A big thanks to Peter at pu-erh.sk for the generous 7 gram sample. Last year I bought quite a few of Peter’s 2013 cakes but for some reason did not get this one. I always know that I am going to get good quality puerh from pu-erh.sk so was very eager to try this out when I got the surprise sample. Here are my notes…
Dry leaves are pleasant with a sweet, almost fruity aroma. All the 7 grams worth of leaves go into my 130ml yixing. A quick rinse and I smell the wet leaves…rich, fruity, sweet like honey textures, with a hint of “biscuits” aroma not unlike Bulang.
I do my first proper steep at about 10 seconds. The liquid comes out looking a very pure golden colour. Sipping the brew I get a multitude of textures…rich, thick butery mouthfeel, the honey sweetness that I could smell is there in the taste, and a nice balance of “fruit and flowers” It is very, very good. Second steep at about 15 seconds and now I am starting to get a good amount of pleasant bitterness coming through. Still getting the rich, thick, buttery mouthfeel and fruity overtones.
My tea session lasts well over an hour with this one. Subsequent steeps I am getting a perfect blend of sweetness and bitterness which I find very pleasant. This is a very fine, pure tea. I am certainly interested in getting a cake of this so I go to the pu-erh.sk website to check the price. It costs 149 euros (£117) for a 357 gram cake…it is then I realise why I have not bought a young raw cake this year. Young sheng prices are beginning to worry me when I compare to the prices last year, and even last year I was starting to worry about price. I am not saying that this lovely tea is not worth the price, what I am saying is that it is out of my budget for young puerh. I would rather take the money and spend it on good quality, aged puerh, which these days seems to be more value for money and in a lot of cases works out cheaper.
Anyhow, I really enjoyed this puerh overall. I love the thick, buttery mouthfeel, and the perfect blend of honey sweetness and bitterness. It is a very fresh, pure, clean puerh that is definitely worth sampling. Many thanks again to Peter for giving me the opportunity to try this out.
Flavors: Bitter, Butter, Floral, Fruity, Sweet
