I'm reviewing two more of what should be fantastic gushu sheng pu'er from Tea Mania. Again these are mini-discs, not the ideal form for brewing, but it works, and with practice it works well.
I've been trying Bulang versions some lately, but of course that range could vary. I might seem to imply understating origin as an input to flavor and other character, even though I claim that the two connect, and that there are regional consistencies, probably more pronounced the more local the area is under consideration. It's just that I don't memorize a matrix of past impressions, and derived general expectations. For the Bangwai even that wouldn't apply; I may or may not have ever tried a version from there, and don't know where that is within a broader region. I'm fine with only passing on an impression, as a primary review practice, but it seems a bit like sloppy work.
Of course I'll compare this a little to Bulang versions I've tried in the past month, but even then not much.
Bangwai Gushu 2022 ($117 USD for 200 grams; equivalent to a $209 357 gram cake)
The Bangwai Gushu is celebrated for its meticulous, traditional handmade processing and the selective use of the finest tea leaves. This dedication to quality is evident in every sip, making it a treasured choice among collectors. Due to the limited availability, Pu-erh teas from the Bangwai region are released in small quantities each year, adding to their exclusivity and allure.
Ideal for long-term aging, thi tea is a tea connoisseur’s delight, known to develop richer and more complex aromas over time. Its robust character and evolving taste profile make it a remarkable choice for those who appreciate the depth and intricacy of Pu-erh teas.
Harvest: Spring 2022...
Aroma: Spicy, much Cha Qi and sweet finish
Terroir: Bangwai, Lancang prefecture, Yunnan province, China...
Tip: This Bangwai tea is ideal to mature a few years
Bulang Gushu 2021 Balanced (the same price as the other cake, 95 CHF, $117 for 200 grams)
Harvest date: Spring 2021
Pressed: 2021
Typ: Sheng
Taste: Strong, intense and deep
Terroir: Bulang Mountain, Xishuangbanna prefecture, Yunnan province, China
There is a bitter version and "balanced" version listed, and I'm guessing that this was balanced, since it's really not all that bitter. I guess it's possible that 4 years of aging transition changed it a lot, and it could have been, and it might be the other one, but probably not.
[later editing note: per discussion with Peter, the owner, it was probably the bitter version, which did emerge more in the late rounds (that flavor aspect). But it was probably a good bit more bitter when new.]
There isn't much more description of the tea there, just some related background (only sampled):
This exquisite Bulang Gushu is a product of the collaborative craftsmanship of teamaster Panda and Yang Ming, crafted exclusively for us with a keen understanding of our fondness for Bulang teas. Reminiscent of the legendary 2015 Bulang Gushu, which we still fondly remember and has long been sold out, this tea promises a similar allure.
Echoing the legacy of both the 2015 Bulang and the esteemed 5-Village Blend, this Bulang Gushu shares a unique connection – it is sourced from the tea fields of a former school friend of Yang Ming.
These teas are really good, and they may well be very type-typical for this origin and general style. It doesn't work very well for a vendor to add lots of flavor list, because in the 4 years this aged that probably changed some. Interpretations vary so much that I'm sympathetic to vendors skipping adding much initially, even as an early snapshot. They need to say something, but the flavor-list approach is problematic.
Review:
2022 Bangwai: I let these infuse for about a minute, to start opening up. Unless you really pry the tea apart it will brew somewhat unevenly, with the outside starting early, and being relatively far along the transition cycle by the time the center is even wetted. I can accept that; it doesn't throw off results much, it just changes them a little.
Feel has nice creaminess, even though this is still too light to clearly identify a lot of flavor. It's in a floral general range. It's bright and clean, probably with decent complexity, and pleasant sweetness. The effect seems quite fresh; 3 years isn't that long, in moderately dry and cool storage. More description to follow next round.
2021 Bulang: a warmer tone is included in this. It also expresses quite a bit of feel, for being so light, but it's different. The other was light in tone and creamy, and this contains some structure already, a vague hint of dryness. There's a really catchy flavor that I can't make out yet, and good overall balance. These aren't the kind of teas where you throw out half of the early infusion that you don't make out as clearly; they're already quite good.
At the risk of brewing them a bit strong I'll give them another minute to infuse, and while they won't be completely wetted yet by the third round they'll be brewing more normally. Two full minutes of infusion time is a lot, for that outer layer, but to me it's not as if the time the tea spends wet (under water) is the only brewing it does; it seems to continue to extract into the moisture in the leaf between those cycles anyway.
2022 Bangwai #2: the Bulang version opened up a lot more. It's interesting that the topic of how hard pressed a tea coin is never occurred to me before. And I suppose I expect dragonball shapes to be really tightly pressed too, in a relatively uniform way. Of course that could vary.
Warmer mineral depth comes out more than I expected. Bright, fresh, sweet, floral tones are present, but the overall character is layered, and not light and bright in tone, more medium. It integrates well. It's still a bit creamy, but those warm tones and slightly more structured feel change overall character. Beyond the vague floral description, and mineral, there is a substantial richness to the flavor, matching the feel, I guess along the line of macadamia nut. It's really clean and complex, well-integrated, so an impression of quality comes across.
2021 Bulang: this is a little strong (where the other hadn't been yet). Dryness stands out more, and a very different warm mineral layer. In this it resembles cedar, or maybe an incense spice. That catchy aspect may have been a fruitiness, that's hard to identify, along with the cedar or spice tone.
2022 Bangwai #3: light; I dropped back time a lot, maybe too much for this version, at this level of leaf separation. I'll pull it apart for the next round.
Flavor is still bright, clean, and somewhat complex, even though it's subtle.
2021 Bulang: this balances really well, brewed to a proper infusion strength. That catchy aspect is some sort of fruit, along with a spice tone. I should be able to describe that fruit tone better than I can. Maybe it includes floral range, a mix, that is integrated, making it harder to separate.
2022 Bangwai #4: this is an unusual experience, how it comes across as quite complex and also quite subtle (lacking intensity, I guess, put another way). The rich flavor might be in the range of butter cookie instead of macadamia nut, or between the two. Bright floral range is quite limited, but it still seems to be an input. There is a mineral layer, it's just light, both in the sense of being light in tone and also not strong. Somehow it comes across as fresh, and refined.
Bitterness is quite limited; as a sheng drinker, who is often appreciating even younger versions, I don't really notice it. Maybe to someone more into oolong that would actually stand out some.
2021 Bulang: stronger, for sure. Bitterness is much more pronounced, and warm mineral, some degree of floral, and range I'm interpreting as both spice (or aromatic wood, cedar or redwood, maybe sandalwood) and some limited dried fruit all give it great complexity, and intensity. There's a lot going on. For sure the bitterness was a good bit stronger 4 years ago, and tones brighter. This has mellowed into a very pleasant and drinkable character.
It's interesting considering how this compares to a Legend of Tea Malaysia stored 2021 Bulang, reviewed here, three weeks ago. It has been a long three weeks; that feels like over a month. The write-up sounds pretty similar; the same basic flavor profile is expressed. This is probably cleaner and more refined, and slightly lighter in tone. I'm not sure it works to guess that it's better, but in a limited sense that's probably true, at a minimum related to preference for one type of character, and maybe to some extent in general. This definitely lacks rough edges. That tea had a sappy, perfume-like feel and associated flavor range; this sort of does, but probably not to that degree. That tea was really good, exceptional for the price-point, and the quality of this is probably even better. Or maybe it's that it is made in a more drinkable style, which is a different thing.
Put another way, expressed in more detail, that probably started out as more intense, with rougher edges, more bitterness and astringency, and had transitioned more by the time I tried it, perhaps arriving at a slightly warmer tone range. For people more accustomed to factory tea that context and style could be better. This might ring a bell more with people more on the page of boutique-style, drinkable when young tea versions, that are clean, sweet, and balanced, but not challenging, I suppose "giving up structure and intensity," if someone sees it that way.
2022 Bangwai #5: this integrates all the better this round, with warmer spice tone entering in, resembling one part of the other tea. Complexity and intensity really ramped up. Maybe because I finally got timing right, and it's all wetted and brewing now? It's not as if this has been challenging to brew, since results were really positive before, I'm just getting variation out of it.
Bitterness doesn't really stand out much, as sheng experience goes, but a little more of it balances nicely. At least I can notice it. The butter cookie / macadamia expression is nice, and light floral range, that I'm not really covering as much.
2021 Bulang: perfume-like nature and sappiness ramp up; interesting. Maybe because I'm looking for that? But in that earlier review--of a different 2021 Bulang sheng--it ramped up across a number of infusions, as just occurred. Dryness picks up a little too, but this is far from dry. "Sappy" works.
Even though I'm in between the kids being here and the next travel step (I'll go back to Honolulu the day after tomorrow) I'm still busy, with a list of a few things to do to get ready, so again I'll cut this short. One more round will work for catching final thoughts, or whatever I've missed. Of course these teas are going strong, and will brew at least as many more rounds later, and of course I'll miss a couple of minor aspect transitions.
2022 Bangwai #6: full, creamy, complex, and well-balanced, with flavors not so different than last round. This flavor set, and other aspects, works really well for my preference. Sometimes I'm describing a flavor range that could be fine, or even exceptional, but it just doesn't click with me as well as this does (like root-spice range sometimes doesn't). This could even be interpreted as heavy on root spice, but it would be a light ginseng sassafras fullness, not a heavier bark spice oriented range, something more medicinal.
2021 Bulang: brewed fast this round this is exceptional. Intensity and complexity is great in both, and again this flavor and other aspect set seems very appealing to me. Clean, balanced, and refined character is great.
So which is better, either in terms of general quality or a match to my preference? Both are pleasant in novel ways. The Bulang isn't challenging, at all, but it's more intense, and heavier in flavor range, with more bitterness offsetting that flavor set. It's far from straight floral tones; the spice or aromatic wood tone might be even stronger, at this stage. It all makes perfect sense together, to me. These are in a great place for aging transition to integrate well just now.
It's all as I expected. Really high expectations can be a challenge for a tea to be reviewed against, because any minor flaw or less favorable balance would stand out all the more. Then when a tea is great it's just meeting those expectations; there is no exceeding them. Even a novel flavor input or atypically positive feel aspect can only seem normal, if you go into it expecting a tea to be great.
There's a lot going on with these, so that I've cut short feel and aftertaste range descriptions. There's some background noise as well; my wife is talking to our kids online about first week of school preparations (they just ended it, but hanging details remain, needing an extra binder or highlighter, and getting jet-lag sorted out). I might've even added a couple more flavor aspect descriptions without that distraction. This will do; the teas were great, as described.
Further conclusions:
Describing these as "really good" seems a bit limited. They are, and the aspects seemed like what I've listed, but the clean nature, complexity, depth, and refinement are hard to pin down in a description. This pricing may be more than I'd end up spending even if I had a loose budget, instead of very little of one to work with, but I get it why people open to that would drink teas like these.
It's hard to guess about longer term aging potential. For as good as these are now I'd drink them right now, or within a year or so. For someone with a wide open budget buying one to drink and one to age might be a good strategy. That only goes so far, for these being sold as 200 gram cakes. You could drink through one fast, if you weren't rationing it. Which could work out; it's good tea.
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I'm traveling now, for a month, and already miss them terribly |
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not exactly bonding, but at least Myra is adjusting to them being around |
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