little non-distinct to break down further, maybe just warm in tone versus bright and sweet), and that towards-pine wood range.  “Tastes like wood” isn’t what one is looking for in a sheng, typically, but I mean that in a relatively positive sense.  Do you know how some common Bulang origin range sheng can express a variation of that that’s really intense, so much so you wouldn’t drink the tea when it’s young?  In that form even heavier mineral, although this is pronounced, maybe not towards-pine woodiness as much as paired astringency.  

I’m probably mixing ideas here, talking about mixed-source or plantation sheng that’s more negative for growing conditions and type input.  Older plant, higher elevation, and more natural growth source sheng tends to be intense in flavor, often in novel and pleasant ways, but less so in astringency, interesting and complex, maybe including substantial bitterness but not challenging in the same way.  You might like such a tea aged to see positive aspects transition to other different positive aspects, not to become drinkable.

But then what do I know, right, I’ve already said that to some extent the generalities escape me.  

Fifth infusion:  I’ve not been mentioning transition much, but the same aspects are shifting.  That really heavy honey sweetness is not changing; it’s cool experiencing it with a slightly different other range, in terms of proportion.  I’m not doing justice to a “wood” flavor range; it’s definitely not that in this round's form.  Heavy mineral is half of it, a warm mineral tone input.  A trace of pine is part of the rest, which is closer to pine resin scent than the brighter needle flavor.  I think the complexity is what is giving me trouble.  Part is like wood, but part is like a carroway seed too, a spice range input.  This doesn’t taste like rye bread, at all, but part of what is in some forms of that is also in this.  There’s no sourness or the same type of general bread range to connect it to rye bread.

I’m absolutely getting blasted by this tea.  Drinking it outside in a warm end of morning probably isn’t helping (with "warm" in Bangkok meaning mid 90s F, mid 30s C).  It’s not the trippy, visual, stoney range that some sheng brings across, just a heavy energy, a body feel that’s also affecting my head.  It doesn’t feel off in any way, but it’s not really an activating effect or a sedative, just bumping overall energy level.  I could exercise “on this,” or work, but it would waste the effect to go sit in an office now.  Sitting through a movie would work, I’d think, just maybe not a slow drama.  For me outdoor experience goes well with every mood and energy level, but that’s surely common but not universal.

one cup more than the required level of stuff

Sixth infusion:  I’ll go get the kids from Chinese (Mandarin) lesson so I’ll leave off here [my wife did instead, but I'd like to preserve the notes as they were].  This is far from finished but it’s more than enough notes. For whatever reason I’m noticing that touch of lemon more in this round than the last; I probably brewed it just a little faster, letting lighter tones show through more.  Or it may be shifting in the balance, part of the transition.  That would be really cool if this did even more with fruit in the later rounds, not how that usually goes.  With that as a prompt, and in the context of this being a little lighter, something like dried apricot shows through more than that pine/wood tone, that had been moving into a spice range more last round.  I bet this isn’t finished, that it has one or two more transition-related sets of aspects to go through.  I never will add another 1000 words in notes but I may say something about that later. 

Later infusions:  the next few seemed similar, maybe just fading a little.  At around infusion 10 the character was still pleasant but intensity and range were restricted, with mineral showing through more and sweetness and the floral (transitioning a little to fruit) range both dropping back.  The tea was still nice that way (or is; I’m making notes as I go again).  That pronounced warm mineral range reminds me of a common theme in aged sheng, but it just happens to be similar, or maybe the same, while from a different kind of cause.  In aged sheng lots of compounds / aspects shift from fresh, bitter, astringent (feel versus flavor, but it all seems to “bundle,” to some extent) to deeper, richer, warmer, full but smoother, less structured in feel, and quite different.  It just so happens that a specific warm mineral tone is common in that other set, and stands out in later rounds in this.  The rest is different, of course.

Conclusions:

I never did get far with the two obvious questions, what is it, and how good is it?  Again I’m not mentally set up for the blind-tasting type-matching game; memory for a matrix of concepts isn’t my thing, across a very broad range of subjects.  As to how good it is that’s problematic for a different reason, because it has to include both a subjective preference component, a match to personal like, and be good for what it is, back to the trueness to type first issue.  That said, it’s good.  

As I see it sheng is often sold across a few general sets of types.  “Factory teas” cover a broad range but these are blends, quite often “designed” to be aged to be most positive, most typically in a quite moderate price range, $30-$60 per cake, let’s say.  Of course there would be lots of direct exceptions to that.  A broad subset is even cheaper, and not necessarily awful for being made of low-cost material.  Then some vendors try to make blends like that but slightly better, using better material (hopefully), often selling for around the high side of that range, but of course that would vary.  Sheng versions made from a more limited source range are something else, often pricing from that high end on up, maybe way up depending on source area and claimed tea plant source age.  I guess this seems like a decent version of the last category to me.  I can’t guess to what extent it was blended, but I wouldn’t be surprised if that input was quite limited, or not part of the story.  

As to quality level I liked the tea, and it had some really positive aspects, but there were limitations in relation to seeing it as good in the sense one would expect from expensive tea versions, maybe even below versions in the range of $80-100 sold as semi-premium teas, or however branding and marketing puts that.  That wood-tone wasn’t bad but also not the most positive range, even though it faded and changed to other range after a few rounds.  Slight dryness was probably more negative than positive but again not a character flaw, and again it shifted.  Complexity was good; aftertaste and feel generally positive, although there was some room for improvement or stronger effect for those.  Intensity was good, but it could’ve extended for a few more rounds before fading some.  It’s cheating but from what I do remember this is probably much better tea than a selling price would indicate, but not on the same level as versions vendors promote as a $.50-1/gram exceptional quality level examples. Let’s see, checking what it is.

2019 Spring "Jing Mai" Arbor Sheng Puerh 357g Raw Tea Menghai Yunnan Pu'er

Nice!  Now it does look like I know what I'm talking about, for completely matching the earlier Jing Mai general description as floral with a bit of pine and maybe lemon, approachable but not soft related to astringency form.  That cost description matches too; this sells for just over $30 (1039 baht), which to me is a fantastic price for this tea.  Jing Mai is a good general type for buying at a great value, if you like the character, which this is a decent example of.  It would be really easy to buy tea not even close to this good for double that price; much, much easier than finding anything comparable at the same cost.  Their description:

Name: Jing Mai Arbor Sheng Puerh

Year: 2019 Spring First Harvest

Country of Origin: Yunnan Province, China

Altitude: 1400m above sea level

Flavor: Sweet Wild floral aroma , Smoky Pine Scent

These tea leaves are from tall bushes which are above 80 years old.  They grow freely with different kinds of plants in Jing Mai mountain.  Dry tea leaves are tight and dark. The infusion is lightly golden with typical honey sweet aroma,  excellent depth of flavor and a soft velvety mouth-feel, full, round and harmonious.

The only part of the description I'm not "getting" is the smoky part.  Pine was fairly subdued, but present, but I noticed no smoke at all.  If that was from a processing input and wasn't strong it may have just dropped out over two years.  Other than not mentioning a touch of lemon they covered pretty much everything I mentioned.

I was considering benchmarking price against a somewhat recent Jing Mai version from Moychay, which seemed a decent value, this one.  That tea might have been slightly better but for that costing just over $60 and this just over $30 it would be an easy choice between the two for me; buy this and another one presented as better (higher in cost, at least) from this Song Yi outlet.  

Farmerleaf has always been a good source for Jing Mai and other origin teas; comparing this to one of their flagship versions might help, and seemingly their least expensive sheng version, a 2020 Jing Mai Miyun, which lists for $56.  Their description fills in what that "arbor" part is at least supposed to mean (per my understanding):

The Jingmai Miyun is a blend of several natural tea gardens (also known as Shengtai) that our family manages. We have five plots of shengtai, located at various altitudes and in different environments.

What makes a natural tea garden?

While conventional plantations loaded with pesticides and growth promoters were prevalent in Yunnan a few decades ago, the revival of the Pu-erh tea industry in the 2000s lead a push for better quality. When it comes to Pu-erh tea, you can't hide bad material under a good processing, it's a tea true to its origin.

The conventional plantations were not able to produce leaves that would satisfy the  demanding pu-erh tea enthusiasts. From 2010 on, a lot of conventional plantations were redesigned. Plantation density was reduced and shade tree were planted in order to build a resilient ecosystem. This design would produce less tea per surface, but would offer better protection against pest and disease and wouldn't require much fertilization. The tea trees were allowed to grow taller, at about 2m high.

This design change allowed the farmers to ban pesticides and chemical fertilizers. Thanks to a richer ecosystem and clever design, the leaves would grow high quality leaves and give satisfying Pu-erh tea.

It would be interesting to comparison taste that Miyun version and some other version they describe as higher in quality alongside this tea.  I last bought a Farmerleaf cake presented as such two years ago, this one, a 2018 Tian Xiang version.  Vendors typically never try to isolate a specific quality level in description, of course, partly because that's way too subjective, but within the description context and content it comes across, with selling point another implication ($79 for that cake).  That version was good, maybe better than this, or maybe partly just different in character versus better.  I've tried that again in the last 3 weeks; it's still good, but mostly gone, because I drank through it and shared some.  

I think I liked a Mengku sample from them a good bit more, but that was selling for closer to $100, and I didn't go on to buy a cake of it (due to budget issues, not value; that price seemed fair).  To be clear my opinion on the last version, and all of them, probably related to type and aspect character more than abstract quality level, but I suppose also that.

I can't say this is fantastic tea but I can say that it's quite good quality, and very enjoyable, per my preference, and it is a fantastic value, essentially better value than sheng ever tends to be.  It punches way above its weight in relation to price.  Some people just wouldn't love this type and aspects set; so subjective preference goes.  It's possible someone could see the early touch of dryness and wood-tone input as more negative than I did.  To me that's splitting hairs; this tea is only now coming into it's peak form, surely it will be just as good or better over the next three years or so.  

It may not have been at a relatively ideal starting point to age well past 15 years, but it's a great value tea to buy two cakes of it, one to drink and one to check on that after another decade.  I tend to try to only drink half a cake in some cases, but 180 or so grams of tea can go a lot faster than one might expect.  It's just a couple of tuochas worth.

Photo sharing section:

Not about tea, since it's been awhile I took some pictures of where I had the tea, out in a driveway space area, which is like a cool park setting.

the gardener / home owner, my wife's mother Mama Nid (or Yai, to the kids).  she's so nice.

I lost this round of the hungry squirrel game; he eats my favorite breakfast

what that yard space looks like

the other yard

flip flop and cat storage space

the other cat, "ei ouan"

it's not even the rainy season and the house jungle keeps taking back the backboard

Water testing, Alishan oolong using Volvic versus filtered local tap water

This is a follow-up to the prior water input testing, using Volvic and filtered tap water to brew both Rou Gui and sheng pu'er (a Lao Man E version, not the best choice, sorting out results past that bitterness).  In that testing Volvic brewed infusions were clearly better for both types in the first and second infusion, and not quite as positive as the filtered tap water versions in the 4th and 5th infusions.  I guessed about why in that post, but I'm really not certain.

It seemed better to try this using a mild tea version, something flavorful enough that results in that range would stand out, with feel and aftertaste aspects to evaluate, but with a generally mild tone making finer distinctions stand out better.  Alishan oolong should work better.  I had a couple of samples of what should be pretty good oolong left to try from Song Yi tea, the Taiwan based vendor source I'd reviewed a Brown Mountain (Bulang) sheng pu'er and Mannuo sheng from.

Those both were a lot better than I expected, and a good value for the quality level, so it seemed the two oolong samples they sent would probably be even more interesting, for actually being Taiwanese teas.  I just never got back to trying them.  Those reviews were in July and September of this year; it can work out like that, when lots of vendors send samples to try.

The earlier post on a water input testing outlines Volvic details, and as much as I know about the local municipal water.  I cited a lot of real-time testing (monitoring) results in that post, from over last weekend, but I'll skip that here.  Since it didn't list out mineral content as grams / liter amounts by type the half dozen factors they do monitor aren't really of as much interest.  Ph is always around 7 for that; it should be fine (although it is 7.25 right now at the station nearest to home).


I'm filtering this local water too, so whatever is in it is reduced, but I don't have measurements for anything but free chlorine and total chloride levels.  I'm more concerned with calcium, magnesium, and total dissolved solids measurements, which they don't provide.

the ph monitoring result just now

I did turn up a dated 2014 study of mineral content of water sources in Thailand, including Bangkok tap water, which may or may not pass on some idea of what was in that water:

There's really no guarantee that's at all relevant to what I'm using to make tea five years later, and again to repeat, whatever had been in that water was partly filtered back out.  The last water test review post included some real-time measurements (of free chlorine, chloride, and turbidity), just not including calcium, magnesium, and total dissolved solids values.

Background on the Song Yi Alishan oolong:

It would work to cite more input about the tea, even though I tend to see light Alishan as varying more by quality level than other factors, so basically it's something you judge for yourself once you try the tea:

Origin ：Tea-growing region with gravelly soil
            Camphor Tree Lake Stone Table, Alishan, Chiayi County

Altitude ：1,500 to 1,700m above sea level
Cultivar ：Qingxin (Green-Core) Oolong
Flavor ：Orchid aroma, Almond Peach scent
Fermentation ：30%
Roast ：Light


On their sales page 150 grams of this is selling for $45, so $15 per 50 gram amount.  In retrospect, after trying it, that sounds about right; the version quality is pretty good.  It would be a lot easier to find versions selling for in that range that weren't as good than it would be to find a better quality example selling at the same price, which would seem unlikely.

Versions can get better than this, emphasizing floral range just a little more, dropping back the limited vegetal range, bumping intensity or thickness a little, or that one characteristic mineral aspect, but this one seemed pretty far up the scale.  For sticking within a moderate price range this is good quality and type-typical, just what you'd hope it would be.

Review:

Volvic: flavor is nice; it includes that nice floral range that signifies Taiwanese high mountain oolongs. Mineral undertone is nice, pronounced.  This includes a little vegetal range that distinguishes the best light oolongs from quite good versions, or at least that's my take.


Filtered Bangkok tap water: not all that different. There might be a trace more vegetal range, slightly less high note floral, and a little more perfume base. For those minor differences it's about the same. Trying a faster infusion might help to tease out minor differences. Thick feel and pleasant aftertaste is common to both.

Volvic left, filtered tap water right

Second infusion:

There is a slight brewed color difference; the tap water version is slightly darker.

Volvic: slightly improved; floral range hits even harder, perfume like base is even stronger. Vegetal range is still notable, a touch of green wood. Feel is thick, and mineral and floral both trail after as aftertaste.


Tap water: maybe slightly less high end note, slightly deeper perfume base, more mineral tone. Those last two differences I'd expect related to brewing the tea slightly longer, just probably not the first. That one almost odd, characteristic mineral taste is stronger, not completely unlike new car smell, a unique mineral range. It's flinty, as much as anything.

Making a "better" judgement is tough; they're just different. The Volvic version is better for being slightly sweeter with a touch more floral high note. The tap water version has a lot more mineral base and perfume depth, a less bright floral range closer to lavender. Vegetal range shifts in form a little in each, slightly stronger and just different in the tap water version.

Third infusion

I think the tap water may be brewing stronger, based on color and also taste and feel aspects, but I'm not sure why. Proportion, temperature, and timing are definitely all identical, or at least very close to it, so it's not one of those.  The proportion is too high; I'm not as accustomed to judging rolled oolong amounts these days, and used the smaller version of tasting gaiwans, but didn't bump down the amount (probably a 60-70 ml version, versus the 80-90 ml versions I use more frequently).


Volvic: pleasant; sweet, rich, soft, intense but not overly so. Floral range is slightly different, but the difference is so subtle it is hard to pin down.  The point here isn't to derive a flavor-list as much as specify differences anyway.


Tap water: more intense; it pops a little more. A touch more vegetal edge goes along with that, and more mineral. It comes across as creamier. These are definitely different, but again which is better would be a judgment call. The higher intensity is nice but a touch more vegetal range comes with that.

Fourth infusion:

More of the same, and I won't trail this tasting out to 8 or 9 rounds to see the whole cycle. It's interesting that the prior pattern of tasting two other teas didn't hold, that the Volvic didn't seem clearly more positive early on, and then the tap water better after the 4th infusion.

I thought I probably did like the Volvic version slightly better on this fourth infusion, that being a little lighter and sweeter worked out better, versus there being a bit more vegetal and mineral range in the tap water version.  But the tap water version was fuller in feel, and on the fifth infusion I thought it was more positive for that reason, with flavor differences secondary to that distinction in that round.

Potential next steps:

Not much to conclude; the two outcomes were different, but neither was really notably better.  The Volvic version was a bit lighter and sweeter, the tap water outcome richer in feel, heavier in mineral, and in some cases it had slightly more flavor intensity.  More than that flavor aspects just shifted slightly, in ways that was about as neutral as related to being positive or negative.

I suppose it's some comfort that it seems to not make much difference.  Using Volvic, cited as some people's favorite in online discussion (which of course others disagree with) didn't prepare notably better tea than filtered local tap water.  Oddly it was a lot more positive for the first two rounds of brewing the Rou Gui in the last post.  And it was probably slightly more positive early in the infusio cycle for the Lao Man E sheng as well, but for both that bitterness hit so hard "better" was about sorting past that in those two infusions.  This oolong never really matched that outcome, or the tap water version becoming notably better in later infusions.

I think people could have expected one or the other to be better, and based on that expectation and a positive interpretation could have judged that either one of these outcomes was clearly better.  It seems natural to say "depends on preference" instead, but it's not as if flavor was better for one and feel better for the other, as if an aspect category worked out better using one of the water sources.  Although these seemed relatively different prepared side-by-side I think for tasting them days apart prepared using the two water versions it would be hard to separate out that difference.  The basic character and aspects profile was the same.

I could keep going, trying other versions of water.  This didn't cover RO (reverse osmosis) water, a version stripped of almost all mineral content.  There are other types of water at home (my wife is into mineral water these days, for whatever reasons), and I could run this again prepared using a number of different versions.  It would be interesting checking out results using a water type that's very high in mineral content, with this Volvic seemingly on the moderate end of the scale, especially related to calcium and magnesium levels.  I'm not sure that I'll keep on with this for now though; it adds a good bit of messing around to tasting, and I have teas around to try that deserve more attention than this tasting format allows for.

Comparing 2018 Pasha and Mannuo gushu sheng

Tea Mania Pasha left, Song Yi Mannuo right (in all photos)

I'm a little behind on getting to samples, and am only now returning to a second sheng version sent by Song Yi Tea (with contacts for them here and here), selling tea relatively directly sourced out of Taiwan.  Except for this, said to be relatively directly sourced in Yunnan, then sold from Taiwan, but the point is the same.  There is more of their story in this post.  The first Bulang sheng version wasn't bad, even better for seeming a good value, priced very fairly for how pleasant it was.

The other tea is a Pasha version from Tea Mania, a really consistent, also relatively direct-source theme seller.  It's hard to identify exactly what those sourcing stories mean, or be clear on how old "gushu" plants might really be, but I tend to not make too much of the stories anyway, letting the teas speak for themselves.

Per a standard approach I'll try these with no input then paste vendor descriptions back here prior to posting.

The Song Yi Tea version, 2018 Mannuo gushu sheng pu'er:


Name: Mannuo Gushu Sheng Puerh
Year: 2018 Spring First Harvest
Country of Origin: Yunnan Province, China
Altitude: 1300m above sea level
Flavor: Sweet Flowery Scent, strong aftertaste 

The tea leaves come from Gushu which are hundreds years old trees at Mannuo Mountains, the north part of Menghai.  Most of them grow on the slopes, reach up to 2 or 3 meters high and more than 10 cm stem diameter. There are very few other trees in the garden. 

Dry tea leaves are tight and dark. The infusion is light gold, clear and shiny, wild flowers aroma. The most loved aspect of this tea is its aftertaste, which has a special mellow flavor in the throat when drinking.  The sweet dimension is gradually becoming stronger.


Normally I would've edited that but this "gushu" claim relates to considering context.  This is selling for a bit over $60 for a 357 gram cake (2183 baht as I see the listing), which for some would relate to a warning flag, since gushu tends to cost a good bit more.  Location factors into pricing too, local demand.  Although one would be wary of accepting "special case" explanations alternative sourcing variations could come up; vendors buying teas relatively directly could by-pass some cost and adjust mark-up differently.


Onto Tea Mania's Pasha sheng pu'er description, a 250 gram 2018 gushu cake:


For this bingcha tea leaves of up to 300 year old tea trees (Gushu) were used by the Pasha Shan and processed into a bingcha. The typical Pasha aroma is accompanied by the depth and clarity of Gushu tea leaves and a touch of camphor. This tea is particularly suitable for aging by storage. A tea that gets better with the years.

Harvest Date:  Fall 2018 


Camphor is one of those descriptions that tends to be used in different ways, as hui gan is, or to a lesser extent probably as any aspect descriptions are.  I don't want to go too far with tangents but let's check what that even is:

Camphor (Cinnamomum camphora) is a terpene (organic compound) that’s commonly used in creams, ointments, and lotions. Camphor oil is the oil extracted from the wood of camphor trees and processed by steam distillation. It can be used topically to relieve pain, irritation, and itching. Camphor is also used to relieve chest congestion and inflammatory conditions.

As far as actually ingesting it goes they also say this:

Camphor should never be ingested internally as this can cause serious side effects and even death. Signs of camphor toxicity appear within 5 to 90 minutes of ingestion. Symptoms include burning of the mouth and throat, nausea, and vomiting.


Ok then; pass on brewing that as a tisane.  Back to the description, this being a fall (autumn) harvest tea stands out.  That makes the moderate pricing seem more realistic, with a convention about what that means for expected character a bit less clear to me.  Those can be less intense, but there must be more for uniform generalities I could pass on.

This cake is selling for $60 for a 250 gram version, so a bit more, but not much at all as typical gushu pricing goes (which again varies a lot by individual region, and other factors).  That's 24 cents a gram, versus 18 cents / gram for the other, for people who are more familiar with that form.

Moving on, let's check out those locations:

this map (from here) doesn't list Mannuo, with Pasha lower center left

that's it at the top, cited in a TeaDB summary as being from here

I'm not going to mention location-typical character; I'm not up to that even related to origins I'm much more familiar with.

Review:

Tea Mania left; you can almost feel that texture from how they look

Tea Mania 2018 (fall) Pasha gushu sheng pu'er:  it's nice; definitely a bit intense.  Bitterness stands out but it's moderate enough that it works.  There's a distinctive flavor, or rather a set, with one part towards a spice range.  Sweetness might well extend to fruit, a bit like citrus, maybe (grapefruit or dried grapefruit peel, a little towards dried orange or orange peel, because not really sour, just the rest).  The intensity comes across as strong flavor and pronounced aftertaste now, with feel full enough but likely to ramp up more in the second infusion, even brewed fast.

I'm still missing describing that spice flavor, a little like a very faint version of anise.  Maybe there's a variation that's not as overpowering and sweet as the most common star anise?  This doesn't include that distinctive non-sugar sweetness that seems connected with that flavor.

My sense of taste seems ok but my brain feels a little fuzzy; one part of doing this review is going to be tricky.  We took the kids out to ice skate yesterday, and got back home late, so I'm feeling that, being busy for too long yesterday.  Fighting Bangkok traffic is not a relaxing experience and I went through a few hours of that yesterday.  I'm fine though; I'll probably just pick up slightly less, and not be as sharp with making aspect connections as I could be.

on a break to scrape together a snowball; you can imagine how that ended

2018 spring Mannuo gushu sheng pu'er:  This is interesting for bearing some relation to the other version but being completely different.  Bitterness is more moderate, but both are in a decent middle range.  Both have a spice or earthy aspect that stands out that's novel, giving the teas an unusual profile, with plenty of other flavor complexity, along with overall intensity of flavor and feel.  Aftertaste seems a little more moderate in this version; it really lingered in the other.  But then the first infusion is a little early for calling that.

The main flavor in this is interesting.  It seems to include root spice, and maybe a taste similar to a dried Chinese date (jujube).  There's just a touch of earthiness in a less distinct range beyond that, which could come across as light roast coffee.  Both are similar in general character then, for striking somewhat similar balances, but different in taste, feel, and aftertaste.  This also seems like good tea but the aftertaste being thinner isn't positive as markers go.

Second infusion:

checking out a relatively light infusion; intensity still works

Pasha:  brewing these relatively fast should work well; the balance should be good (for around 5 seconds, maybe 7 to 8 instead).  Sweetness and bitterness are fine; that balance works.  This isn't above average for level of bitterness, and the feel works, not rough or dry in any way.  Not necessarily thick, oily, or smooth either, but the range is fine.  Feel includes a hint of dryness, but not much, not so much that it's easy to describe further.  Related to flavor again a nice mix of spice tone and mild supporting fruitiness seems to work well.  It's a little unconventional, but in a good way.  A touch of wood fills in the rest, nothing pronounced enough to easily describe as one certain kind, picking up intensity while the citrus (or other fruit) seems to moderate.

I often wonder about that theme of a set of flavors, or one in particular, or other character being considered to be a distinctive, typical narrow-location related flavor.  Later, after trying a few more "Pasha" sheng I'd be able to guess about that.


Mannuo:  the coffee related range dropped back but a distinctive mix (narrow range) of other flavor ramped up.  Dried Chinese date still works as a description, but range added to that.  This also has a hint of dryness, but in a different form.  Aftertaste did ramp up; these are closer now related to that.  Again the balance is fine (moderate in bitterness, intense in flavor, full enough in feel), with flavors that seem a bit new to me standing out.  These aren't floral-intensive; I guess I mean that.  It's possible I'm missing that as a supporting aspect for one or both but it definitely doesn't stand out.

Third infusion:

Pasha:  Somehow this is much catchier this round; it all really fell together.  It's not as if the feel or flavors were rough or a little off but sweetness, smoothness, and clean effect really picked up.  That mix of spice and mild fruit tone works, with spice changing form just a little.  Fruit really is non-distinct in this; citrus kind of works, but it's not like how that comes across in a Darjeeling or Oriental Beauty (more oxidized oolong).  Spice seems more like root spice now, the mildness, "roundness," and catchy range.  I suppose it's not far off an aromatic bark incense spice too, just a little smoother, less sharp and distinct.


Mannuo:  if anything this drifted to earthiness picking up a little, kind of the opposite direction.  Spice with fruit is strong in this version too, just a different version of both.  This is more typical of a bark spice, just not cinnamon, and instead of mild citrus that dried Chinese date.  It doesn't seem to include mild coffee still but a heavier, towards-earth flavor is present. 

Intensity is good in both of these; balance, feel, and aftertaste are all fine.  I can't conclude that they're gushu but they're both pretty good tea.  Both seem more interesting and positive for flavors and other range balancing and being pleasant, and distinctive, than for markers typically tied back to gushu / old plant source causation (extended aftertaste, pronounced underlying mineral, general intensity).

Fourth infusion:

This might be a short review given a pressing time-frame; the usual.  Coming back later to try a couple of extra rounds only ever goes so well and the notes are never as detailed, if I even make any.

Pasha:  maybe slightly catchier yet; that mix of spice and fruit complement really works.  This is nice and clean, well balanced, with good sweetness and very moderate bitterness.  I suppose it's conceivable that this could be a fall harvest version, it just seems a little intense for it to be that [turns out that it was; but really what do I know about any generalities or causes, though].  Bitterness is moderate; that might tie to that.  The warmth of the flavors is novel for a tea so young.


Mannuo:  that spice and trace of earthiness seems a little back towards a mild coffee range again; probably small variation in infusion intensity would shift that.  It's still clean though, and well balanced, definitely complex.  Spice and fruit also come across, as in the other version, just a different range of both.  A touch of green wood seems to join all that; it's definitely complex, slightly less subtle than the other, which I wouldn't describe as subtle at all.  Tasting both again a trace of green wood seems to support both.

nice looking leaves (Tea Mania left, Song Yi right)

Conclusions:

I tried these for a few more rounds later (many, really) but didn't make notes, so I'll limit adding more about that, beyond saying they were very pleasant.  It seemed the Pasha might be a little thicker in feel, which I'd mentioned, which may have carried over more into later rounds than it stood out earlier.  It's not as if the Mannuo was thin, but there's a thick, viscous feel that can be really catchy in sheng versions, and it's cool when that stands out in later rounds too.

I have no opinion on these really being gushu or not.  I'm more familiar with Peter Pocajt's accounts of sourcing teas, so I'd trust those more, but hearing more of stories doesn't make them true (and the opposite).  Both represent very good value for teas this good selling for what they do.  Given the pricing you'd expect less complex, balanced character instead, or maybe even notable flaws.

The difference in one being a Spring tea and the other Fall didn't stand out, but then it would fold together with source location as a difference and other causes, including the gushu source theme.  They ended up being more similar than I would have expected, just expressing different flavor profiles.  But then those even overlapped, with some difference in feel and aftertaste, as described. 

I'm tempted to guess about aging potential but it also seems as well to skip that part.  People able to make more informed guesses about that would be more informative.  I tend to split teas into rough groupings related to what needs more aging to be drinkable (the opposite of these), with a subset of what has been aging but isn't there yet, and then those younger versions that may not have reached their potential for being able to mellow and develop a little over a shorter term.  Both these teas are drinking very well now, and I'd expect them to be just as good but slightly different in a year or two, then to fade into middle-age after that, with no clear expectation of how they'd come out the other side when fully aged.  There; I did guess.

Tea Mania I expect better-than-you-would-expect teas from, but it was nice to experience that from this other source too.  Beyond being quite pleasant to experience there's no way these teas should be this good at those prices.