2013 Yunnan Sourcing "Ye Sheng Cha" Wild Tree Purple Tea of Dehong

This isn’t like any tea I’ve ever tried. The brick is so dense it requires a chisel. For sure, this is not typical cultivated tea. The previous tasting note called this thing “Wild Child”. I don’t think I could’ve come up with a better name. I’m picking up deep forest flavors (something I love in sheng pu’er): pungent herbs, vegetal sweetness, pine, camphor, smoke, and pleasant tobacco notes (there is such a thing). I don’t detect any bitterness since I’m doing 5 second steeps. That said, DO NOT over brew this one. This one is full-bodied, interestingly textured, has a long aftertaste and strong cha qi, moving from the mouth down towards the gut and through the rest of the body after each sip. Given it’s potency and complexity, I’d say it would age nicely.

I have the 2014 version that i received as a sample in one of my YS orders. I don’t have a lot to say on this one besides the fast that it was light, refreshing and sweet. Initial impressions for this one are really positive. Later steepings it became a bit woody but still really nice. I enjoy the random samples i get with my YS orders – they’re almost always something i wouldn’t have necessarily picked for myself but still enjoy!

I had some physical issues with drinking this tea but didn’t go into too much detail on my blog because it’s a little gross. But I feel better talking about it on Steepster because people examine the physical effects of tea and sickness more directly and without any fanfare. Another issue is this tea has been so much discussed in the past on blogs and forums, and I am feeling like past discussions deserve a new look because I’m not convinced the tea is the same today as it was 5-10 years ago.

I brewed this up super strong, 8 grams per 125 ml yielding a thick brew, a bit orange from my Yixing pot. My inner tea drunk swang like a monkey over 8 steeps. The tea was not steeped out yet when I quit, and I kept the leaf for several days before throwing it out. If I could’ve steeped it out, I would have. This tea packed quite a punch of bitter with that undertone of floral I like so well in the black tea versions of this same leaf (light roast and regular roast. The brick has everything we would want in an age-er.

Yet the writing about this brick from 2005-8 indicate a sweet, gentle brew and people who own those years today say the brick turned flat and tasteless. That it is a drink-now kind of tea. Is this really the same tea? The one I tasted is a kick in the gut, not a kind and gentle brew by any stretch. I was flash brewing gong fu too. We’ve read about how recent droughts have concentrated tea leaves. Do you guys think this tea has changed at all, is the leaf stronger now? Or am I just a lightweight? Or will other people who drink Bulang raw or young Xiaguan use these as a comparison point for wild purple?

I paid for my tea drunk with a complete bowel clean out the next day. Before I blame the tea entirely, two other factors must be noted, one is bowel cramping from menopausal menstruation, another is I took naproxen (an NSAID) for back pain. Have any of you had issues with NSAID use and raw sheng puerh? Otherwise, I normally drink more highly aged tea and better quality tea leaf than this which won’t affect my gut, so maybe it is the tea.

I paid $30 for a tong of bricks and this 2013 edition is now sold out. Without the physical issues, I have to say I love this leaf. Seems like people either love it or it is a meh. But I might tuck these away for my son someday and stick to the black tea version if the raw really causes me distress. Too bad for me, it is one tasty cup.

This is a real “brick” tea. I was afraid I was going to break the blade of my Swiss army knife trying to chip off a few pieces. I wound up with some of the tea as a fine powder: the blade grinds into the tough surface as much as it cuts.

After grinding away at that dark, tough brick, I was surprised at how light and refreshing the first pot was. The nose and taste started out with a strong stone fruit character, but became more woody and somewhat bitter as the 1st cup cooled. Tobacco appeared in the second steep, which was harsh. Later steeps show the nice fruit and became less harsh but were still too raw for me to really enjoy.

In theory, I should put this aside for a few years, but it was so solid that I’m afraid it might take decades for enough air to penetrate the brick. I broke up part of the brick to speed up the process.

I tried this tea again about 3 weeks later and found it much less bitter. I really am enjoying this now. The only difference I can think of is that I used a single chunk from my last break-up, so didn’t have any fine powder.

The dry leaves have a thick aroma of ripe fruit and tobacco. Most are medium-large leaves in a deep purple black hue with high contrast of bright red, green, and gold leaves standing out.

Initial infusions have a strong smoky quality. More of a bold “charcoal” flavor than the lapsang barbecue type. The smoke was much stronger, but has faded over the past months.

The tea brews a gold-orange color. Clean, pure, wild taste with a thick mouthfeel and a fruity aroma that stays in the mouth long after you drink it. Strong tropical fruit flavors (something I associate with purple tea) like guava, longan, and plantain. Very tangy, but also very hearty with tobacco, barley, and dark beer flavors.

The charcoal taste fades in the later steepings, and is replaced by a nice mineral quality. I’m left with strong qi feelings running along the forehead and feel strong and steady like a mountain. This isn’t my favorite tea from Yunnan Sourcing, but it is quite nice and I enjoy the unique purple tea qualities. Good bargain.

I’m really itching to place a big YS order, it’s been almost a year! I’ve been saving up money for it, but this past week the vacuum tubes in my guitar amp have gone microphonic, so it seems my tea acquisition has been set back yet again.

This is truly a wild purple pu-erh. It was hard for me to evaluate because it is so young and strong at this juncture. It is strong, smoky, untamed. It will integrate over time I believe (the 2012 version tasted side by side) while still a bit wild is much more integrated. Be prepared for a wild ride.

This was an interesting tea to try. The first cup was warm and earthy, with an almost grassy hint and slightly sweet. With more brews, the sweetness dissipates to an after thought, and the grassy notes also fade. Some bitterness starts to appear, but is not overpowering (but I imagine you could over brew this one!)
All in all, a good tea and a fun first “real” puerh to try!