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2017 Bulang left, in all photos |
I'm reviewing the oldest of the Tea Mania sheng pu'er samples (sent by Peter, the owner, for review; many thanks!). At these ages these won't be truly aged sheng versions, so this will be about where they are in that process, and how intermediate stage sheng work out, what being part-way through a fermentation cycle is like. It would vary by the tea version, in relation to the starting point, so this should be interesting.
I'll start with the vendor's description of these:
Bulang Gushu 2017, (357 gram cake for $188 USD)
Experience the excellence of our Bulang Gushu, a remarkable tea born from the collaboration of Tea Masters Panda and Yang Ming. Crafted exclusively for us, they have meticulously captured our deep appreciation for Bulang teas. Stored for seven years in Xishuangbanna, this tea has matured beautifully, becoming wonderfully ripe and developing a subtle hint of camphor aroma. It evokes memories of the legendary 2015 Bulang Gushu—a favorite that has long since sold out—offering a similarly captivating allure.
Building upon the legacy of both the 2015 Bulang and the distinguished 5-Village Blend, this Bulang Gushu holds special significance—it originates from the tea gardens of Yang Ming’s former schoolmate.
Hekai Gushu 2018, (200 gram cake for $88, equivalent to $157 for a 357 gram cake)
These leaves, from the venerable 300-year-old Gushu trees of Hekai Shan, were skillfully processed into 200g Bingcha cakes at Yang Ming’s boutique tea factory. The tea distinguishes itself with a signature Hekai aroma, enriched by the deep, clear essence of the Gushu leaves and a subtle camphor nuance. Ideal for long-term aging, this tea’s flavor is designed to evolve and refine over time, embodying the essence of Hekai Gushu.
Funny camphor is almost the only flavor referenced in these; I wrote notes for the next review already and joked that maybe it would make more sense if I described them as tasting like camphor. Typically that's a reference to a sub-tone that's not all that close to the camphor that stands out in balms or Thai scent sticks. Or maybe people really are tasting that, but I tend not to.
Review:
Bulang #1: warmer aged tones stand out initially; I suppose that's a good sign. Per usual this will need another round or two to get going. A flavor range along the lines of tobacco stands out, or that could be incense spice, or old furniture, antique tropical wood [or per the intro section theme, maybe camphor]. Brighter floral tones have probably evolved away. Some bitterness remains, but this is approachable.
Hekai: much brighter and sweeter; interesting. A jammy sort of flavor stands out this early on. It's towards a blueberry or black cherry jam. There is some warmth to the character range, but not like in the other version. A savory note rounds out that sweetness and cooked fruit range. This should be interesting.
Bulang #2: that first description still works: there's an interesting mix of complex, warm flavor tones. It picks up a little depth; maybe a touch of marshmallow joins the rest. Of course I wouldn't expect most people to make that association, especially within that context of warm tobacco, tropical wood, and incense spice tone range. Feel has a bit of dryness, and plenty of structure. That's not overly pleasant in this, and not negative, but it may relate to it having complexity that could support additional transitions, to aging potential.
Hekai: root spice tones are dominant now, with a bit of fruit remaining. By that I mean along the line of ginseng, so an alternate interpretation of herbal medicinal flavor would be saying the same thing. Maybe it relates a little to sassafras too, tasting a little like root beer, just not much. The lighter tone is nice, the brightness. It matches well with the sweetness, and that flavor complexity. Brewing both of these fast should work now; they're intense enough for that to work well.
Bulang #3: to an extent intensity dropped back for trying out an infusion of less than 10 seconds, but in another sense this is still quite complex. Feel stays full, and one part remains behind in aftertaste expression. The warmer tones are a little less intense but it's still complex in that same way, still covering that same range. There isn't that much floral range to speak of; that seems to have largely evolved away. Bitterness is present but very moderate. I suppose this is the kind of tea that match to preference would determine placement for, that some people would love this, and others not like it.
It's not exactly at an in-between age that doesn't make sense, but it probably would have seemed more positive a few years ago, and will balance in a different positive way in a few more. So in a sense that's it, but it still balances reasonably well now.
Hekai: this definitely seems to make more sense at this current age. The warm tones, good sweetness, and root spice all work together well. It seems like another half dozen years of transitioning in the same direction might be quite positive, but it works well now too. Feel is a bit richer and fuller, while the other includes a dryness that takes over what you notice.
It's interesting considering fermentation level; are these less transitioned than the 2021 versions I've been trying that were stored in Malaysia, and if so, how are they different? Yes, to the first part. 7 and 8 years of transition doesn't add up to the same degree 4 or 5 did for those other teas (from Legend of Tea). Change has been slower, more gradual. I suppose heavier flavor range doesn't enter in as fast, instead of the level being a linear distance or amount sort of thing.
Bulang #4: it's changing, but only related to the proportion of what I've already mentioned. I suppose that it's softening, in a sense, with the flavors becoming warmer and richer. Feel is also softening; that dryness is dropping out. I suppose a green tone may also be picking up a little.
This is a sort of in-between age theme, just not in a form I'm completely familiar with. Warmer transitioned tones picked up quite a bit, with what I assume was earlier floral range shifting to now be expressed as green wood, earlier on more in the range of warmer aged tropical wood.
Hekai: that spice note is catchy. Maybe within a year or two this might make less sense, being more in-between, divided between where it is now and where it's headed. For as gradually as these seem to be transitioning it might be a long wait to more fully aged character, possibly relating to another decade, depending on where it is stored next. It would be a real shame if it just faded. I'd guess that it won't, that it's intense enough now, even for dividing character across a significant range, that it will retain decent intensity for that longer term.
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Kalani helped take this picture; I usually leave the toast out of it |
Bulang #5: depth is good; a charcoal sort of mineral range picks up. It stands out more than the green wood range that has evolved. Tobacco still works as a main flavor interpretation.
Hekai: that interesting spice tone stands out, but some green wood range is fairly pronounced now too. I think these aren't at the best stage for drinking just now, probably better younger, or much more aged. They're pleasant, and clearly good tea, intense, complex, and balanced, but this fermentation level isn't a natural optimum. I'm not sure what I expected, looking back. Whatever storage they experienced--in comparison with the other two I've tried, and in general--doesn't push the pace of transition, so they would be right in between newish and aged.
Infusion #6, both: more of the same, just slight differences in aspect balance. To me both are at an age where it could be interesting trying them once a year to see what changes, but they're just not there for transition to a place that makes the most sense.
Then the problem is that if you buy a small cake, 150 to 200 grams, if you try it even once a year for a decade it's mostly gone by the time it gets to where it's going. I've bought two cakes of the same tea for this purpose before, to keep trying one, and to have one for later when it really does make more sense. But are these a great prospect for that?
I'm not sure. I can't really judge in relation to an in-between-age snapshot related to later direction and aging potential. I haven't tried enough versions over a long enough time-frame to tell. Even if I had been through that experience a few dozen times it may not be enough. Different factors could always be entering into play, related to different storage conditions, different inputs that tie to aging potential (like origin, tea plant age as one factor, or processing style). It would be easy to experience the same types of patterns over and over, and to skip entire ranges of inputs and outcomes.
Still, I should be able to guess, right? Something must trigger some pattern recognition. Not really though. I've experienced more of factory tea themes, related to relatively fully aged versions. Related to gambling on lower quality, more inexpensive cakes--which is easier, in terms of budget allocation--I'm more familiar with what tends to go wrong. These aren't just fading; they avoid that limitation. They are picking up a woody character, but that can be expressed in a different form that never does fade, a warmer, cured hardwood sort of tone. As I take it this vegetal range these express will change over, I'm just not sure to what.
So potential is good? Maybe, I just can't really conclude that either. It's promising that they are clean, complex, intense enough, and well-balanced, even though they are at two different places in intermediate aging transition stages. The quality seems quite good, intensity is more of a concern, if they'll fade over the next decade, and then what aspects will be like once they change over.
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Myra visiting early in the session |
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