Pu Ehr Tea : Also Puerh, Pu-erh, Puer. . .

[Richard Kilgore]

I have ordered a couple of shu pu-erhs from NorbuTea.com, spurred to do so by tea-friend Greg's 30% off Chinese New Year Sale. I'll report on these as soon as I have had a chance to brew them a couple of times.

[Wholemeal Crank]

Looking forward to hearing more about them.

Had such a nice brew yesterday of the Lao Cha Tou shu yesterday, but it was so popular that I didn't get as much of it as I might have liked. Lots of requests for a cuppa during a busy afternoon at work.

[Wholemeal Crank]

A tasting of four sheng puerhs, 2005-2008 vintages

2005 Menghai "Early Spring" Raw Pu-erh tea tuo (Yunnan Sourcing)

2006 A-Gu Zhai Wild Arbor Pu-erh tea * Bu Lang Shan (Yunnan Sourcing)

2007 Rui Cao Xiang "Wu Liang Wild Arbor" Raw Pu-erh tea (Yunnan Sourcing)

2008 Yi Wu Mountain Bamboo Raw Pu-erh tea (Norbu)

This was particularly fun because these were all such lovely teas. I liked the first and last best, but all were sweet and spicy and complex and not bitter.

Used 1.2-1.3 grams of tea in small 40 mL gaiwans

boiling water flash rinse

Infusions 185°F/85°C-195°F/90°C

10”, 15”, 20”, 25”, 30”, 35”, 40

2005 Menghai "Early Spring" Raw Pu-erh tea tuo (Yunnan Sourcing)

Dry Leaves: sweet, earthy aroma; 250g tuo

Liquor, 1st infusion: sweet, spicy, smoky, love it

Liquor, 2nd infusion: same

Liquor, 3rd infusion: spicy, earthy, sweet, smoky

Liquor, 4th infusion: Sweet, spicy, earthy, smoky

Liquor, 5th infusion: sweet, earthy, smoky

Liquor, 6th infusion: sweet, spicy, smoky, yum

Liquor, 7th infusion: smoky, earthy, trace of sweet

Wet Leaves: sweet, spicy, floral scent; broken leaves of variable sizes, red tint

2006 A-Gu Zhai Wild Arbor Pu-erh tea * Bu Lang Shan (Yunnan Sourcing)

Dry Leaves: sweet, hay/straw, earthy

Liquor, 1st infusion: sweet, camphor, spice

Liquor, 2nd infusion: sweet, spice, less smoky

Liquor, 3rd infusion: sweet, earthy, smoky

Liquor, 4th infusion: sweet, earthy, little spice again

Liquor, 5th infusion: sweet, smoky, spicy

Liquor, 6th infusion: sweet, spicy, bit astringent

Liquor, 7th infusion: warm, earthy

Wet Leaves: sweet, spicy, floral scent; broken leaves, variable size, redder veins, reddish tint to some leaves

2007 Rui Cao Xiang "Wu Liang Wild Arbor" Raw Pu-erh tea (Yunnan Sourcing)

Dry Leaves: sweet tea aroma; sample portions broken from a beeng

Liquor, 1st infusion: sweet, vegetal, rounded and deep

Liquor, 2nd infusion: same

Liquor, 3rd infusion: earthy, vegetal, smoky

Liquor, 4th infusion: same

Liquor, 5th infusion: sweet, earthy, vegetal

Liquor, 6th infusion: vegetal, astringent, but still sweet

Liquor, 7th infusion: vegetal, warm, astringent

Wet Leaves: sweet, spicy, floral scent; more intact leaves, variable sizes, some reddish tints

2008 Yi Wu Mountain Bamboo Raw Pu-erh tea (Norbu)

Dry Leaves: fruity, earthy, black tea scent

Liquor, 1st infusion: floral, fruity, sweet, warm

Liquor, 2nd infusion: peachy, floral, sweet, caramel

Liquor, 3rd infusion: peachy, caramel, sweet

Liquor, 4th infusion: peachy, floral, sweet

Liquor, 5th infusion: same (mmmmm)

Liquor, 6th infusion: sweet, still peachy, floral

Liquor, 7th infusion: peachy, warm, caramel

Wet Leaves: sweet, spicy, floral scent; broken leaves of variable size, twisted leaves that don’t want to be opened, red tint to leaves

Photos:

Upper left 2005 Menghai "Early Spring" Raw Pu-erh tea tuo (Yunnan Sourcing)

Upper right 2006 A-Gu Zhai Wild Arbor Pu-erh tea * Bu Lang Shan (Yunnan Sourcing)

Lower left 2007 Rui Cao Xiang "Wu Liang Wild Arbor" Raw Pu-erh tea (Yunnan Sourcing)

Lower right 2008 Yi Wu Mountain Bamboo Raw Pu-erh tea (Norbu)

[plum tart]

I have been drinking puer tea regularly for several years. I love its earthy, smokey barnyard flavour. I buy it from Murchie's in Vancouver and Chinese friends who know I like it, bring it to me from mainland China. They usually bring it in a brick, and I cut off chunks. Murchie's puer came in pellet shapes.

I don't know anything about its health benefits but I do know Chinese students who live in my house drink it every day and they don't consume anything that doesn't benefit their health and well being.

[Wholemeal Crank]

Another sheng puerh tasting, this one of some loose Mao Cha, from Norbu.

2010 Shi Tou Xin Jai Mao Cha, Nan Nuo Shan, Xishuangbanna, Yunnan

2009 Lao Ban Zhang Mao Cha from Xishuangbanna, Yunnan*

2009 Wulian Shan Mao Cha from Dali Prefecture, Yunnan

I have been enjoying the Lao Ban Zhang Mao Cha for several months, since I first tried it as part of a tasting here, so with my last order from Norbu, I tried a couple other Mao Cha, to see how they compared. This is my first brewing of other two young shengs. As expected, these are wonderful teas, with more capacity for infusions than I have space in my bladder, even with the very small gaiwans, so sometime after 10 or 12 infusions, I stopped drinking the full infusions, and did a series of longer steeps, discarding the liquor, and then did a final infusion, which I estimate to be about the 20th for each, so I could finish the tasting, get the photos of the spent leaves, and go to bed!

Overall? I love all of these. The Shi Tou Xin Jai is the most approachable in the early infusion, and is one I'll take to work to share in some one on one meetings with other tea lovers--it's less likely to bite back if I get a bit distracted. But at the however-many-it-finally was infusion, when all were pretty dilute and mostly had just a gentle sweetness left, I found a little more depth or complexity in the LBZ in than the other two. So....if you're anxious about bitter, start with the Shi Tou. If you're already a connoisseur of young sheng, and want the maximum complexity, go for the LBZ. And if you're undecided, get the Wulian, or better yet, enjoy all of them.

*Actually, turns out the LBZ is sold out. Greg tells me that the Lao Ban Pen Mao Cha on the site is very close, and maybe better. I have a hard time believing anything could be better, but as good, maybe....

Tasting setup

Used 1.0 grams of tea in small 40 mL gaiwans

Infusions 205°F/96°C-212°F/100°C

2 rinses at about 10 seconds each, before first 10 second infusions

2010 Shi Tou Xin Jai Mao Cha, Nan Nuo Shan, Xishuangbanna, Yunnan

Dry Leaves: long dark twists of intact leaves with some stems, sweet woody anise scent

Liquor, 1st infusion: light tan liquor, sweet anise flavor predominates

Liquor, 2nd infusion: the anise sweetness continues to make this one mellower than the other two

Someplace about the 8th or 9th infusion: still the mellowest of them, even after the dregs in the cup sat a bit and bitterness started to come into play; how is it that the youngest is the least harsh?

Liquor, many?-th infusion: sweet, dilute, still that lovely hint of anise

Wet Leaves: olive green leaves with reddish accents, woody earthy spicy scent

2009 Lao Ban Zhang Mao Cha from Xishuangbanna, Yunnan

Dry Leaves: long dark twists of intact leaves with some stems, scents of mushrooms, soy sauce, darker than the Shi Tou Xin Jai

Liquor, 1st infusion: light tan liquor, sweet and vegetal

Liquor, 2nd infusion: spicy, sweet, with that smooth earthy depths, and hint of bitterness

Someplace about the 8th or 9th infusion: sweet, earthy, lovely as usual, but the astringency of the aftertaste is definitely present and noticeably more than the Shi Tou or the Wulian

Liquor, many?-th infusion: sweet, dilute, earthy

Wet Leaves: olive green leaves of uniform color, sweet, spicy, asparagus scents

2009 Wulian Shan Mao Cha from Dali Prefecture, Yunnan

Dry Leaves: long dark twists of intact leaves with some stems, scent sweet and vegetal and like clean earth

Liquor, 1st infusion: light tan liquor, sweet, vegetal, bit of astringency

Liquor, 2nd infusion: spicy, herbaceous, sweet with astringency and some bitterness

Someplace about the 8th or 9th infusion: sweet, earthy, again, a little spicy/herbaceous accent that in addition to and distinct from the astringency that forms part of the aftertaste of the LBZ

Liquor, many?-th infusion: sweet, dilute, mellow

Wet Leaves: olive leaves with reddish accents, sweet spicy vegetal scent

Photos:

Left 2010 Shi Tou Xin Jai Mao Cha, Nan Nuo Shan, Xishuangbanna, Yunnan

Middle or Top 2009 Lao Ban Zhang Mao Cha from Xishuangbanna, Yunnan

Right 2009 Wulian Shan Mao Cha from Dali Prefecture, Yunnan

[Wholemeal Crank]

Correction: The first tea is Shi Tou Xin Zhai, not Xin Jai. Greg let me know of the misspelling that is present on the packaging (oops).

[Chris Amirault]

I am a pu-erh newcomer. Snooping around Norbu this morning, I spied this 2007 Spring Yong De Mao Cha, a loose pu-erh. From the website, my emphasis:

Because of the aging in Yong De, the infused tea liquor is a beautiful amber color with spectacular clarity. The flavor is quite mellow, especially in light of the fact that it is only three years old. At the time of writing, the flavor, although tough to describe, really reminds me of the way the fall season smells in a forest after the leaves have fallen. The aftertaste is pleasant and clean tasting with elements of that "foresty" aroma. It is my opinion, besides being a very good value, that this is an excellent semi-aged mao cha that if left un-compressed should be consumed in the next 18 months or so. It really is showing it's potential as a loose tea right now with its balance between its young, raw flavor and more mellow, aged-type aspects. I really hope people enjoy this tea as much as I have been.

I ordered some -- that foresty stuff really puts me over the moon. However, I realized that I haven't a clue about how to brew pu-erh with my office set-up: two small ceramic mugs, a glass teapot with a large stainless strainer, and a speedy kettle. I realize I'm not getting a cake from the early 20th century here, but I still don't want to make a dumb newbie mistake and ruin an otherwise compelling experience -- and potential addition to my tea repertoire.

Any thoughts?

[Wholemeal Crank]

I have some of this tea in my cupboard, but haven't brought it out to try yet. I've loved the 2006 yong de braided sheng puerh I tried recently, and this one sounds very similar.

I'd suggest starting with a low leaf to water ratio (2 grams for my 75mL/2.5 oz gaiwans), water just off the boil, flash rinse, then sit 2-3 minutes, and start the infusions with 5 seconds, and move on from there to adjust to your taste.

I am very eager to try this tea, but had a few others to get through first.

[Chris Amirault]

Thanks, WC, but I have a question. I tend to dump tea into a strainer, pour water over it in a pot, set a timer and drink. Thus I'm a bit confused by the phrase "start the infusions." Assume idiocy in your explanation.

[Wholemeal Crank]

Some of the loose young sheng I've been drinking can be very bitter if not handled delicately. I haven't tried this one yet but Greg's description including strong raw/young aspects makes me suspect this one is no different. So the way to control the strength of the tea and the bitterness is through tea to water ratio and the length of time the tea is in contact with the hot water. I can enjoy even quite strong young teas like this despite my bitter phobia if I use a moderate quantity of tea for the amount of water, and keep the water in contact with the tea very briefly at first, and gradually extend the time the tea & water are together as I make a series of infusions. Because I'm going to do it this way, I use a very small tea brewing vessel so that I can drink that volume 10-20 times without getting waterlogged myself.

My preference usually is to start with a gaiwan, but the same should apply to a pot, although I'd preheat a thick-walled yixing and don't usually bother to preheat the thin walled porcelain gaiwan, because the flash rinse is going to take care of that for me.

So....preheat a liter or quart of water to boiling and keep it very hot in your kettle (I set my pino to 205 degrees, and the water temp will thus vary from 200-212 during my series of infusions).

I measure about 2 grams of tea (using scale) for my 75mL/2.5 oz gaiwan.

If using a similar size teapot, preheat it with one rinse, about 1-2 minutes, of the hot water, with no tea inside. Dump out the water.

Now add the tea to the gaiwan or pot. Pour in hot water to cover the tea, wait a second or three, putting the lid on, and pour out this water as fast as you can. This is the rinse, and is carrying off some of the dust etc from the tea surface, and the flavor is very variable depending on how fast each leaf hydrates, so it is not predictable as to strength of flavor. I dump it and don't try to drink it.

Sit on your hands for 1-2 minutes, letting the tea leaves hydrate with the water that clings to them.

Now pour in more of the hot water, and as soon as it hits the leaf start counting or tracking the time on your timer (an easy way to do that is to set one to count up and just watch the numbers click by), while you're putting down the kettle, slapping on the lid, and getting reading to pour when you get to five seconds since water hit the leaves. At 5 seconds, start pouring the tea out into your teacup, and if you're handy with your gaiwan or pot you should be able to accomplish this within another 5 seconds or so.

Wait a few seconds, sniff the tea scent, sniff the wet leaves, blow on the tea, then carefully sip/slurp to avoid burning your tongue, and drink it all up.

And start over with adding more hot water to the tea, and this time vary the time you wait before pouring off the tea depending on how you liked the first batch. Was it just right? Then wait 5 seconds and start pouring again. Was it a little weak? Then wait 10 seconds. Was it too strong? It's hard to infuse shorter than 10 seconds, so either remove a little of the leaf, or add some extra hot water to dilute the tea in your drinking cup after another 5 second infusion.

Now lather, rinse, repeat.

5", 5", 7", 10", 10", 15", 15", 20", 20", 30", 30"....and so on, a series of short, small infusions, each delicious, lasting until you're too full of tea to continue, or your leaf runs out of flavor to give.

Adjustments for the strainer in pot--you can either remove the strainer, if you can do so without burning your fingers, or pour out the tea from the pot with strainer in place. Depends on the pot/strainer setup. The one part I am most wary about here is the possibility that the pot is quite large and your infusion volumes might be huge. In that case, you might still start with about 2 grams of tea, which will look ridiciously small in that pot, and infuse longer for fewer times. It's harder to adjust the time to get the flavor just right with fewer longer infusions but you can do it if you pour out a few drops for one sip now and then to check the 'doneness' of the tea as it is infusing, and stop when it gets to something you like to drink. I do essentially this when I 'bulk brew' in the kamjove tea thingie to fill up my thermos for the day.

Does that help?

Also, another link togreg's video on gongfu style brewing can't hurt. Scroll down the page a bit and you can find the video linked for download to your computer or watch on youtube.

[Chris Amirault]

That is astonishingly helpful. I'm going to follow it to the letter this afternoon if I have the ability. Thanks.

ETA: Of course, I need the tea delivered first....

Edited October 6, 2010 by Chris Amirault (log)

[Richard Kilgore]

Wholemeal Crank is on target, Chris. If you still have the Chinese tea brewing set up that dumps the tea liquor into the container below after steeping, Greg says those also work well for brewing puerh. Knowing your tea preferences, you may like this one brewed with a higher leaf:water ratio - closer to 1.5g/1 ounce.

And stay tuned for more puerh Tea Tasting & Discussions coming in the not too distant future.

[Wholemeal Crank]

the Chinese tea brewing set up that dumps the tea liquor into the container below after steeping

I have a Kamjove KJ-350, much like this one. The primary problem with using it for puerh is that it requires a certain minimum volume to get the water level above the filter and with the tea, so I can't make a series of very small infusions with it. But it does fine for larger volume infusions and is what I use to make my thermoses full of tea for work.

[Wholemeal Crank]

Before I get to the puerh of the day, here's a shot of my Kamjove device: all plastic, nothing glass to shatter on the office carpeting. Heavily used!

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4113/5070332849_112436033e_m.jpg"]http://www.flickr.com/photos/debunix/5070332849

And then today's puerh: the oldest sample I got from Essence of Tea last month, the 1960s (early) Guang Yun Gong Puerh.

This is a very expensive tea, so I wanted to be well prepared. I finished lunch 30 minutes before tasting, brushed teeth without toothpaste, rinsed mouth with plain water—didn’t want anything to interfere with the taste of the tea.

1.4 grams of tea in tiny gaiwan

30mL water per infusion (used a very small measuring cup)

Water boiling or near boiling (205-212 per the thermometer when poured from the kettle)

Flash rinse

Wet leaves smell like forest floor—sweet clean compost scent

first infusion 15 seconds

earthy like the scent promised, but surprisingly strong sweet and spicy notes right up there with it

2nd infusion 20 seconds

earthy, caramel, sweet, spicy, very very very nice

3rd infusion 25 seconds

About the same as the 2nd infusion, a bit stronger is only difference

4th infusion 30 seconds

earthy, sweet, spicy, caramel

5th infusion, 40 seconds

Still strong and lovely

It kept going well to about 11 or 12 infusions; at 16 it was just slightly sweet water, but pleasant all the way to the end.

I have to admit to an ulterior motive here: I was hoping I might find that I actually prefer my young sheng puerhs to the ‘real deal’ of very aged sheng, since I have come to prefer them to most of the ripe shu—ripe shu designed to mimic the aged sheng, like young sheng better than ripe shu, so maybe will like young sheng better than aged sheng? So I was hoping to find this would be a rather bland experience like eating dirt. And it wasn’t. It is lovely. It is very, very lovely.

Is it lovely enough to want to invest $$$ in drinking it regularly and in larger volume? Maybe not. I think stuff like this will remain an occasional tea, because even as it is sitting net to me in the cup, and the water has just boiled again, visions of Lao Ban Zhang loose mao cha are dancing in my head.

But do I understand why some stuff like this is praised and prized so highly? Yes. I get it now. It is subtly but dramatically different than the best of the shus I have had, because it manages a wonderful balance of the elements of spicy, sweet, earthy, fruity, more complex than I’ve had yet from a shu.

[Richard Kilgore]

Wholemeal Crank is right, I am sure, Chris. The Kamjove and similar brewing devices are good for brewing at western ratios, and you can still get at least two to three infusions from a ratio of 2.0 - 2.5 g per six ounces of water. Essentially brewing it like you have been doing with black tea. Or if you are now using a tea pot with an infuser, you can use the same ratio.

As a side note - given your tastes, my best guess is that you would also enjoy an older shu (cooked) puerh. Best to get one at least two years old and at least five years old may be better. Some from the early 2000s and the 1990s are very nice and not astronomically expensive.

Small samples help cut your loses if it is something you really don't care for. Most tea merchants offer samples of 25 - 50 g. ( But don't throw a less than desireable puerh away. They can improve with a little airing out after shipping - I always allow at least 10 days - two weeks - and my brewing technique for that specific pu may improve, too. I always suspect first that I am the culprit when a tea does not live up to its reputation.)

[Wholemeal Crank]

After trying the very aged sheng puerh from EoT the other day, today I came back to my very first purchased puerh beeng, bought before I knew the words sheng or shu, and one that I thought was ok but really not that special. Viewed through the 'lens' of this other tea, I see that while it doesn't have the intensity of flavor I'm coming to love in young shengs, it's really better than I gave it credit for in the past. It's not as spicy/fruity as the lovely EoT puerh, but quite nice.

It's the one on the left in this photo, yummy.

[annachan]

I've been drinking puerh since I've been drinking tea. My grandfather drank it all day and night. He also ate the most unhealthy stuff (the fattest parts of all meats, use salad dressing/condiments by the cup, etc.) but never had high cholesterol. We always said that it's the puerh that kept him that way. He not only drank a lot, he also drank it strong. If the color isn't almost black, it's too light for him. That's probably why I tend to brew mine strong as well.

We still get our puerh from Hong Kong. When we went back last month, my mom bought about 10 lbs to bring back. Once in a while, I do pick up puerh from Teavana as well. I like the one with strawberries.

[Wholemeal Crank]

I do have a hard time with the idea of puerh and strawberries.

I have enjoyed my puerh earthy, smoky, sweet, fruity, sharp, herbaceous, but ..... strawberries? What is the background type of puerh that is flavored with strawberries, and does it still taste like puerh, or just like strawberry flavor with hint of tea?

[annachan]

It's puerh with some dried strawberries in the tea. The flavor of the puerh does come through in the tea with the strawberries adding a hint of sweetness and fruitiness. The first time I saw the tea, I had much reservations. But, I've really grown to like it.

[Wholemeal Crank]

Interesting. I have to admit I did enjoy the garlic ice cream in Gilroy. Stranger things have happened.

[Richard Kilgore]

I pulled out a piece of the beeng that Wholemeal Crank referred to uptopic and sent to me last year. Not sure my tea memory is good enough to make this a strong statement, but it is better than the first time I brewed it. The pu may have developed a little in the meanwhile, and I am also brewing it this time in a Yixing with good old clay dedicated to older shu. At any rate, it's smooth and delicious. Thanks again.

[Wholemeal Crank]

It's a good reminder to go through the pu stock and check things from time to time, to see how they're developing. Too easy to get in to a rut, and miss the excellence on all sides.

But today, back into the 'rut' with my 2007 White Bud Sheng from Norbu. One of my very first infusions was an 80 second shocker with a densely packed yixing, but it's been all good ever since, and that would have been fine too if I'd known to just dilute the overly strong infusion to taste. I like this tea packed densely and packed light; brewed hotter and cooler; and even after it cools. One of these days I'll have to try a smidgen cold-brewed overnight--bet I'll like it that way too.

[Wholemeal Crank]

A taste comparison of 4 loose young sheng puerhs:

Essence of Tea 2010 Bangwai Village http://www.essenceoftea.co.uk/2010-Bangwai.html

2010 Manmai Village http://www.essenceoftea.co.uk/2010-Manmai.html

2010 Mansai Village http://www.essenceoftea.co.uk/2010-Mansai.html

The Mandarins Tearoom 2005 Nannuo Mt. http://themandarinstea.blogspot.com/2006/05/kunming-yiwu-nannou-2005-pre-ming.html

Conditions: 1.5 grams each tea, 30mL per infusion in tiny gaiwans, boiling water flash rinse, and water set to 205 degrees in the Pino so it would hold it quite hot for the multiple infusions.

Infusion timing was 10", 15", 15", added some cooler infusions just to see what difference it might make, 20" at 170 degrees, 30", 30"; and a few more infusions done the next day, at hotter temps, still nice but flavor fading.

The Manmai and Nannuo were more immediately approachable, sweet and light and a bit spicy without astringency or bitterness; the Mansai and Bangwai both had a stronger smokiness and bitterness especially at the beginning. Most interestingly, the Mansai and Bangwai also kept more complex flavors into the infusions, even the next day, with less bitterness but earthy/sweet/spicy there, while the Manmai and the Nannuo were close to hot water by that time.

No photos of the actual teas, because I drank them from some darkly colored cups, hiding the color of the teas.

[Wholemeal Crank]

Forgot to add that those teas were part of a free tasting organized by another tea forum. There was also a fifth tea, but I did not have enough gaiwans to feature the Mandarin Tea Room's YiWu, which was also very nice in an earlier solo tasting.

I have a full cake of a different EoT young sheng, and am looking forward to that one too, since these were so delicious. But first, tonight, I have a date with another tea from the current TT&D to see if I can find some tropical flavors in it.

[Wholemeal Crank]

2006 Ripe Puerh Tea Tribute Brick by Haiwan Tea Factory, from Norbu

First time drinking this tea in a while. Like most bricks, it is challengingly compressed, and one of the teas that inspired me to buy some particularly pointed letter openers. Success! several grams of tea have just soaked up their ‘flash’ rinse quickly in my gaiwan. Earthy, sweet, fruity, plummy scents arise—makes me want to eat it as much as drink it.

Greg warns about overly long steeps at first—suggesting a possibility of off flavors. I find nothing like, but perhaps this is in part due to letting it ‘air out’ loosely wrapped in my puerh drawer. The first two steeps—no more than 30 seconds between the—are combined in my small yunomi, and deep red-brown liquor, and I want to drink fast but am waiting….tap, tap, tapping impatient feet—for it to cool. And the first sip is rewarding—deep, sweet, lovely, all the things promised in the smell of the wet leaf. And nothing whatsoever ‘off’ about it.

The leaves are still swelling and will eventually fill a good part of the gaiwan, so this should have a lot of steeps in it.

10 or so steeps in, the gaiwan is at least 1/3 full with very broken up leaves. It still requires a bit of care to avoid oversteeping—and responds well to a little dilution if I overdo it. Earthy, sweet, fruity, plummy. Rich body. Compared to the Norbu private label Lao Tou Cha nugget brick, this is an earthier tea, but equally delicious in a different way. And like that tea, it is very potent due to the density—a little goes long way. I really thought it was such a thin little sliver when I dropped it in the cup….

Many infusions later—certainly more than 20, maybe closer to 30—it is getting on towards sweet water, that gentle ending, but this with what are still very short infusions. Will give it longer to see if I can coax more out of it before we’re done. …… 1.5 L into it, the kettle is empty, but the tea leaves still have some sweet & spicy scent left.