Tea China 7572 Dayi (Taetea) shou / shu pu'er

 

I'm trying the last sample from a small Tea China vendor's set (sent at no cost for review; many thanks!).  

The posts need to have some sort of story that they tell, and often that's about something completely novel, a new style or origin.  This isn't that; this is a very standard type.  But it could be interesting referencing back to what that standard is.  I was still looking into types and background back in 2014 when I wrote a bit on what Dayi / Taetea 7572 is, in 2014, and on storage issues with tasting notes on multiple versions in this post.  I can't directly compare back to experiences 11 years ago, but I can try to look at this experience based on trying dozens of versions of shou / shu since.  

I'll just call it shou here, but I have trouble deciding which is more correct.  If whichever version matches the best standard Romanization practice is less conventional then it would be hard to say.

Their site listing:

Yunnan DaYi Pu’er Tea 7572 Classic Ripe Pu’er Tea  ($18.53, for 250 grams)

Pu’Er ripe tea from the famous Yunnan Menghai Pu’Er Tea Factory (Dayi). 7572 is a classic formula for Pu’Er tea and a benchmark for Pu’Er ripe tea.  We purchased these Pu’Er teas in 2022.

Dayi 7572 is a bulk Pu’er ripe tea from Menghai Tea Factory, which has been produced since the mid-1970s. It undergoes moderate fermentation, featuring the iconic reddish-brown and thick liquor color as well as a mellow taste.

Taste Profile:

In the new tea stage, it has a rich caramel aroma with a sweet scent, and after brewing, the lingering sugar aroma at the bottom of the cup is rich and full-bodied.

As the storage time increases, its aroma gradually changes. For example, after 3 years of storage, the aged aroma and sugar aroma begin to emerge and become more prominent, while the pile fermentation smell and woody aroma fade away. For ripe teas aged over 7 years, the aroma is mainly dominated by the aged scent.

I suppose that works.  One part of the sales listing says it's 250 grams, and the other 150, so I take that to be a typo / accidental mistake.  It's 150; that's listed on the packaging they show.

Review:

First infusion:  brewed a bit strong, using maybe 4-5 grams of tea to brew over 250 ml, maybe nearer to 12 ounces instead.  I did use a quick rinse this time; that's relatively standard, and it could cut back mustiness or funk a little.

Level of funk stands out most.  Shou often has a damp cardboard sort of scent to it, which others could associate as still within the range of peat.  It's pronounced in this.  Moychay shou versions, which are typically pretty good, tend to have a characteristic form of that, which I guess someone could love or else dislike.  Storage conditions input would enter in.  I think that aspect is mainly coming from the original tea character, which transitions over time, but storage would change how it is expressed, especially if a tea is stored very dry or very wet (diminishing that range, if quite dry, and changing it and increasing it, if stored wet or damp).

It has always been interesting how Hong Kong is considered quite damp storage, with Malaysia also described as such.  From online discussion it sounds like these are two consistent themes, based on conditions in those areas, but in reality vendors could, and probably typically would, adjust humidity level in storage conditions.  Malaysia, and Bangkok, are both much warmer and more humid than Hong Kong.  I've written about that here, and I wrote so much on that subject that I wrote a summary of it all here.  But the second of those was in 2019; I've learned a lot more through experience since.  And I write less now; that's how that tends to go.

Back to the tea, flavor is complex in this.  It's generally positive.  I think these benchmark Dayi / Taetea numbered shou are a great representation of good, basic shou character, and are positive to experience.  Of course they would vary.  Beyond the heavy earth baseline in this some hint of dried fruit and rich spice stands out, or aromatic dark wood.  It all mixes; it's hard to express as a list.  Maybe this does taste a bit like betel nut, the traditional Chinese herb input used for chewing, maybe like how people experience chewing tobacco.

This wouldn't be completely separate from the flavor range of chewing tobacco, just not all that close to it either.  Probably the larger leaf version, with a richer, deeper flavor, than the sharper, lighter, more stinging version of "snuff," the ground version.  I've never experienced much of either, but I did do a tour of vices back in my teens, as was common in the 1980s.  Right, I'm getting old.

That's already describing most of the flavor, but in unusually general terms (like spice, like dried fruit or dark wood).  Maybe I can narrow that down a bit, along with describing transitions, in a next round.  But since I'm brewing this Western style it would typically only make about three strong infusions.  This would also be pleasant to experience brewed Gongfu style, and you would see more transition between rounds.  Not a lot, typically, for this tea type, but some.  

Most people seem to like shou brewed inky black, and there is no limit for astringency or other limitations entering in, so it can be as strong as you like.  It's good for thermos brewing, which is just what it sounds like, using a very low proportion and the longest possible infusion time in a thermos, that you take with you.  It's so gentle on your stomach that it's the only tea I drink when fasting, beyond a little aged white, and I'm on day 1 of a planned 5 day fast today.  It's no problem to have this without breakfast.  Rushing through an extra strong brewed 12 ounce mug to write notes on the next part is a little more questionable.

Second infusion:  lighter, brewed faster.  Some of the peat range drops out.  It wasn't really musty before, kind of clean in effect, but describing a fermentation input like peat is hard to clarify related to that.  I think this may really relate to what people describe as like betel nut, as a main flavor.  I really should try that; it's out there in the local Chinatown (in Bangkok; I'm not in Hawaii now, where I also live sometimes).

The rest is still complex, but still not so distinct.  Warm tones do seem like dark wood, and some supporting range like dried fruit or spice.  Maybe sandalwood?  Dried fruit is perhaps closest to jujube, dried Chinese date.  And then it's hard to make any of that more specific.

Feel is decently rich and full.  Aftertaste expression is limited, but it doesn't clear from your mouth immediately, so those two parts give it some complexity.  It doesn't come across as amazing quality tea, but it's solid, and pleasant.

Conclusions:

On to guessing, limited to age, since I already know what it is.  As I see it shou tends to undergo two main transitions related to aging, related to the early fermentation related off notes clearing, typically over 3 years or so, then within 10 to 15 a version can pick up depth, and a less fermented style--which is more rare now--can transition even more.  I would guess that this is around that 3 year age range, that whatever off notes remained have had time to clear.  That's a bit unreliable, because some shou expresses less of that within the first couple of years.  And some more; some is better after about 4 years, which is really long enough for most of that to settle.

That just leaves placing the quality level, or match to what I like in shou.  It's as good as it's supposed to be, lacking significant flaws, so it's already in the top 50% of the range.  I'm just not sure it's better than 7572 would be from most sources, given it had some age, in appropriate storage conditions.  

All shou seems to resemble all other shou more than for most other tea types, to me, kind of like how there is low, medium, and high quality light Tie Guan Yin, and the versions don't vary as much as you'd expect between examples at the same level.  Of course plenty of people would reject both assertions.

So it's good; it's how it should be.  It's down to pricing and considering aging input, related to where to get it.

Tea China unsmoked Lapsang Souchong

 

Reviewing a good quality unsmoked Lapsang Souchong from Tea China (provided by them for review; many thanks!).

Lapsang souchong Black tea Wuyi Rock tea ($15.67 for 50 grams, $40.67 for 200)

In terms of appearance, the tea leaves are plump in shape with a dark, glossy texture. When dry, they emit a unique pine resin aroma and the fragrance of dried longan. After brewing, the tea liquor presents a bright red color and maintains its flavor well even after multiple infusions—its distinctive characteristics remain noticeable even after 4 to 5 infusions. The taste of the tea is mellow and rich; upon sipping, the fragrance of dried longan lingers in the mouth, accompanied by a honey aroma, and the pleasant scent persists for a long time.

This is an unsmoked version.  Other parts of the description mention it can be smoked or not smoked, and doesn't really clarify which this is, but it's clear enough when you taste it.

Review:

First infusion:  I thought this would be smoked, but it turns out it's the other version, unsmoked.  That's typically higher quality material, often a bit fruity, and complex, and this is like that, it's pretty good.

Flavor range is kind of what I'd expect, for a good quality version.  There's fruit, which is kind of hard to identify, something dried, maybe, or possibly 2 or 3 inputs.  One part seems like warm and rich malt.  There's a mineral layer, but it's not pronounced, more a supporting element.  A complex woody range stands out.  It's aromatic, so interpretation as dark wood plus spice would make sense.  To me it seems like some kind of incense spice, maybe like sandalwood, but my incense burning days are pretty far behind me.

It's complex enough that interpretations could vary from there.  Someone thinking that this tastes a little like citrus, like a tangerine peel, would make sense.  I'm not really "getting" cacao but it's not so far off that.

It's clean in effect, and sweetness level is good.  Feel is rich.  It could be more full, but then this is brewed on the light side, and that may emerge better in a longer second infusion.  I went with a lower proportion than I typically ever use, maybe 4 grams, maybe 5, which is a good bit for Western brewing, but I tend to usually overdo it.  There aren't really flaws to mention, although a balsa wood sort of note bordering on a trace of sourness some might not like.  It's not really tart, one black tea aspect that I tend to not care for, but I don't remember that coming up in Lapsang Souchong before anyway.

Infusion 2:  brewed stronger.  Mineral base and heavier tones come out more, replacing some of the light fruit.  That would be partly from brewing it stronger and also a transition related change, I'd think, just how later rounds often go.  Dryness picks up, or feel structure does; to me those are two ways of saying very similar things, or they could be seen as overlapping.  

The spice note is interesting in this, one positive transition.  It's not really better or worse, just different, since the heavier tones and swapping in some spice for some fruit all depends on preference, in order to judge it.

I brewed a third infusion and it was still pretty good, which is good for longer duration Western brewing.  I just didn't write notes on that round.

Conclusions:

It's good.  Mixing some of the second round back into the first balances it really well.  It's cooler than the too-hot second version, stronger than the slightly light first version, and the heavier tones balance the rest nicely.  I guess that's the opposite of Gong Fu brewing, mixing your Western infusions to get more complexity and improve balance, while truncating the transition effect.

I've tried a good bit of better quality Lapsang Souchong, it's just been awhile.  I probably last tried a version on this level 3 or 4 years ago.  I think the best of what I tried from Cindy Chen (Wuyi Origin) was a bit better, more distinctive, with more pronounced fruit inputs, but then this might compare better with their more ordinary batches.  The material character varies from year to year, based on growing conditions inputs, per Cindy's comments.  It's not really a fair comparison to describe this in relation to the best tea of this type from the best source I've tried, for this general range and others, but that does help place it.

Related to buying random Lapsang Souchong described as this style from a conventional resale vendor this is pretty far up the scale.  You might find better, but it would often tend to take a few tries to do so.  Most versions from marketplace vendors wouldn't tend to be quite this good, although they could be comparable, in a similar general range.  If a vendor carried enough tea versions--across a broad quality range--one might be better.

It would be a stretch for me to put a fair market value on this, so maybe I'll just critique the selling point version they present.  It's $15.67 for 50 grams, $40.67 for 200.  So either 30 or 20 cents a gram, at those two different volumes.  I guess that's about right.  Let's check the Wuyi Origin pricing, to see how it compares to that.

Their wild Lapsang Souchong lists for $16.50 for 50 grams, and $49.50 for 150 grams (no volume discount at all; that's odd, but it does work that way for their site's pricing, which I guess lets it make sense to buy smaller amounts of different teas at pretty good values, for what they are).  They describe the flavor as "Natural citrus notes with creamy and peach fragrance."  Right, so good and fruity. 

In relation to that comparison it makes the most sense to buy this Tea China version at the higher volume, more reduced pricing option.  Unless someone is unfamiliar with good quality unsmoked Lapsang Souchong the results are what you'd expect.  On average other versions wouldn't be this good, but even better range is out there, but the cost for it tends to be higher.

To be honest I'm surprised that they are sourcing teas this good.  That sounds like a statement about a lack of confidence, doesn't it?  This version might be better than three fourths of what is out there, at a guess, or more if you also consider higher volume, more broadly marketed teas, not just versions from dedicated specialty tea outlets.  Most of that other range would probably be cheaper for them to source; for sure they picked this version because it's that good.  It's surely that balance that they're looking for, connecting quality and value, and it seems to fall in a favorable place.

2022 Tea China Liu Bao compared with a 2004 Legend of Tea version

Tea China version right, in all photos (both are so dark, right?)

I'm reviewing a Tea China Liu Bao tea, from a set that I've already tried a 7542 from (Dayi sheng pu'er).  Of course the 7542 was pretty much what I expected, except for it seeming to pick up a bit of smoke somehow.  I should add that this tea was a sample sent for review; many thanks for that.

This version I'm using for comparison, from Legend of Tea, I've reviewed before, a "Hilltown Tea" producer version, reviewed here.  It's quite good, so this isn't supposed to be an easy challenge, for the other to compare well to it.  There are other Liu Bao versions in the Legend of Tea set I haven't got to yet; I've fallen a bit behind in reviews.

The earlier Tea China information was a little limited, but then for it being Dayi 7542 it didn't need that much introduction.  This is what this tea is:

2022,GuYun01 Aroma Aged Liubao Tea

This sells for around $20 for 100 grams, or $30 for 200 grams.  It seems better to bump volume, given that discount rate.  20 cents a gram is a bit for Liu Bao (with pricing always varying along with quality and availability), and 15 cents a gram naturally sounds better.  Their description:

This aged aroma Liubao Tea GuYun01 is an exclusive product of Teayucafe Teachina, is steeped in heritage. Hailing from the very birthplace of Liubao dark tea, this 2022 vintage has been aged gracefully for 3 years to develop its remarkable character. Has enormous potential for aging

Taste Profile

It boasts a rich, earthy aroma that is characteristic of well-aged Liubao tea. The infusion presents a deep, reddish-brown hue, reflecting its quality. On the palate, it offers a smooth, mellow taste that lingers, embodying the classic “red, thick, aged, mellow” traits.

I'll add a spoiler here and mention that it's a more pre-fermented version of Liu Bao.  That can be a very good thing, depending on results, but I suppose personal preference always factors in.  To me, related to my own preference, young, harsher Liu Bao is generally not so nice, and it takes 10 to 15 years for versions that are more "raw," more matching sheng pu'er in that vaguely related divide, to mellow out and soften.

This is Legend of Tea information:

Chun Xiang 031 Liu Bao 10G | 100G | 250G | 1KG ($65 for 250 grams, available as a 10 gram sample for $4.16)

Lovingly matured for 19 years, this tea has mellowed out with a rich and velvety profile. A true testament of its age, its tea liquor is bold deep red accompanied with an enchanting aged aroma upon steeping.  The taste is a harmonious blend of smoothness and depth, leaving a satisfying aftertaste. Over time, the tea's character intensifies, becoming even more full-bodied and mellowly sweet, making it a prized addition to any tea collection.

That's 26 cents a gram, but again it's a different kind of thing.  It's actually from 2004, now 21 years old.  It's problematic for vendors to cite age like that in their descriptions because they'd need to go back and edit that page every year to keep it accurate.  Not a big deal though.  It may not be that we can call this completely fermented, or fully fermentation transitioned, but 21 years is a good start on that.

Review:

Legend of Tea 1 (a rinse, really; I'll taste it, write notes, and discard most):  definitely in Liu Bao range, heavy on that one set of minerals, a touch of pine, and medicinal herbs.  It's good.  It might "clean up a little" over the next round or two; it's not really musty, but there's a less clean sort of range sort of adjoining the mineral tone.  Mineral is like slate, I guess, or alternatively and less positively you could describe it as like cement block or still-curing cement.  It's fine though, not bad, not negative at all.

Tea China version:  interesting!  Flavors are less intense, but there's a depth to this.  I thought that it would probably not stand up well in comparison, and that may still be the result, but so far so good, even though flavor is less intense.  Tones are warmer.  This is probably more pre-fermented?  Or it could be older; the other I think is a 2011 version, which I'll confirm by checking the Chinese language packaging image later.  It's presented in a small box, which does list Hilltown Tea Company, Liu Bao Tea, and a packing date of December 2024, but that's not the tea production date.  [later edit:  I was remembering the wrong date, from having looked up a version that it turned out not to be during that first review; it's from 2004].

I think this is the shou / shu pu'er equivalent for Liu Bao tea, which is fine.  I could be clearer on how close the processing steps are to sheng for the less pre-fermented Liu Bao versions.  It's definitely not the same, but it's a gap in what I've researched before.  Or actually I have read a bit on it, but not everything sticks in my mind now.  I skimmed through a good reference in an older Global Tea Hut magazine, which I should have already mentioned elsewhere, but that I can link to again here.

That December 2017 Global Tea Hut issue is here; I really need to read through that.

Legend of Tea #2:  I'm brewing these fast because I'm using a really high proportion, brewing the entire 7 or 8 grams both vendors sent as samples.  Using half as much would be fine for Liu Bao, stretching out times a little.  Or maybe better.  

The picture for these I used as the initial image, and it's really dark, even though these brewed for not much longer than 10 seconds.  Later it turned out that this Legend of Tea version really is from 2004, so it aged a good bit to darken brewed liquid appearance, and the Tea China version really is more pre-fermented, more "ripe."  The Legend of Tea vendor is based in Malaysia; that could be a huge factor.  Teas ferment much, much faster here in Bangkok than when stored pretty much anywhere in Yunnan, and Malaysian climate is pretty close to here.

That distinctive set of flavors is pronounced in this, in a well-balanced and pleasant form.  This is Google AI's description of that list, which I'm forgetting part of:

Traditional Liu Bao tea flavors include the distinctive betel nut aroma, along with woody, medicinal, honey, jujube, fungal, ginseng, and pine smoke aromas. The unique "golden flower" (a healthy mold) can also contribute a sweeter taste and is considered a sign of quality.  

I'm not so sure about the golden flower part; that seems to come up more in other hei cha.  Betel nut was what I was forgetting; that's hard to place because I've never tried it.  Maybe I have some limited idea of what that's about from trying teas described in that way, or maybe not.  Jujube is quite familiar; that's Chinese date, usually referenced as the dried version.  It's great.  That's a part of my favorite Chinese originated desert here, a mix of dried fruit and beans with ground ice and longan juice.  Candied lotus is especially pleasant in that, and the beans are better than they sound.

Pine is definitely present, and mineral herb, which I guess could be in the ginseng range (that's familiar, but I've not had the brewed root version for quite awhile).  Wood, I'm not sure.  Mineral one could go on about, trying to narrow down.  It's not completely different than the warm, odd flavor of golden flowers, one part, which includes a yeast sort of flavor, and other range.

Legend of Tea:  this tastes a lot like shou / shu pu'er.  I'd guess that it's Liu Bao, tasting it blind, so not exactly like that, but much closer than the other.  The whole list I've just described for the other one might identify as secondary supporting elements, so it's complex.  But that distinctive warm and rich tone of shou is present, and earthier sort of range, like peat, or dark wood.  This is fairly clean, balanced, and complex, better than I thought it might be.  

Lots of Liu Bao versions are edgy, heavy in mineral, a little too far into cement range.  The complexity can be limited, and a mustiness can enter in.  These warm tones are only present in more fermented versions, which I think can relate to pre-fermentation.  Even though the other is from 2011, probably, that warmth hasn't developed to that level yet, and maybe it never will [later edit:  it's from 2004; being 21 years old it seems even more likely that the tones will only ever become so "warm."] 

Legend of Tea #3:  not transitioning too much, but then I'm using fairly fast infusion times for these, just a 10 second or so brew.  It's probably brewing more within the still damp leaves between rounds than during that 10 seconds, and it's just long enough to get the somewhat dissolved solids to extract out.

What to add?  This is clean, complex, well-balanced, and it has good depth.  Sweetness is fine; it's not really a sweet type of tea, but there's enough for it to balance.  The flavors list is right, in a type-typical range.  Feel is rich, and it expresses some aftertaste.  It's clearly pretty good.  

It's hard for me to put Liu Bao on a scale, as I could with some other types, but I've kept trying it over the last decade.  I've drank about a kilogram of it in that time, probably, even though it's not really a personal favorite.  It's a great tea to have with food, and sometimes you just feel like certain experiences.  And a friend passed on a lot of it, a Malaysian pen-pal friend I've mentioned lots of times here.  I should check in with him again.

Tea China:  this does transition a little; that dried fruit note is coming out, as close as anything to jujube (dried Chinese date).  I'm surprised that this essentially holds its own with the other version.  I didn't lack faith in Tea China's sourcing, it's more that Liu Bao is often not this good.  It's standard to run across harsh-edged, less fermented versions, that are fine after 15 years of settling.  Unless I'm way off, which could happen, this has been pre-fermented, so it wouldn't need nearly that long to shine.  But if Liu Bao is like shou then it would need 2 or 3 years for the funkier range flavors from fermentation to settle back out, a range that can vary a lot (peat, petroleum, etc.).  

I tried a standard brick version of a factory shou once that tasted unusually strong of petroleum, thinking that it was ok, but not the best experience, and then a couple of years later that dropped out, and it was creamy, rich, complex, expressing flavors across a different earthy and warm range.  Then that vendor had went out of business, a Tae Tea / Dayi outlet, selling some other range, so I couldn't buy more.  I don't think that was Dayi or CNNP (Tae Tea or Zhong Cha); another producer instead.

It's hard to judge if this completely different range is better or worse.  It's just different; I think that kind of subjective interpretation would relate to preference.  Quality is pretty good for both.  The first definitely matches what one might expect of Liu Bao better, but a shou pu'er drinker would probably love the second more.  It's not as if there is no pine, related mineral edge, and medicinal herb in this, it's just focused more on warmer range, now into dried fruit.

This has been a lot of tea to drink.  I threw out half the first round, treating it as a rinse, but still 5 cups of relatively intense Liu Bao is a lot.  I broke form and ate a relatively neutral pastry along with these, which I think is a natural fit for Liu Bao, to have it with food.  Anything with strong flavor will throw off a tasting, but it can definitely help your stomach to either eat first or along with the tea.  I'm rushing reviewing now, trying to "catch up" a bit.

Completely another tangent, I just started eating (or drinking) the infused goji berry I have every morning, another part of that Chinese dessert I mentioned.  It would be a natural segue way to say that one of these teas tastes like this, but the second really is closer to Chinese date (jujube).  So why mention these berries?  There's a chance that I'm typing this out not wearing reading glasses, which I don't need or use, because of the dietary input of zeaxanthin and beta carotene from those berries, in part (since I'm pretty far into middle age now).  Lutein is also associate with eye health, but then I already eat a lot of leafy green vegetables, which is normal in Thailand.  

Conclusions:

Most of it is already in the notes.  It's interesting that the comparison version is that much older than I thought, 21 years old now.  This Tea China version is 3; it might settle and improve more over the next 2 or 3 or so, but I wouldn't expect it to change that much in the decade after that.  That's just a guess though, and I've not drank that much "ripe" style Liu Bao for it to be a good guess.

It might seem like as a sheng pu'er drinker I would strongly prefer the first, from Legend of Tea, for being closer to that in theme, if not aspects and style.  I might have liked it a little more, but it was pretty close, for me.  I just don't love Liu Bao enough for that type-typical, somewhat aged range to really stand out to me.  It's good; that seems clear.  I can appreciate it.  But I'm more on a young or moderately aged sheng pu'er page just now for main preference.  That's a complicated subject, and it makes it sound like I'd prefer 10 year old sheng, which of course is not true at all, related to a very different set of transition patterns applying to sheng pu'er.

I tend to emphasize value, in some posts, and then let it mostly drop in others.  These two seem to be priced fairly, for what the teas are.  The other being older, and a "raw" type version seems to probably relate to a natural higher selling point.  It's not so easy to find good "ripe" Liu Bao versions, per what I've experienced (which of course is a bit random), but unaged teas tend to sell for less, given the opportunity and storage costs of keeping a tea around for 21 years. 

This comparison worked out better than I'd hoped.  I was just worried the Tea China version might not compare well, because the other version is pretty far up the scale for Liu Bao experiences I've had, but it turned out to be different in style, and also quite pleasant.

2022 Tea China 7542 compared with a 2014 7542

 

Tea China version right, in all photos

A new vendor--new to me--sent some tea for review recently; many thanks for that!  It's always nice checking in with basics, and a 7542 sheng pu'er was included.  I didn't check the year yet; it's interesting doing these reviews as blind as possible, then going back and seeing if what I experienced and described made sense based on the actual product details.  Later edit:  2022!

Of course all 7542 isn't the same.  They create and sell that in batches, and I don't know the batch number for the 2014 version I'm using for comparison (that I happened to have around).  Now that I think of it I've got a "younger" loose version I could've used; maybe that would have made more sense.  If the two are at vastly different ages that will still be fine; I can use it to compare aging patterns.

Then storage also changes things.  The tea I have has spent lots of time in Bangkok, which is hot and humid, which will speed up storage transition speed (fermentation, the growth of bacteria and fungus).  If this other version is a comparable age but stored in a cooler and dryer area, like Kunming, it would have fermented less.  It's hard to imagine that it might be "not as good" related to that batch issue, but I guess that's possible.  Newer Spring tea versions of lots of teas are more prized, so that batch #1 sells for more (of 7542, and other recipe types sold as a series like that).

There's not so much more to add.  7542 is familiar; it usually works better as an aged tea, and 11 years old really isn't quite enough.  At least these interim tasting checks are getting closer to the right time, just as that cake has been chiseled down a good bit, but probably still years away from being fully aged.  It helps to buy one cake to try and another to just age if you are actually going to try one once in awhile.

Yunnan DaYi Pu’er Tea 7542 Classic Raw Pu’er Tea  $16.43 (2022 version, for a 150 gram small cake)

The listing includes a reference to it being 250 grams in one place, but that small cake version of 7542 is usually 150, and it says that in the label image reference.

The listing is just general background information:

Pu’Er ripe tea from the famous Yunnan Menghai Pu’Er Tea Factory (Dayi). 7542 is a classic formula for Pu’Er tea and a benchmark for Pu’Er Raw tea.

We purchased these Pu’Er teas in 2022.

In the new tea stage: The aroma is rich, featuring intense, long-lasting floral and fruity notes, as well as elegant and light honey-sweet fragrance. The lingering aroma at the bottom of the cup persists for a long time. Additionally, new tea may have a fresh clean scent or downy hair aroma, with an overall fresh and uplifting fragrance.

After aging: As storage time increases, the aroma gradually changes. It transitions from fresh floral notes to aged aroma, camphor-like scent, medicinal fragrance, woody aroma, etc., becoming increasingly mellow and profound.

I was going to return to that "benchmark" idea in the conclusions, so I might as well expand on it here.  For whatever reason it has evolved that this one tea version represents all factory tea range, not necessarily as the best possible example, but as the singular version cited as type-typical.  That's fine; it's a pretty good example of the range.  It makes it especially attractive for trying out the general type range.

Another point I wanted to mention related to cost.  This costs 11 cents a gram.  That seems kind of low, but I don't really follow market rate pricing.  It doesn't necessarily raise a red flag for me that it might be fake, but that's not an unheard of range of concern.  Searching for something else an EBay listing was at about the same pricing, and King Tea Mall sells it for $14, not so different.

One might wonder why the pricing for these is so moderate; two of them would relate to a cost of around $30, from all of these sources, for just under a standard 357 gram amount (300 grams instead).  The price of sheng has dropped a good bit, but it was my understanding that this was a relatively recent trend, that over the past year a dip in demand and market positioning occurred.  These are from 3 years ago; I would've expected it to sell for a little more.  

One of the causes for a relative "crash" in pu'er pricing was that many sources were making too much of it, to support speculative buying, and also ordinary demand, people drinking it.  It's not counter-intuitive that expanded production would relate to very well known versions being inexpensive even  prior to this final outcome, the more significant and broad price drop over the past year, or slightly longer.

How would I know if this was "real?"  I wouldn't.  It including a smoky note is hard to place, something I discuss in this review.  Quality level, style, and appearance seems right for this tea version.  Probably it just picked up some external smoke contact along the way, and that's not any sort of unusual clue.

color difference comes out more in wet leaf

Review:

older comparison version, left, brews darker

2014 comparison version:  color is darker in this version; it should be older.  Flavor is a little subdued this round; it's still opening up.  Tones are warm.  It has fermented to a more agreeable range, per my preference.  There's a different sort of barnyard flavor present, compared to the edgier, more exotic aged Xiaguan range.  This includes aged barn wood, and a touch of leather, but not the funkier saddle leather scent. 

Tea China 7542:  this includes a touch of smoke; I'm not sure what to make of that.  I don't remember noticing smoke in a 7542 version before.  It will probably mostly settle out within about two infusions anyway, given how light it is.  Smoke can come from a naturally occurring flavor, from contact with smoke during the wok pan-frying kill-green step, or from a storage input, from it being stored where smoke is also present.  I don't know what this is from.  Smoke as a natural flavor tends to be slightly different, but I'm not going to claim I could spot that difference now.  It just doesn't come up as often as it had before; a decade back it had seemed that contact with smoke during processing was more normal.

Flavors seem clean and pleasant beyond that.  Mineral is pronounced, and some limited vegetal range flavor remains, which has transitioned to warmer tones in the other, over time.  This still balances well enough.  It should be pleasant to drink.  For people who think young sheng tastes like kerosene, or whatever else, they might still hate these.  Neither is fully age transitioned.

2014 #2:  brewed liquid color is all the more evident; this is darker and redder.  Flavor is a little rough; this needs however many more years to really get there.  I do drink partly aged sheng from time to time to experience that intensity and punch, but it can seem a little harsh.  

Warm tones are emerging, towards dried fruit, well within a good bit of medicinal herb range now.  It just settles more on aged wood with a touch of leather.  I suppose that astringency and towards-vegetal range is like cured wood, at this point.  It doesn't taste completely woody, as cheap sheng can, like plywood smells, but it's not so far off it either.

Tea China version:  smoke is pretty intense this round, even stronger.  And lots of other complexity joins in beyond that.  It's also on the challenging side, very astringent, with some bitterness (lots, to anyone who hasn't been drinking young sheng for awhile).  I'll need to eat something between rounds to clear part of the accumulated experience of bitterness, vegetal range, and astringency.

Is it pleasant though?  I don't know.  I like varying sheng experiences, and this is one of them, but it's also kind of challenging.  I'm not sure it makes sense to me to buy a tea like this to drink at this stage, fermented (age transitioned) to this degree.  Other people do though.  I do drink kind of challenging partly-aged sheng sometimes, just not often.

2014 #3:  brewed a little lighter this kind of makes sense, with early rough edges transitioning away.  The same range of flavors stands out, but it all balances better.  Warm mineral tone plays a larger role.  Even sweetness, it seems.  It's hinting towards dried fruit range to come, but it will need more transition for that to become clearer.  

At least it's nice and clean, not musty.  And it has been stored in the wettest and hottest conditions imaginable, right at the limit of what tea could experience without molding, with the heat enabling it to change in a different way, and probably somehow suppressing mold development.  Mind you if we put bread out on the table (sealed in a bag) it will mold really fast; fungus can thrive at 30+ C, in the upper 80s and low 90s F.

Tea China version:  smoke does start to ease up, but it's only balancing the rest better.  That's still centered on a partly cured wood tone at this point, of course with some mineral and bitterness.  It has a limestone sort of lighter mineral tone.  It's not unpleasant, but it's not necessarily "approachable" either.  Then again the other version isn't that much easier to appreciate, even with some warmer tones included.

I haven't been mentioning that intensity is good.  It's really a bit much.  But in a sense I like that about sheng, and pushed to a far limit it's interesting to experience.  All of this sounds more negative than I intend it.  7542 is a pretty good version of factory tea, and these two examples are fine.

2014 #4:  the best this has been.  Some root spice seems to emerge, or maybe it's that combined with bark spice.  This version really is getting there.  But it would be better not to drink it at all for 3 or 4 more years to let it keep changing though, then after 3 or 4 more it would probably be better yet.

Tea China:  smoke has dropped to an even level input with the rest.  I might've seemed to imply that smoke is a flaw, that people should dislike it.  In the right other flavor context it can be very pleasant, and it works in this.  The somewhat challenging astringency and vegetal range is a bit much, and warm toned smoke helps balance it.  Without that smoke I don't think that this would be as good, at this fermentation transition level or stage.

It's fairly clean in overall effect, just with rough edges.  Intensity is great, and the mineral range is generally positive.  Sure, it can seem a little harsh, so a take on it depends on appreciating that or else hating it.  I lean towards liking it.  But then my overall favorite range of sheng is something else entirely, the fruity, warmer toned, bright character (kind of contrast with the last aspect, but it makes sense to me), good intensity younger versions, commonly produced in "other" South East Asian countries, in Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, and wherever else.  I guess that Myanmar is the other "wherever else," but the style is more common in those other three countries, based on what I've tried, with some Myanmar range seeming closer to some Yunnan styles.

I'll try another round and let this go.  It's too much tea to power through quickly, and it's too intense.  The effect is also strong, along with the flavor being intense.  I'll chalk that up to another positive, but if I were to drink a half dozen rounds, 12 cups, it wouldn't be positive.  10 is pushing it.  I've thrown out about a fourth of this tea just to make it this far.  It's disrespectful to the tea, as I see it, but it was a necessary input to getting further through rounds to try these more completely.  I could come back later and try more, but I prefer to write the notes in one go, then edit when I get to it.

2014 #5:  more of the same, not transitioning so much.  I can appreciate this.  I wouldn't want to have this experience too often, but once in awhile it's nice.  

Tea China:  the same applies to this; it's fine to drink this as it is just now.  Not my main preference, but then lots of tea experiences are like that.  It would probably be better in another dozen years, but for many that kind of delay would seem problematic.

Conclusions: 

One might wonder if I can judge a difference between the two, adjusting for the age difference.  Not really; they're too far apart in age and character.  They seem similar, beyond that, but that's a stretch as a conclusion about authenticity or quality or whatever.  

The smoke is the main difference, and that was probably added in later on, through some sort of storage contact.  People using actual wood fire for heating isn't necessarily as odd as some people might see it as; I'm from Pennsylvania, and I grew up using a woodburning stove as an alternative heating system.  Not a fireplace, although we had that too, I mean a stove in the basement that heated water that circulated in a baseboard system.  We used a heat pump for a long time, pulling heat from a cold spring water source, then later my parents switched to using fuel oil, when that system needed to be replaced.

These might have been similar related to starting points.  Both are pretty clean, heavy on mineral, expressing some wood tones, just in different ranges, related to aging (I think).  Intensity is good for both.  They balance ok.  There are lots of flaws that I might have mentioned that aren't included, lack of intensity, a different range of wood flavor, mustiness, lack of balance, limited sweetness (which doesn't come across well with the other range present), or not including the right range of astringency and bitterness.  They're both fine.  

I really like the unblended, distinctive narrow input material type effect better, something lots of sheng drinkers have been conditioned to prefer over the last decade.  With that more gaps show up, and distinct strengths, limited range flavor inclusions.  They've blended a lot of that out in these.  They're using some relatively intense material in them, but that's a part of it.  And they're a little harsh; also a normal inclusion.  

I like the way the first is moving towards spice, maybe a little towards incense spice, in the round after the notes leave off.  To me that's what 7542 is really about, experiencing it as a 20 year old tea, or 25 years old.  20 is fine for Bangkok storage; time passes differently here.  I'm holding up well, but teas change faster here.

To me 7542 is particularly interesting because it serves as the normal standard for factory teas, a benchmark version.  Experiencing it helps someone not only learn that category better, but also lets you discuss that particular experience with others, as a shared main reference.  Buying a version that's 3 or 4 years old and drinking straight through it might not be entirely positive, but even for that it's not awful.  It's not at all ideal, compared to more approachable sheng, but for people new to exploration it wouldn't be so bad to work through some exposure.  You get accustomed to brewing approach that way, and become more familiar with the general style.  

Related to buying from a relatively unknown, small vendor versus a known marketplace vendor I like the idea of supporting smaller businesses, I just don't end up buying much from this kind of source.  Or from any sources, this year, and in the past more from only a few favorites.  It will be interesting trying other teas from them, to see what the rest is like, which may make them a more attractive source.