2005 Yunnan Xiaguan 8663 Ripe Puer Tea

I ordered a sample of this tea because when Allan raves about a ripe and scores it at 100, I just have to try it. It is definitely a good tea. Typical Xiaguan profile, with prevalent smoky undertones. Quite clean tasting and smooth, with fruity tart-sweetness that holds out for a long while. Also offers a solid pick-me-up if you want a ripe pu with a kick. Xiaguan is not my favorite, so I will not be buying more, but I suspect Xiaguan lovers will enjoy this tea.

This tea is good. The first thing I noticed about this tea was a bitterness in the first steep. The second thing I noticed about this tea was a total lack of fermentation funk, fermentation flavor or any notes of its fermentation. This is amongst a handful of ripe teas I have drank that has totally cleared, no fermentation taste at all. Admittedly I didn’t start paying attention until the second steep. I suppose I could have missed something in the first steep but I don’t think so. The early steeps of this tea had notes of what I would describe as bittersweet cocoa. Another person might well describe them as chocolate. This developed into a nice sweet ripe puerh with fruity notes, not sure how to best describe them. This was one of the best puerhs I have ever tasted and I have drank over 300 ripe puerhs. It was perhaps not as complex and subtle as I would have liked, but it was good. Bittersweet cocoa in the early steeps followed by a fruity sweetness in the later steeps. Hard to improve upon. It was perhaps not originally of the very top tier of ripe puerhs but if anything a second tier of puerhs well above the dredges that is. I can only hope something like my 2009 Dayi Golden Brick tastes this good when it is a ten year old ripe.

I steeped this tea ten times in a 180ml teapot with 10.4g leaf and boiling water. I gave it a 10 second rinse and a 10 minute rest. I know a longer rest is beneficial but I didn’t have time. I steeped it for 5 sec, 5 sec, 7 sec, 10 sec, 15 sec, 20 sec, 25 sec, 30 sec, 45 sec, and 1 minute. Judging by the strength of the brew in the tenth steep I think this would have gone another five steeps with longer times.