2014 Three Cranes 45007 Recipe Traditional Liu Bao Hei Cha of Guangxi

SIPDOWN

Decided to try my new gaiwan from Tangpin (thank you Mastress Alita). Based on tasting notes, I have tried this tea only once since I have received it from derk — thank you as well! And back then I tried it grandpa. Used 5 grams.

For photo of my new gaiwan (and my whole brewing set), see here: https://flic.kr/p/2k8TCH6 The tea towel beneath was a gift from them.

My new gaiwan should have 125 ml volume, which is higher than previous one. Morerover, it is bit better in design set to my tea cup, than brown one, don’t you think?

I made quick rinse, and wet leaves aroma was black currant (I am only one?), woody, bamboo, not much of nutty. Rinse is mellow and quite strong, but can’t pick up any notes now. Maybe hints of tobacco. A little sweetness.

20 seconds
It is quite strong brew, it kinda surprised me. Creamy though, I get the bay leaf, woody (but not strongly), thick. And enjoyable!

40 seconds
Another strong, thick, but creamy steep. More on woody note, bit tart, but honestly I don’t get any nutty flavours.

60 seconds
Gets bit on bitter side, but I don’t mind. Dry red wine note as well.

80 seconds
It is weak already, I think it doesn’t work well making many steeps. It’s not bad tea, but needs only few steeps. This steep tastes like a bit bland shu, woody, and that’s all.

I have to say, gaiwan came just in time, as I am almost without the empty tea bags which I have been using for loose leaf. And they aren’t available in a shop I was buying them for quite cheap :( I hope they will get restocked soon! I don’t want to place another order somewhere to have it delivered.

Raising a rate from 66 to 72

Pulled this after 6 years since first acquaintance. It seems to have better longevity with age considering I used only 5g for a 200mL duanni pot and got 5 solid, longer than usual steeps and could’ve boiled out what was left. Age, or perhaps the way I prepared it, has mellowed the profile into creamy, sweetish loamy mud and dark tobacco with deep chicken soup taste and the peppery bite of betel nut. When I was in Hefeng, China last year, I tried betel nut for the first time. It was just okay. I enjoy the taste a lot but not the throat numbing or copious saliva production. The unidirectional, focusing buzz was helpful for picking tea but It is not a gregarious stimulant. More purposeful than euphoric.

Anyway, this tea floored me not taste-wise but in its powerful energy. I put on a record and drank cup after cup, sitting on the rug at the tea table. Soon I was raging hot and sweating, exactly like what happened when I slurped a boiling hot bowl of potent Korean ginseng chicken soup on a cold winter night in San Francisco. Then came the cool from the sweat and boom, I was on the floor on my back unable to move, getting lost in music and the memories of when that album came out. Caffeine is high here and kept me up way too late with the gift of troubled sleep

I enjoy this tea well enough. Due to its powerful energy, it’s one I will drink for medicinal effect rather than for taste.

Nice mix of different aromas, I can smell black pepper, bay leaves, nuts (especially in the dry leaves), overripe plums and cherries and red wine. Overall it’s quite a sweet smell though. Taste-wise, it’s more savoury and very nutty. Much more than most ripe pu-erh’s I have had. There is also some light coffee bitterness and medicinal note in the taste. The mouthfeel is creamy, effeverscent and a little bit numbing with a touch of dryness in the finish.

One can play around with the steeping times a lot for this one. I often like to push them long, which gives a less sweet and more coffee like character to the brew. I found this tea to be a great value, very suitable for daily drinking.