2022 Yiwu gushu sheng pu'er and 2023 Gedeng arbor sheng

I'm reviewing two more sheng pu'er from Tea Mania, a Yiwu and a Gedeng version.  Yiwu needs no introduction, and Gedeng isn't familiar, so I'll refer to the site descriptions for background (for both):

Yiwu Gushu 2022 ($100 for 200 grams)

For this bingcha tea leaves of up to 300 year old tea trees (gushu) from Yiwu were used and made into a bingcha. A certain similarity to the very-popular Lucky Bee can’t be denied. In addition to the typical Yiwu aroma, there is a well known depth and clarity from the gushu leaves and a hint of camphor.

Who are Tea Masters Panda and Yang Ming?

Tea Masters Panda and Yang Ming are good friends and experts when it comes to Pu-erh. Yang Ming is a local tea farmer of Yiwu and descendants from a family with a long tradition in Pu-erh making. Incidentally, our popular Lucky Bee teas are from Yang Ming’s tea fields. 

I guess 50 cents a gram sounds reasonable for this type and quality of tea.  It's beyond what I would spend on tea, but it seemed pretty good to me (I always add the descriptions after making notes).  The only description here is a little like Lucky Bee, that character is standard for Yiwu, and it includes a hint of camphor.  I didn't notice the camphor, but it did seem like normal Yiwu range to me.

Gedeng Arbor Pu-erh (note the listed version is 2020, and I've reviewed 2023) $83 for 357 gram cake 

Tea Master Panda has graciously shared with us a prized gem from his personal collection: the Gedeng Arbor Pu-erh tea. Known for its profound and rich aroma, this tea, meticulously preserved, stands as a unique treasure for tea aficionados.

Arbor tea

The Gedeng Arbor Pu-erh tea is crafted from leaves harvested from Arbor tea trees, some of which are up to 100 years old, in the Gedeng region. These leaves are pressed into bingcha using traditional granite stones. While there is some resemblance to other teas of the six old tea mountains, the Gedeng Arbor Pu-erh is more herbal and full-bodied. In addition to this typical Gedeng aroma, there is a depth and clarity, along with a hint of camphor.

This makes comparison with a listed item tricky, because this is a 2020 version instead of 2023, the sample that I tried.  I specifically mention in these notes that this tea is in a good place now, and I wouldn't hold onto it for another year or two if I owned it, I'd just drink it.  I'm sure that it's fine as a 4 year old version, maybe better in a limited sense, and the starting point may have been somewhat similar, that year's version.  Those are all still just guesses though.

Maybe the one unusual flavor note I keep mentioning, or set of them, is a "typical Gedeng aroma."  Again I'm not so sure about the camphor.  It seems like the kind of thing that people end up looking for, and finding often enough, and then I don't.  Once in a long while something will taste like camphor to me but that's rare.  In talking to another friend recently about this particular aspect he guessed that maybe people tend to place what seems like pine flavor as camphor, related to expecting it, while others use a different interpretation related to not expecting it.  Who knows.

If this was identical to the 2023 version then 23 cents a gram (what that works out to) would be a pretty good price for that tea.  There is a running "older is better" understanding when it comes to sheng, that a few years of age are better than none or one, and 20 years is better than 10, but to me the first comparison doesn't always work.  Some teas that are approachable and pleasant right away only lose positive character, even after as short a time as two years (over that first year there is change, but typically not a complete shift).  

The 2022 Yiwu was considerably more age-transitioned (changed by fermentation, really) than the 2023 Gedeng; two more years could change a lot.  I'm not implying any particular conclusion here, just talking around how the inputs and outputs work out.  

Preference also factors in; there would be people who tend to always love 3 or 4 year old sheng versus new, 1, or 2 year old versions, and also the opposite, in relation to more approachable character sheng.

small discs again; Yiwu is on the left in all photos

Review: 

Yiwu, #1:  these are really on their second infusion; I let the discs soak for one minute first, then tore them into pieces, then this is a second round, brewed for another minute.  It's not optimum, since it will brew tea that had wetted first too strong, and not start in on the core of what is still compressed, but it's one way to jump-start the process.  

Doing a lot of messing around with partially soaking them and using a pu'er knife to separate them apart is another way, or just brewing the outer part in early rounds and the inner tea only after a half dozen infusions.

Character is warmer than I expected; this is two year old tea, but it has shifted a good bit in that time (I expect; surely this didn't start out slightly oxidized).  Rate of change depends on storage conditions; I guess this wasn't stored in a very cool and dry place, which is probably more optimum.  Better than here too, in Bangkok, where teas and people living here end up being heated and steamed, living daily life at 90 F / 30 C and 70% RH.  Living again and storing teas back in Honolulu would be good, dropping that temperature a little.

It's floral, I guess.  It has decent complexity; there's really a few things going on.  Floral range is part of that, maybe even complex floral range, then most of warmer tones might relate to a mineral layer.  There's often a catchy sweet note in Yiwu, which is generally floral, that I might be able to place more clearly than that, and this has that distinctive flavor aspect, or set.  It's a sort of brightness, that stands out in a complex and refined character.  

There's nothing challenging about this tea, as expected; there is a little bitterness, but not much, and astringency is moderate.

Gedeng:  there's a pronounced fruit note in this.  It reminds me of experiences with Nannuo versions before, how that has stood out in some of them.  Maybe not identical to this but pretty similar.  It has decent complexity too, and just a hint more edge to the feel, but it's also quite approachable.  Again there's very limited bitterness, but some, which is nice for balancing the rest.  For an oolong drinker maybe that's a medium level; I mean for sheng of this age that input is limited.  It's too early to call, on the first infusion that's strong enough to make notes on, but at this stage I really like this version better, for how that one note makes it more unique, standing out in a background of other floral and mineral range.

These will only brew a more conventional round next time; this was while they were still opening up, saturating all of the leaf material, or at least most of it.

Yiwu, #2:  evolving a little, gaining complexity, but not so different.  The depth in this is nice.  Flavor range is fine too, and feel, and aftertaste is positive, but there's another emergent range of it having depth that is something else.  I suppose a mineral base is a part of that, one main thing contributing to it.  It's nice the way that bright and sweet notes, and good complexity, integrate well with warmer and deeper mineral tones.  It seems pretty good.

Gedeng:  this has evolved too, again in the same direction it had been expressing last round.  That one note is really nice, a bright fruit tone.  I could try to describe it in relation to fruit flavors but it's not going to completely work.  It's also mixing with floral range, and a mineral base, and it's not striking me as closely related to one fruit flavor.  Still let's go there.

As far as I know there is no such thing as dried mangosteen, but if there was this might taste like that.  You eat that fruit by chewing the fruit part off from an attached seed; there is no way to pull it apart.  There's a brightness, sweetness, and complexity to this fruit tone, like that.  It's not so far off some forms of dried mango, just not exactly that either.  

Mango isn't just one thing, because there are lots of versions of it, as with apples, and they vary just as much, or maybe more.  I absolutely love my favorite versions of mango but I tend to see the most common ones here more, which aren't as nice.  Then there is the holy grail of versions, something absolutely fantastic that you run across somewhere, and almost never get to see again.  I'm not saying that this tastes like the best possible mango, just going on a tangent there.

Yiwu #3:  I'm brewing both of these a bit stronger than I typically would, because both are approachable and can handle it, and I want to clear through the issue of some not being saturated yet.

Being brewed just a bit stronger than I typically would warmth and mineral range comes out a bit more.  Brewed more lightly the sweeter floral range would stand out more.  I'll try a fast round next time to check on that.  Of course I'm not still brewing these for a minute; I mean that using a 20-some second infusion time makes them stronger than I would usually prepare most sheng.

Again complex floral range stands out most, and warm mineral depth, with sweetness seeming to tie to honey flavor, that warmth.  It's pleasant; it all integrates quite well.  If this is some $1 a gram version, as it probably is, it's in the right character range to demand a high price, I just wouldn't buy teas priced like that [editing note:  it's not, the price is lower than that].  On a relatively open tea budget it could make sense; this is complex, refined, free of any flaws, and sort of on the unique side, except for being one of the most familiar broad origin ranges (there must be many local area distinctions with Yiwu, that I'm not familiar with).

Gedeng:  it evolves a bit.  That one note I've described as similar to a warm dried tropical fruit is changing, more into spice range now.  I've tried to explain what I've meant by "root spice" recently, and it's not unrelated to that.  Like sassafras root, related to root beer; let's leave it at that.  

When you drink a lot of tisanes over a long period of time lots of others come up.  Not if you are using Yogi tea producer sources and such, I mean if you can search a little broader and deeper.  There are bark spices that are out there that are sweet, complex, unique, and distinctive, way beyond cinnamon.  I went through over a decade of exploring tisanes, before I ever got into tea, over a decade ago now, so most of the names of the more interesting types I've long since forgotten.  Sage was my overall favorite; I guess that could work as a recommendation.

It's interesting comparing these two in terms of in reference to my own preference.  I really like that one distinctive note in this Gedeng tea, and it's quite pleasant how it's evolving, and how it integrates with a promising, complex, and refined base of other flavors.  In some abstract sense maybe the Yiwu is better tea, it really has depth and refinement going for it, but this adds an extra touch of interesting character.  Then I suppose others might dislike that flavor instead, and would find it off-putting.  It's funny how preference works out.

Yiwu #4:  I'm blasted from all this tea already; brewing it strong to get it to fully infuse really caught up to me.  I ate a couple of cookies to settle my stomach and slow the drug-like effect input but I'll need to take a break after this.  I suppose all that is good for someone into "cha qi" drug-like effect.  It's not really my thing.

Sweetness level seemed to drop in relation to comparing this to the taste of cookies (oatmeal with cream); that's natural enough.  After drinking some water as a reset it's more back to normal.  The effect is different for brewing these faster and lighter, not much over 10 seconds that last round.  The bright and sweet tone doesn't come out as much as I'd expect, and it's all a bit muted.  At least 15 seconds would be better, maybe even 20 again.

Gedeng:  intensity seems higher for this one, either related to this transition phase, or just how that one dominant note seems to carry the rest.  Again it's a main input that is really a bit complex, and is shifting in form across the rounds.  A catchy floral tone stands out now too, on the same level for comparative intensity.  A hint of vegetal input may be creeping in, like a light green wood tone.  It's odd that all that is changing while the Yiwu just went a bit quieter.  

These are one year apart in production date, Spring 2022 for the other, 2023 for this.  The leaf color is much darker for the Yiwu.  That's how things would go, that a version being one year old enables some transition, and two twice as much, but stored dryer that Yiwu wouldn't have changed nearly as much.  

For some sheng versions they're so intense and approachable right away that a few months rest might be helpful but they're really good new.  I bet both of these were just fine within a month of being produced.  Then a relative optimum for the first year or two of transition could be harder to place, but more challenging versions than these would be better after 2 or 3, while these may not be improving.  I like where the Gedeng version is at right now, and the Yiwu is fine, interesting for including so much depth and complexity, but I don't think hanging around for another year or two would be favorable for either.  They're good now.  

Of course it's partly a guess but I don't think there was ever a challenging range for these that needed to settle out, harsh astringency or over the top bitterness (which some people like; the stronger the better).  I just reviewed a Lincang version that was a good example of that; it was fine for people who love getting blasted by bitterness, but for me another year or two of rest will probably improve it, or maybe 3 or 4 in that case.

Yiwu, #5:  these I brewed for much longer, more like a minute, not because that makes sense, but because I was answering a message online.  It will be interesting to see what a stronger infusion turns up in them.  For positive flavor and body / feel experience it's not optimum, but sometimes flaws can be more identifiable if a tea is brewed stronger.  Or it's just a different perspective on the same tea.

Mineral is so strong in this, and a range in between wood and spice stands out.  It's actually not bad, brewed too strong like this.  It has great depth, and the balance still works.  It seems to imply that it will shift towards a vegetal range in later rounds, but that's ok too.  Nothing else like a distinct flaw turns up.  Of course warmth picks up brewing it like this, feel gets heavier, and sweetness is more moderate.  All that is a normal shift related to higher infusion strength.

Gedeng:  a green wood tone is a little too strong in this; it doesn't work quite as well.  I suppose an overbrewed round is more about seeing how it will go anyway.  That one vegetal range is a little harsh, but nothing else seems like a flaw.

Yiwu, #6:  back to sweet, lighter, more balanced, full in feel, and refined this round.  There is a vegetal note creeping in, maybe to both of these.  Someone brewing these lighter could be experiencing the same general transition level (between rounds transition) at 7 or 8 infusions along, or more; trying to get the discs / coins to open up and brewing a round extra strong really speeded things up.  Carefully separated tea from a tea cake brews better; it is what it is.  

This is fine at this round though; character is nice, balance of aspects is good.  The broad floral range input is even less distinct, now combined with warm mineral and some vegetal range picking up.  Sweetness comes across as more limited.  It still seems refined though.

Gedeng:  of course it's much better, brewed appropriately.  It's harder to place how the fruit that had transitioned to spice range is coming across now, which always had been mixed with floral range, and underlying mineral.  It all integrates.  Feel is nice; it's picking up a liqueur-like quality, that matches with some of the aromatic flavor range, or seems to.  

It can be hard separating preference from quality level determination in this.  I really like this style and set of aspects, and it seems like pretty good tea, but the two kinds of impressions mix.

I think I'll leave off taking notes here.  For pushing these teas a bit hard the transitions from here would represent more of what would typically occur in the 8th or 9th rounds, or maybe 10th or 11th if someone brews tea lightly, which isn't going to be as positive as earlier rounds for these teas.  I wouldn't say that I've botched the brewing for these, but limitations enter in related to brewing tea discs, as with dragonballs.  

That could be positive instead of negative for using a grandpa-style approach; the tea would really hang in there for lots of rounds brewed while left in a tea bottle or jar.  To me it would kind of be a shame to brew these teas this way, for being as good as they are, but if someone had a good bit of them and liked that approach then it would be fine.

Conclusions:

It's all already kind of there in the review notes part, but I can add some summary.  I liked the Gedeng version more.  It was interesting and distinctive, and the novel flavor aspect--a set of flavors, that transitioned--really worked for me.

The Yiwu was good too.  In some ways as far as quality markers go (aspects I see as identifying how good a tea is), overall balance, complexity, and depth it may have been a little better.  The Gedeng version was pretty good too though; it didn't have flaws, or thin spots in character.  I probably liked it more for being a year younger, for not transitioning as much.

Other people would already love Yiwu character, and would get hooked on minor character aspects that probably do actually tie to the gushu / plant age theme.  I'd probably just buy the Lucky Bee version instead, the newest one they sell, which seems to be 2022.  It's $53 for a standard 357 gram cake, 15 cents a gram instead of 50.  Or as I've mentioned before Tea Mania sells a sampler set; that's one way to see how you think it all works out for their types, quality level, match to preference, and value.  Then there's always the complication of meeting a cut-off level for free shipping, but most people don't have a problem with sorting out what else to add to a cart, it's the opposite that's more problematic, narrowing that down.

I've been trying different pu'er lately this year, back into broader range exploration.  One of the nice things about Tea Mania was always that value stood out, that the teas were always really good for the selling price.  I tend to avoid 50 cent to $1 a gram products but this really applies to everything I've been trying from them.  It's all pretty good tea, especially related to how that compares to the price.  I've been trying some teas selling for more that weren't as good.  In these reviews I tend to not dwell so much on value, only implying that it's a concern when it comes up.  Personal value really relates to match to preference, in the end, more than an objective quality level, so it can be hard to say that a tea isn't worth it.  

You can sometimes identify a market price, sort of, but a version has to be a really standard form or type to enable that.  It might've come up as implied in the vendor description that this one version was standard, pleasant, good quality gushu Yiwu, as if it could be compared to a norm.  I don't think they meant it that way, though; I think it was more a limited comment about flavor profile.  

It doesn't work well to taste a tea and peg an objective quality level, degree of match to standard type, typical market price, and comparison of that version to other vendors' alternatives.  Maybe some people can do some of that.  I comment on some of those things, not all of them, but I generally keep it a bit limited and vague because you can only go so far with it.

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

Tea Mania 2018 Jing Mai Arbor sheng

There's a long back-story about this getting delayed in transit.  The short version is that it seemed to get hung-up in an unofficial queue somewhere, set aside during the pandemic while almost no one was working in offices.  Two and a half months later I got it.

It's odd that I'm ordering tea from Europe in the first place (Tea Mania is based in Switzerland), but this vendor sources great teas relatively directly, and sells them for about the best value of any sheng pu'er I've tried from anywhere.  Re-trying versions lately has only reinforced that.

Other back-story relates to timing in tasting it, since I think this has been "resting" here in Bangkok for a month or so, in a mail processing area queue, which probably isn't ideal in relation to settling.  The general idea seems to be that extreme shifts in temperature, pressure, and humidity will cause a tea (sheng or shu pu'er, really, not so much for well-sealed other types) to come across as flat, until it recovers.  So trying it now, a few days after getting it, may or may not be too early.

I just did a one-month split tasting checking on that, with a 2007 Bailong Jinggu version from Chawang Shop.  It changed a good bit over that month, in terms of picking up intensity, even related to some deeper aspects emerging.  All the same I'm trying this; I'm really curious.  If it seems more intense or different later on I'll mention that in a post.


This was supposed to be one of several teas for a wedding being held today (at time of first draft), in a much smaller form, back in Pennsylvania.  I bought two of the same cake; not this exact tea.  My sister's daughter will get married, the kind of event one would gladly travel around the world to join, and I did have plans and tickets for that.  The rest of the story is all too familiar.  Maybe I can join for a celebration for a one-year anniversary instead.  Ordinarily people might do a live-feed version but that's not likely, and perhaps not a good idea anyway, if those related aren't on that page.  It's as well to keep it small and intimate.

Drinking tea I will pass on, once more planes are back in the air, and mail is more reliable, is as close as I'm going to get to celebrate along with them (way ahead of their schedule; it's still last night there).

The tea is this one, a 2018 Jing Mai arbor.  People use terms in different ways, so their description fills more in on that:


Together with our friends, tea masters Yang Ming and Panda, we went in search of the ideal tea leaves for us. For this bingcha twe used tea leaves from autumn harvest of up to 100-year-old and high-grown tea trees (arbor) from Jing Mai. These leaves have been stone-pressed in Yang Ming tea factory to traditional 357g Bingcha.

Harvest: Autumn 2018
Pressed: 2018
Taste: Mild and fruity with a sweet aftertaste.


It's inexpensive; $39.  That partly relates to that autumn harvest date.  Autumn teas tend to be less intense, slightly different in other character, and cost less.

Two of those parts make it work out better as a wedding gift; I'm sending a few versions of tea to them, so keeping expense moderate helps, and a less intense version of sheng might be a better starting point.  I kind of want to say what else I plan to send but that seems wrong.  It's not as if they would be reading a tea blog, but still.  Regular shipping isn't working out now but I will sort out a workable way.

If they had planned to drink this once a year for the next 20 years, a wedding-anniversary theme of sorts, a more intense version would be better, maybe even one that kind of needs age to improve (this style should be drinkable when young), but for making a start on sheng pu'er and just drinking it (presumably) that could work out well.  It could be even better in another year or two, softened and transitioned a bit more by age, but it should be pretty good right now.

it was a judgement call not buying them a Yiwu version; I went back and forth on that

Review

First infusion:  a bit muted still, but the character that is present is very pleasant.  Shipping impact may have offset this intensity.  It's an autumn harvest version, so intensity can be a bit lower related to that.  It's always possible to bump up infusion strength to account for some of that, but the balance is what it is, to an extent.

I talked with an online friend about preferences not so long ago and he mentioned not liking the pine aspect in Jing Mai.  I hadn't thought of it as such, so much, but in trying another version not so long ago it really stood out.  This tastes like pine too; maybe that's the dominant aspect, beyond some other range sweetness and brightness.  I like that though.  It's funny how I really don't like smoke or mushroom in sheng pu'er, even though I like those flavors in other presentations, just not so much the form and how it balances in sheng.

Sometimes when you first have a version with an aspect or range that clicks for you afterwards that makes more sense; that could happen.  I've experienced that more related to a type making sense than an aspect, but it should work out similarly.

Second infusion:  it's coming on nicely.  Pine stays a dominant aspect, not an overly dry version of it, kind of close to rosemary.  Some of the bright sweetness leans a little towards citrus, it's just not quite anything in that range (orange, lemon, lime, etc.).  It's closest to lime peel, but leaning a little towards grapefruit too (sweet white grapefruit, not the red kind), or maybe even right in the middle.

There's a rich savory aspect to it, which reminds me of pine nut, probably partly related to a mental association with pine needle.  Feel is unusual, the way that light dryness gives it fullness.  It causes a light tightening around the edges of your mouth, with the most impact in the rear center of your tongue, with a good bit of juiciness combining with that hint of dryness.  Aftertaste gives the experience more depth; it hangs in there, lingering on related to that pine flavor aspect.  A good balancing sweetness helps all the rest work.  The bright, fresh, clean effect also contributes; it's nice.

Third infusion:  not so different.  Warmth picks up a little; an underlying mineral tone (that I hadn't mentioned) shifts from light and lighter in tone to a bit warmer, from mild limestone towards granite or sandstone, or something such.  Feel structure gains some depth too; it fills out your mouth more, shifting from slightly dry to more full in a balanced way.  It didn't need to loosen up, as some young sheng do, but it is improving a little.  I don't get the impression this will change a lot over the next half dozen rounds, just more slight shifts like this, but we'll see.


I've been trying a couple of slightly older shengs (maybe only a year and a half old, to me, but several years aged versions) from this vendor (Tea Mania), as part of re-trying all the sheng pu'er I own.  They stand a bit above almost everything else I own.  I've tried samples of lots of teas, so what higher quality, gushu-origin (100+ year old plant source), varied source area, price, age, and storage background teas are like isn't completely unfamiliar, there is just some limited scope of all that in what I own cake versions of.  Tuocha versions can be quite decent and pleasant but that tendency for those to be ordinary quality range tea, when presented in that form, really goes without saying.  I was on an old CNNP cake phase for a bit too, after that Xiaguan / Tulin / Dayi tuocha phase, and that's completely different.


It would be easy to interpret this flavor aspect range in different ways.  Floral kind of works; to some extent that probably is "objectively" present.  The astringency is mild but it stands out as a somewhat unique component.  It has a light edge to it, like biting a tree bud, or flower stem.  Since I'm now stuck on interpreting the flavor mostly as pine that matches up well with that flavor and other character; expecting it to follow a themed pattern would cause someone to interpret that part as resinous, a match for pine sap, which works just as well.

As with any tea balance determines how well it works.  Pull out most of that sweetness, brightness, and freshness and the rest wouldn't hang together nearly as well.  On the whole it works.  I could imagine some others loving or really disliking this character though, based on personal preferences, the pine / floral / resin / light warm mineral / touch of dryness.

There is something relatively universal about the bright floral, sweet, rich, approachable range common in Yiwu.  To me those often aren't challenging in young forms in the right way to age to an intense, positive balance, but they can still work in a different final form.  One of the two I was mentioning, partly aged Tea Mania versions that were really good, was Yiwu, and it's in a great place now, and probably will be in other quite pleasant "places" as it continues to age.

Fourth infusion:  I think floral range is increasing, almost towards a dried mango citrus tone.  The increasing warmth pulls earlier pine sap and light mineral to a different balance point, coming across more like dark tropical wood, or maybe just warm mineral like a mountain spring source scent.  With a little more subtle shift that could cross into spice range.


Fifth infusion:  it's really shifting more to aromatic wood instead, cedar or redwood.  That range can be a bit boring in more one-dimensional versions, and it is often presented as the main range some sheng covers, given some starting point and aging conditions (fermentation transition).  Since the floral tone, pine, richness related to pine nut or whatever else, is all still present, just in a slightly reduced form, with aromatic wood tone primary (per my interpretation of this round, at least) it works.


Sixth infusion:  this round I brewed fast, more out of impatience than to see how it works light (brewed for around 8 seconds instead of 10-12), but it could work for that.  It's lighter, of course.  Being lighter shifts what you experience; it's the main way to "brew around" experiencing too much bitterness or astringency in some sheng versions.  Flavors in sheng tend to be intense (in younger sheng, at least, and in some older, relatively fully aged versions too), so cutting that back isn't usually a problem.  I suppose the brighter range comes through more brewed really light; I'll try it again brewed out towards 20 seconds and see how that changes things.

It's worth mentioning that it's conceivable to adjust brewing temperature range to shift aspects but it's not conventional to do so; using full boiling point temperature is normal, or just off that.


Seventh infusion:  pine does come through a lot stronger again brewed stronger, and the warmer tones.  I wouldn't see this as one of the most complex sheng versions that I've tried but the good quality is evident, and there's plenty going on to experience, and it's quite pleasant.

Conclusions:

I should re-try this to add a conclusion about how it's shifting after another week of rest [I did, but since I didn't make notes the part to follow on that is limited].  It probably will pick up a bit more intensity.  I don't need to in order to make a general conclusion:  it's quite nice.  Someone might not like that pine as a primary flavor aspect, depending on personal preference, but otherwise it's just what it should be.  Feel thickness could increase, or aftertaste range, but those are quite positive for a moderate cost sheng version.

For someone new to sheng they would appreciate flavor most, especially balance of sweetness to mild astringency and bitterness, and related to that this works.  It would probably work even better in another year, but maybe they'll take time finishing it.

Storage is concern; in cold-climates like that one (around the Erie, Pennsylvania area) in the winter indoor heated air is quite low in humidity, which isn't good at all for keeping a microfauna that causes sheng to ferment healthy.  This would probably go a bit flat.  Then in the humid Spring it would come back to life, so maybe that wouldn't be so bad.

Related to value, tea quality for this price (the $40 range) this is exceptional.  To put that in perspective, something like a Taetea / Dayi 7542 might be available for a few dollars less but that's essentially what those cost.  Yunnan Sourcing Impression cakes are designed to be similar, and those are a really good value for slightly less.  Their 2019 is the only one listed now (besides some narrow location versions now sharing in that blended-cake style branding), selling for $28.  An entirely Spring material cake lists for $62, a Bang Dong (more region-specific) arbor cake sells for $70.

The Spring versus Autumn input I already covered, but broad blending of inputs versus selling a tea from a narrow source is another main difference.  You can balance aspects well that way, mixing together what works, but you can't replicate how a narrower profile really emphasizes the more limited range of flavor aspects that are present (and feel and aftertaste too, I guess).  I don't have anything against blends, it's just a different experience.  It helps if you really love the flavor aspect range that is present, of course; otherwise a version that's more broad in scope might seem nicer.

Second Conclusions

I tried this tea again; it did get better with some rest, more intense, with more depth.  As far as how good it is I have no reservations about buying this as a gift for someone.  Looking back though maybe Yiwu is a slightly better place to start with sheng; those typically have good sweetness and floral nature.

The older Lucky Bee (in-house Yiwu brand, 2016 version) from Tea Mania I have is about as good as any sheng I've ran across.  That's give or take a bit of intensity, aging potential, thickness of feel and aftertaste range, and other specific aspects one prefers.  I mean it really stands out, although lots of finer level judgments are there to be made.  And it's approachable, just with enough edge that it seemed it would support it aging well, and in fact it has, so that it's way better now than it was in 2018.

That's not buyer's remorse, and I did buy a later Lucky Bee version with this (2018).  It just seems like maybe I should have bought them that (that one is mine, and I bought two of this Jing Mai version; I could split off some though).  That "enough edge" part factored in; that 2016 one wasn't soft, sweet, and drinkable as some Yiwu is, it had a good bit of structure to it.  That, and I don't remember what I was thinking.

I tried both together in a tasting, this Jing Mai and the 2018 Yiwu, now two weeks after making these initial notes (I've been busy).  Another post will cover how that went.

Teamania 2016 Jing Mai arbor sheng

I'm reviewing another sheng sample sent by the Teamania vendor, this time from Jing Mai.  That seems promising, after how nice their Yiwu Lucky Bee sheng, Japanese Fukamushi sencha, and South Korean Jeju green teas were.  I don't even love green teas compared to most other types but those last two covered new ground for me.  Sencha is familiar but that version was a bit different than what I had tried.

Review

just getting started

The first infusion is a bit light, as I often prepare the first round, but already quite pleasant.  The sweetness is nice, and there is some astringency and bitterness but the tea is approachable.  The typical Jing Mai range aspects come across, mostly floral, but complex beyond that.  An earthiness in this version reminds me a bit of spice, an aspect that seems to be connected with a pronounced mineral layer.  Since these reviews can tend to just repeat round to round it's probably as well to say more about the next one instead.  The flavor is clean and intense, and the range is pleasant, all good signs.


It's a bit early to call it but it seems some of the feel-structure and long aftertaste that marks older tree source versions isn't present; maybe to be expected for a tea described as a 70 year old plant version.  I never did learn to attach to that as much as pu'er drinkers tend to express.  Those layers can add an interesting effect to drinking a tea but it's not as if there is limited complexity in typical above average sheng without very pronounced versions of those.  I'll see how it changes as it opens up.

The next infusion went a good bit longer related to taking a picture, maybe around 15 seconds.  I'd expect this tea to be better brewed faster, especially initially.  That relates to proportion too; it would be normal for someone to use two thirds as much tea and extend brewing times to compensate; really just a matter of preference.


It's interesting; showing more of the real character now.  Feel and aftertaste are ramping up a lot related to the tea opening up and being brewed slightly longer.  For level of flavor lighter would be better; this tea is intense, not so unusual for younger-range sheng.  The bitterness has increased, in a way that's interesting related to other flavors and feel that seem tied to that. There's not much more to say about the astringency, generally located around the entire mouth in this version at this point.  The aftertaste occurs more along the tongue.

The mineral layer relates to that bitterness that is present, and to how that hint of spice seems to be transitioning to a fruitiness.  There is also just a trace of sourness--that's different.  It wouldn't take much of that to really throw off the experience of this tea but this mild level, a bit hard to notice, isn't negative.  This tea will balance better and come across differently brewed fast (at this relatively high proportion), so I'll say more about all that next round prepared lighter.

Even for a relatively fast the third infusion the intensity is fine.  It tastes and feels light compared to the last round but it's about where it should be, for me, maybe better given another 2 or 3 seconds but this is close.  The bitterness might be backing off a little but that's probably just the infusion strength difference.  That light trace of fruitiness is interesting.  It's a bit hard to place, maybe not so far from juicyfruit gum:  sweet, mild, bright in tone, and complex.  Really floral tones stand out a lot more but I've fallen out of the habit of guessing about flower type range.  It's lighter and brighter, as those go, and intense (so like a daisy?).

The fourth infusion is more of the same; it's nice.  This has a bit more fruitiness and a different expression of mineral than I'd expect, that slight trailing into spice, which hasn't developed further, but otherwise the character is what I expected.  Yiwu teas aren't that different from this; a touch more floral, a little sweeter and brighter, less of that complexity in the other range, except the mineral is just different, not less.

leaves completely opened up

Not all that much transition on the fifth infusion; it might be softening a little, developing a little related to that fruity note picking up slightly.  Bitterness and astringency aren't diminishing much, if any.  It's still quite approachable, if someone is accustomed to the young sheng range.  For someone without a good bit of prior exposure this would have to taste a lot like tasting an aspirin along with a light oolong instead of water.  With the right expectations and range of appreciation it's complex, clean in expression, pleasantly intense, and well balanced, as described.

It might be interesting to record the next four or five infusion impressions, to see how long it lasts, and how that later transition goes.  Today I'm not skipping that because I've drank too much tea, instead because I have other things to do, and the background chaos in this house is a good bit higher than average.  That drama is about the range of normal things, what we will do today, finishing up homework, use of electronics--tablet and phone--or lack of that.  When all that peaks there's secondary friction over the noise level.  Parenting is an interesting job, and only the quieter versions of fulfilling that role match really well with tea tasting.

The tea is very nice.  It's hard to place how nice though, what the limit of that is, and how different quality levels of comparable teas relate to each other.  The next section tries to address that.

Comparison review

I want to add more on placing this related to other Jing Mai sheng I've tried.  One problem comes in related to how clear memory is going back weeks or months.  I've probably tried other younger Jing Mai sheng in the last few months but I'd need to go back through posts to check when.  I found some looking through what to try with breakfast though (a couple days after this initial session tasting), a Jing Mai 2017 gushu sheng from Moychay, which I initially reviewed in comparison with two other sheng here.

taking breakfast outside instead works at home; tea, fruit, and Wheatbix

Here's the idea:  I'll try this tea and try to evaluate both as being type-typical for the region, and compare both in quality level.  This is based on trying them a few days apart, not that long a gap for remembering details.  More than the time delay it seems to me that I evaluate teas differently based on my own current mood and circumstances, tied to noise level in the house (getting up there for those initial notes; it seemed like someone might've been knocking a wall down at one point), how tired I am, if I have a cold or not (a touch of one, now, actually), and who knows what else.  Eating any strong flavored foods would impact palate for some time but I tend to eat mild foods with breakfast around when I taste teas for review anyway, typically fruit and a pastry or cereal.  Trying teas side by side bypasses all that.


Moychay 2017 Jing Mai gushu review (one year younger; that will change things a little): 

brewing this other sheng version for this review

In the first few sips the quality level of this Moychay version stands out.  The tea hasn't even opened up yet, not at all where it's going to be, but it's obviously really nice tea.  It was apparent the Tea Mania version was pretty good, and here it's clear this is on a slightly higher level.  It's more intense, smoother, with a touch more mouthfeel and aftertaste.  It's also going to cost a lot more; they're probably not sold as the same kind of thing.  I'll get back to that idea after a brief description, since it is relevant.


As infusions go on the flavors deepen.  Brewed a little strong the limited astringency helps the balance.  It works best brewed very lightly, because the aspects intensity is so pronounced at that level anyway.  This tea is also floral with a good bit of complexity beyond that, a pronounced mineral layer, and with secondary aspect range that could be interpreted in lots of different ways. 


It's not overly fruity but interpretation as that would work, and other complexity comes across a touch of spice.  Really the most positive and interesting part isn't the flavor range though, it's the overall intensity, and the way the moderate astringency and bitterness balance the rest really well.

an image of the Moychay Jing Mai leaves from the first try

I looked up the pricing difference in the two teas I'm comparing (trying over different days, not the typical side-by-side tasting).


The Moychay version costs $48 for 100 grams; around 50 cents a gram.  That would place a 357 gram cake at $175 or so, but usually most vendors will scale the pricing, so the more you buy the rate drops, with pricing higher for buying less.  The tea is really good.  I tend to not buy a lot of 50 cent a gram tea but I try decent versions now and again and per that limited exposure this tea version is worth it.


This Tea Mania version I reviewed earlier (in terms of days and post sections here), is around $56 for a 357 gram cake; it costs about a third as much.  It's not as clean in effect, the flavors aren't quite as complex, sweetness is off a little, astringency is up, and overall intensity isn't on the same level.  But it's quite good; it doesn't fall that far short on any given aspect.  It's a good tea and a great value at that price.  The point of comparison here isn't to see which I like better, or which seems objectively better, but to compare the two, to flag the differences.


It would probably make more sense to compare this Tea Mania version to Farmerleaf teas.  They produce good versions of middle range quality teas that sell at a good value too, focusing on Jing Mai as the main origin.  But I haven't tried one in awhile; I'll get back to that.


Looking back at that Tea Mania site the Lucky Bee Yiwu sheng version is priced even lower.  Maybe I'm missing some details in looking back but as I recall that tea kind of wowed me.  I suppose it may have had the same kind of traces of rough edges that stand out in comparison with really expensive, old-tree, very high quality versions, but as I remember it was pretty exceptional.  I'd have to try these two Tea Mania versions together to see how they compare, instead of basing judgment on a review a month ago.  Instead of just going on memory I can cite my impression from that Teamania Yiwu review:

On that paradigm of a split between sweet, smooth, and approachable versus bitter, astringent, and structured with potential for aging it sort of doesn't seem to fit.  At a guess I'd like this tea better now than in another decade but I also get the sense it has enough complexity across a broad range of aspects to stand up to aging transition.  I'd expect it to improve instead of just fading...  It's not really at full-blast intensity as some sheng comes across, sometimes across a lot of aspect range; it's well balanced.


It sounds like style-wise that tea may have been produced more traditionally, in such a way that bitterness and astringency are more pronounced, enabling aging.  Really that's more passing on hearsay than speaking from personal knowledge:  I don't know why these teas' characters vary as they do related to the entire range of possible inputs.  I've discussed it, and written about it based on others' input, but when it comes down to it I don't really know.  I'm just starting to be able to guess about how future transitions will go based on present sheng character but not far along with that either.  There does seem to be a clear divide between two types of styles, teas made to drink when young, and those that are suitable for improvement through aging (not as nice right away), with that post I just cited going into more on how that might tie to inputs.


With that Yiwu Lucky Bee tea costing around the same as this Moychay version, for a 357 gram cake versus 100 grams of loose tea, for someone wanting the most tea for their money (emphasizing value in that sense) it might work better.  The same applies to this Teamania Jing Mai version; it's on the lower end of the cost scale too.  The thing with this Moychay Jing Mai version is that you never get exactly the same experience between drinking a good quality sheng and a relatively higher quality version.  For many people it might be roughly the same experience, but once someone adjusts preference across that range of difference it's probably not.  I'm not saying that I have expensive tastes in tea myself; I can appreciate a very broad range of types and quality levels.  But they are different; that's clear enough.


I just reviewed a good Yiwu version from Yiwu Mountain Pu'er and the same theme emerged.  Really two, but I liked one a lot more than the other.  That 200 gram cake now lists for $163, so it's getting on past one and a half times the pricing of this Moychay version, 80 cents / gram versus 50.  It might be worth that; at some point it's hard for me to track quality levels at the top of the scale, and to evaluate style differences separately from that.  Obviously enough for people spending that kind of money on tea value for quality is more a concern than getting the most tea they can for the least.  And for any quality level versions subjective preference still comes into play, a liking for certain character or aspects.


When I think of all this range in terms of someone drinking $7 Starbucks coffee drinks it makes me sad for them.  For the cost of 7 of those ($49) you could drink 100 grams worth of this very good Moychay Jing Mai sheng, not countless cups but an awful lot.  Or a whole cake's worth of these Teamania versions, which is still quite nice tea.  Brewing the tea adds more work to do, and you never get the same caffeine jolt as from knocking back a 24 ounce coffee, but to me it's a higher level experience, and also a much better value.

Conclusion

At the risk of going too far anyone in Switzerland drinking sheng should buy at least some of these teas.  I'm not sure how export and import issues go but that might apply to others in Europe as well.  They're really good versions for the pricing, and I've seen demand ramp up once awareness gets out, and earlier vendor pricing levels shift to adjust for that.  For a sheng drinker this Jing Mai and that other Yiwu Lucky Bee versions represent a great opportunity.

Sheng isn't for everyone though.  As I experienced preference transitions oolongs and mild but complex black teas make for a better starting point.  Bitterness is a part of the general sheng flavor profile, not something I notice in the same way as I would have two or three years ago, now an aspect that balances the others nicely.  Not everyone is on the same page for preference even within sheng, too.  I've come to really appreciate young or only slightly aged versions or Jing Mai, Yiwu, and Nan Nuo sheng, but that's not a universal preference.

One nice thing about these teas is that if someone bought a cake they could try it a few times a year and watch the changes.  The teas might be best in about 15 years, per what some people like best, maybe around the time someone finished the cake trying it only now and then.  All that relates to an assumption about storage conditions, that the humidity it was stored in isn't too low, which would cause the fermentation process to stop entirely.  Per my understanding if that happens the tea dries out, loses some flavor, and doesn't transition much, maybe even decreasing in appeal related to aspects present.

on a different subject, she got a haircut

more of that zoo I keep going on about