Lao Cang Ripe Mini Tuocha

This mini from the Mandala sampler looks like this photo and the only English on the wrapper says “Lao Cang”.  So I will post this here.  Another tasty puerh, though not as strong to me as the two that I have previously and recently tried from the sampler.  If I need a ripe puerh to be one thing, it needs to be Strong.  But there aren’t any negative puerh qualities here either, so that’s fine with me. Not bad, not great.  To be honest, the water might have been a bit cool on that first steep anyway.  Notes of cocoa, berries. Looking at the leaves, they also look like large quality leaves. Seems to be the standard for Mandala.  This one is a little light for me and sadly there are the most of these in the sampler.  oooo… what if I steeped two at once in a big mug?!?!  I will have to try that.  
Steep #1 // 29 minutes after boiling // 3 minute steep
Steep #2 //   3 minutes after boiling // 3 min
Steep #3 // just boiled // 6 min

It’s been a few years since I’ve had one of these mini tuocha that Kawaii433 sent in a swap (I hope all is well out there, miss!). I received a few of these as a freebie in my most recent order with Mandala and brewed one gongfu tonight so I figured I’d give another review.

This is the mellowest, most potentially inoffensive shou I’ve ever tasted. Dark in color but not in taste. Earthy but never overbearing; hay, leather, still getting a touch of autumn leaf. Light sweetness and bitterness. Stable, simple and pleasant through every steep, of which I got a good amount. Very low caffeine. I don’t think I’d go out of my way to purchase these, but it’s a nice break from some of the strong shou that I gravitate toward.

[Initial rating 74]

I had a good experience with the Mandala’s mixed mini tuocha sampler so I ordered the Rice Scented Ripe Mini Tuocha but got Lao Cang Ripe Mini Tuocha instead. No biggy. Mandala has been very good to me.

It came in a small bag, full of cute, compressed little bowl-shaped mini tuocha cakes. Each individually wrapped, one serving. I’ll be going to California for business soon, and I’ll probably bring these along with me.

The aroma is mainly hay, with a very mild leather aroma. The liquor is super dark, looks like rich coffee, like espresso. The flavor is far better than the aroma (opposite of the last tea I sampled hehe). It’s very soothing, rich, sweet and smooth. Not too much leather, and a bit of honey sweetness but very light. I wouldn’t classify this as a complex Pu-erh by no means (huge caveat: remember my identifying flavor/smell skills though haha), but more like a daily pu erh sipper due to the mellowness. It may be a good starter for those trying ripe pu erh too.

1 mini tuocha, 212˚F, 110ml, 7 steeps: rinse, 10s, 15s, 20s, 25s, 30s, 35s, 40s

Piecing together where some of my mini tuo’s came from in my sampler order from Mandala has landed me here for the sample I am currently drinking. Cannot be sure of the year, though. If it means anything, this site seems to show a picture of the exact wrapper that I have. http://yunnansourcing.com/en/laocangteafactory/1621-premium-grade-ripe-pu-erh-tea-mini-tuo-cha.html

Either way, this ripe seems like it would be a solid every day Puer. The color in the first few gaiwan steeps is a decadent auburn/hazelnut brown. Just beautiful. The flavor is subtle but very smooth. It has that earthy, mushroom feel but with no fishy harshness. Very drinkable.

‘Tis the weekend, and I decided I want to have many pu’erh sessions today, so I chose a tuocha for this task. It freezing rained here last night so the roads are a skating rink, therefore I am staying inside all day. Oh, and I’ll be worrying away about the bf, who got called out to work 3 days early and is currently in a cab on the terrible roads heading to the airport. Hope he makes it there in one piece! :(

Anyways, back to this tea! I am guessing this is the same sample I had as Tealizzy, as it is similar to the 2011 Lao Cang tu on Mandala’s site, but just brown writing rather than multi colored. I can’t find a year on mine, but at least it is a Lao Cang! So I did a 15s rinse and I bit the bullet and did a 1 minute steep as recommended. I always worry it will be too strong haha. The tea is super dark, and unfortunately I am writing this review as the cup has already cooled, so there isn’t much of a scent, just a clean, light smell.

As for the flavor, this is a satisfying pu’erh. It’s not crazy caramelly or bright or musty or woody like others, it’s a bit nondescript, but definitely not difficult to drink. It is SUPER smooth, a tiny bit savoury, a bit of a mushroom savouriness actually. There is a mild brown sugar note blending in nicely too, and a bit of a hay aftertaste. It’s tough to describe because there aren’t any stand out flavors, but it is just good. Quite good actually! My stomach also feels wonderful, and I have a sleepy calmness about me, not strong cha qi, just a light calming sensation.

Overall, to me this is a really good tuocha, even if it is not overly distinct. I like that even with the minute steep, it is smooth and soft, not overbearing, not too strong, and no caffeine jitters. This will be a perfect one to steep throughout the day! And don’t let my mention of it not being distinctive scare you off. I enjoy that it is just a lovely, smooth flavor, with everything blending together into an excellent tea.

ETA – I have also made a big decision…I am going to re-season my yixing pot. I hardly ever drink oolong anymore mostly due to the caffeine effects, so I am seasoning it with Noble Mark, a shu that I have enjoyed for a while now and doesnt give me negative caffeine effects. In hindsite, I definitely should have waited until I was further into the tea scene before seasoning a yixing, but I adore the shape of this one and it truly is my most beautiful piece of teaware. I realize this may not work with my yixing, but it will be better than it sitting in the cupboard forlornly while I brew my shus in a gaiwan lol. It needs to be used! Wish me luck :)

Okay, so once again I’m trying to match wrappers of the mini tuochas from the variety pack with those online and…there are some similar to this, listed as 2011, but the wrappers I have include the same markings, but are different in color and have a 2007 date on them. Hmmm. So, I made a new tea page for it. Anyway, this is a solid ripe mini tuo. Nice and earthy and smooth. Nothing too remarkable, but easy to drink. :)