Ziyun Pu-erh Maocha

I’m still developing my pu-erh chops; all the more so since Dr. Oz said pu-erh, especially when imbibed early in the day, is a fat burner. (I am not of the “if Dr. Oz said it, it must be true” camp, but hey, another excuse to drink tea!)

Anyway, I chilled a pint after my morning cup. Cold cave water! Which, on a triple-digit day, is a pretty nice little sensory side trip. I always did like the smell of stalagmites.

Sip down. I took Monday off, so I have had three days of abusive eating (my favorite kind). When I went to bed last night I knew I was drinking puerh today. It was just a question of which one. This loose leaf sheng came from ashamanra a while back so I am not sure how old it actually is but in the time I have had it, this has morphed.

The first cup @2 minutes is extremely milky in taste and feel. There is also a quality that all I can think of to describe it is shiny. Yes I know shiny isn’t a taste. Maybe mineral? Metallic? Not coppery. This has also become quite sweet. I add Splenda and this is almost sweet enough I don’t need it (almost – stupid monkey). The aroma is wet hay, which becomes part of the sip midway through. It has that wonderful sticky lip feel. Not sure why that always appeals to me. I think it is because it is followed by a rumbling tummy. Mission accomplished.

Second cup @ 1 minute, loses the milky taste. The press aroma is poo, I mean shu like. The taste now is mild sheng still with some sweetness and the shiny flavor.

Cup 3 @ 2 minutes. The press scent is back to a normal sheng like seaweed. The shiny taste is gone. Mild with just a hint of mushroom (in a good way). It is a bit like wet leaves but not yet earthy.

Cup 4 @ 3 minutes. This is the best cup yet. It is still mild but darker flavor. Sadly this is the last cup I have time for today but it was a good ending.

I have been aging this one for a few years now. I have expanded my puerh horizons but I am far from an expert. There are so many flavors I can not equate with something else for a description, especially in a sheng.

I like to steep a shu puerh a nice long time, relatively speaking, and I don’t mind if the cup is inky black. I like it, whether it is horsey, mushroom-y, cedar-y, fallen leaves on a wet woodland path, or leather and barn. I don’t like fishy, not at all.

With a sheng I like to keep things a little milder. This one has now been steeped about nine times and it is still going. The color remains a light amber, and the flavor is hard for me to pinpoint. There is definitely a mineral aspect, like wet stone in a forest with deep shade, a fresh and natural taste, and a muted vegetal flavor. The minty flavor of a few years ago is no longer apparent to me, which could be due to my cold, but I think my sense of taste has come back. I am not getting camphor at all. I have a bit left to continue aging. It will be fun to see if it changes further.

4.25 grams in 4.5 oz of water.

First infusion (15s) is mellow and sweet with notes of . . . I don’t know how to describe it. It’s not quite floral and not quite fruit. It’s like Spring earth, waking up after Winter and sending forth new growth.

Second infusion (15s) is slightly bitter with a bit of acorn-nuttyness in the flavor.

Third infusion (15s) has less bitterness, a bit of nuttyness, and an astringent mouth-feel.

I’m not really into raw pu’erhs. Perhaps if I set this in the back of the cabinet for a couple years and leave it alone it will be more to my liking.