Mandala, Temple Stairs 2014 Ripe Pu'er Mini Tuocha

Mandala Description:
We are pleased to present yet another Mandala Tea exclusive ripe pu’er. This creamy and smooth two leaf blend was created using grade one material that was spring-picked and ripened in 2012 and 2013.  Not only were both pickings from plantations that are pesticide free, but the two growing areas (at Bada and Mengsong) are far from any cities or air pollution. This is 100% pure tea and some of the finest ripe tea available.  We also note that the leaf was expertly cared for in the process of fermentation, yielding a perfectly ripened leaf with full integrity.  Teas from these areas are famous for their uplifting nature as well as their qi raising goodness. As this tea warms your lower dan tien (in laymen terms - the “energy bank account”), you will note hints of cocoa in aroma and taste. Flavors of sweet root vegetables with hints of dark brown sugar dance on your tongue alongside the clean and well-rounded essence of minerals.

My Review:

Another acquired from a Steepster tea friend, who I owe some tea, even if she doesn't need it. This is a personal sized toucha. I generally love these things. They are almost as convenient as a tea bag. but far better quality when you get them from a reputable dealer.

This is a ripe pu-erh and each toucha weighs in at about 5.1g. Unwrapped it is a typical nest shape of dark browns with lighter cinnamon colored leaf. It has a typical toucha scent- that means hints of barnyard and earthy but not offensive.

I used a 90ml (3oz) gaiwan today with boiling water. The first steep was 20 seconds. I don't do rinses.

The first cup is a dark orange. It has an aroma similar to the dry leaf. The toucha has swollen but remains almost entirely intact.

The sip is very smooth. There is no sign of the rough edge that often accompanies ripe toucha. this cup has a slight earthiness. It reminds me of the smell while digging up potatoes in the dry soil. I also get a sense of leather but only mildly. It finishes with a wonderful mineral sense. For a first cup this is really nice.

With second cup I poured boiling water into the gaiwan and immediately put on the lid and began to pour. It takes a few seconds to pour from the kettle and the gaiwan - so lets call it 10s. I was shooting for 5.

The brew is as dark brown as coffee. The toucha has pretty much disintegrated. This has a bit rougher edge. It seems more bitter, but not horribly so. I am still not getting the brown sugar or cocoa Mandala mentions. What I am getting is similar to the first cup. Not sure why, but this reminds me of coffee even though it tastes nothing like coffee.

Third cup prepared similar to the last but my pouring was a little quicker. This is still very dark and has more of a burgundy cast to it. The edge is lighter in this cup and as it subsides. drifts into the pleasant leather tone hiding beneath. This has a pleasant calming effect.

Fourth cup, it occurred to me I was not reviewing this tea on an even playing field. Normally I use a big clay teapot and prepare 8 oz at a time. So, to rectify this I prepared this cup, at 10 seconds, in the gaiwan and poured into my mug, then added enough water from the kettle to make an 8 oz serving. The color is a deep burgundy tinted orange.

The rough edge has been taken off the cup. Now I am back to smooth leather along with earth and sweet hay. It again finishes with a nice rounded mineral taste.

OK, this proves to me I much prefer a Western mug method when preparing touchas. It is also a reminder to you to always be willing to experiment with alternate parameters when you think something can be improved upon - or maybe more so when you are pretty sure it can't. The results might surprise you.

This is a good ripe toucha. It will go more steeps, but this is where I am stopping today.

You can find Mandala Temple Stairs here.

 

Lao Cang, Honeysuckle Flower Ripe Puer Bowl

Lao Cang Description:
These premium mini tuo cha are made from Simao fermented ripe pu-erh. These are about 4-5 grams each. The brewed liquor is a lovely deep red color and the flavor is rich, sweet and smooth. This is a great drink for a dry throat , after a heavy meal, or just for enjoyment alone! In traditional Chinese medicine, honeysuckle is considered one of the most important herbs for releasing poisons from the body and clearing heat from the body.
They are small tea cakes of ripeYunnan large leaf as raw materials Mixed with the Honeysuckle Flower, by fixing, rolling, dry daylight, autoclave refining process and compressed into the bowl shaped cake which you can easily drop into a cup or teapot for a quick and easy brewing of your Pu-erh tea time. Each tea cake is individually wrapped for convenient storage that will make the Pu-erh tea last much longer and easy to carry.

My Review:
This one came my way from a friend, who got it from a friend, who... I have no idea where it was purchased. After some digging I located one source but there are probably many. I found it on Aliexpress from Royal Tea Bay. The store has a pretty high rating but I can't vouch for them or Aliexpress.

So under the bright yellow wrapper this appears to be a standard bird nest shape made of tightly compacted leaf. I don't see a lot that says honeysuckle in the dry mix.

I used my clay teapot and 3oz of water heated to boiling. I did not do a leaf rinse. The first steep was at 20s. The result is a gray tinted orange brew. The toucha has plumped but has not really even started to disintegrate. The leaf and cup have a light barnyard scent that might frighten a first time sipper. Trust me, I've drank many that smelled a whole lot worse and they tasted fine.

First Cup Is Very Light

The first cup is light in taste. It is kind of stone like in taste. There is no bitterness and very little if any astringency. I am getting a feeling of heat but it is not a spicy heat. Another flavor comes in towards the end that I can't identify yet, but mixing with the aroma, I am picturing horses. The cup only hints at what is to come.

The second 3oz cup at 12s is a lot darker. It is not quite coffee color but getting close. The toucha is halfway dissolved and has a much stronger barnyard aroma. The cup has a lighter barnyard aroma mixed with cedar. Now the flavor has really picked up. This is a mix of horse tack (leather) and cedar, with a spicy bite late in the sip. I also notice some floral notes, though I admit to not thinking honeysuckle. There is a bit of pucker power to this cup.

Cups three and four were combined to make a 6oz cup. My kettle takes a few seconds to pour and the clay pot pours steady but also takes a few seconds. I wanted about a 6s steep, so after adding water I waited just a couple seconds and began my pour. The brew is coffee in darkness.

The toucha has completely dissolved. I do see the honeysuckle petals in the mix. I am also impressed by the leaf used in this inexpensive pu-erh.

This cup is dusty horse tack with a smooth spicy finish. The best cup so far. The spice and the pucker factor have tamed way down. I am enjoying this one quite a lot. From past experience with flowers added to the mix, I don't notice the honeysuckle so much as credit it with bringing the smoothness to the cup.

This shows no signs of letting up. I will continue to steep for a while.

Concluding thoughts - I have had far more complex pu-erh, but for an everyday convenient and affordable version, it is hard to beat touchas. This happens to be a nice example. The downside is the aroma might scare you off. The upside is this smooths out into an enjoyable cup.    

Teavivre, Ripened Chrysanthemum Pu-erh Mini Tuocha

Teavivre Description:
Infused with a beautiful tiny Chrysanthemum flower in each tea cake, these Mini Pu-erh Tuocha (or tea cakes) are created with our premium ripened Yunnan Pu-erh tea, harvested in 2008.  The warm mellow and earthy flavored Pu-erh tea flakes are compressed into a beautiful bird's nest shape then individually wrapped for proper storage.  The light Chrysanthemum lends a light and aromatic floral tone to the more earthy flavor of the Pu-erh, and the tea cakes are a convenient way to brew your tea by dropping one tea cake into your cup or teapot.  When brewed, the Chrysanthemum flower is revealed, and the tea is infused with its flavor and aroma.

My Review:
It has been too long since I have reviewed a puerh. It has been even longer since I have reviewed a ripe one. Today's tea is from Teavivre.  I got it through a botched trade with a Steepster friend. I sent her the wrong tea. I realized it the day after putting it in the mail. She was more than gracious and sent this along with several surprises to be reviewed later.

So, toucha are just cool. Single serving size. No Fuss. No measuring. They are wrapped in thin paper as pu-erh needs to breathe. Removing the paper reveals a little nest made of dark post fermented leaf and chrysanthemum petals. I detect no real aroma from the dry toucha.

I decided to use my 90 ml gaiwan for today's session. Why? Because I can. Filtered water was heated to 100C (212F) and poured around the edges of the gaiwan. The lid put in place, I steeped for 12s. I did not do the recommended rinse first. The liquor is wine like burgundy as it pours, turning more of an orange/brown as it cools.

The wet toucha has only partially disintegrated. The aroma is like that of battered and deep fried fish and fries. I have not seen that description used anywhere in connection with this pu-erh (or any other), but I can only offer what I experience. It is a strange scent, that made me hungry.

The taste of the first cup is really very similar to the aroma. It is like fish and chips meets hazel nut. Very unusual yet somehow I like it. Again, I did not rinse the leaf.

The second cup at 10s is a completely different tea. The moment the water hit the leaf, it turned very dark, like silky dark chocolate. The aroma is a bit barnyard. That normally doesn't concern me, as it is seldom an indicator of the taste.

This time the aroma does match the taste. In addition, it is bitter, with a strong spiciness. I also detect cedar and some sense of old leather. About now I questioning if I should have used a western mug method instead of the gaiwan.

Third cup was steeped for 5s. The tea pours a beautiful red wine color. There is no off odor in this cup. It is rich, earthy, and cedar. Once again the taste coincides with the scent. The spice note seems more connected to the cedar in this cup and the leather is less noticeable. This cup is not bitter.

One thing is for sure, this tea is a roller coaster ride - frightening one moment, exhilarating the next. Holding my hands up high and preparing to scream real loud with a smile on my face, it's time for round four.

Steeped at 10s, this is the best cup yet. There is no bitterness or barnyard. This is rich spicy cedar, and much smoother than the previous cup. The leather is more prominent this time.

Can we ride the coaster again? Can we? Huh? Can we? Yes please!

Cup five @ abt 12s. The tea continues to pour burgundy but looks much darker in the cup. This is almost a mirror of the previous cup. The spicy cedar and the leather are now more equal. The leather revealing itself to be more of an old book leather. Another excellent cup.

My kidneys are now taking the role of mom and saying, "That's enough, let's go." Meanwhile my taste buds are the gang of friends I'm hanging out with. They are all like, "Pretend you didn't hear her and ride one more time." What to do? What to do? Yep, one more time! I'm a bad boy. I'll be grounded later, but it will be worth it.

Cup six @ abt 15s. The tea is slightly lighter in color. The cedar is now less intense and the spiciness now clings to the old book leather. Very nice.

Mom now has a firm hold on my arm and says I'm done. I'm trying not to cry in front of my friends. I do manage to mudder under my breath, "I never get to have any fun!" ;) Until next time.

 You can find Teavivre Ripened Chrysanthemum Pu-erh Mini Tuocha here.

Tuocha Tea, 2008 Menghai 8582 Dayi Raw Pu-erh Cake

Web Photo - not taken from this cake 

Toucha Tea Description:
A classic Menghai tea factory recipe that was first introduced in 1985 for direct sales to Hong Kong Nian Tian company. 8582 Raw Pu-erh Cake use larger mature leaves inside for this cake, the tea has a very refreshingly sweet and smooth aftertaste, gives rich taste and swallows extremely well. Great potential after a few years of aging.

Size & Price:
2008 Menghai *8582* Dayi Raw Pu-erh Cake - 357g, $17.60 (USD)

My Review:
I have had this sample in my pu-erh drawer since spring. I have been so busy it just wasn't fitting in my schedule. Pu-erh waits patiently and instead of losing its appeal, it generally gets better with age. Today is a slow rainy day and it is begging for a sheng.

The leaf on this is mostly loose in the plastic baggie. Originally purchased by a tea friend and sent to me, I believe this was compressed in cake form, as I can find no loose version of this blend for sale.

The leaf is dark but still shows hints of green and I see some whole leaf in the mix. I did not detect any significant aroma to the dry leaf.

I used my Yixing pot and 10 oz of water heated to 212F (100C). I really don't know if I should be using cooler water for a raw tea. I should experiment a little and see what happens. Anyway, I let this steep for about 45 seconds.

A word about my pot - it is big for a Yixing. I know that goes against most people's reasoning for using a clay pot but you know what? That's the way I like to drink my tea. If I use a gaiwan, for instance, I will almost always pour three cups together, so I figure why not just steep it all at once. I use a Yixing simply for the joy it gives me to do so.

The brew starts pouring as a light yellow orange. As it cools it becomes more golden orange. When I poured, I did use a strainer but it turned out to not be necessary. The strainer holes in the pot proved to be sufficient to prevent leaf from escaping.

I have to admit, the wet leaf scent was not very appealing. It kind of smells like a wet carpet. Never encountered that before. The leaf did however turn green and fresh looking. Some of the leaf is whole and appears like it was just picked off the tree.

Tasting the first cup, I am noticing bitterness first, then some astringency in the form of drying. It does seem a little sweet with some woodsy notes trying to come through. Maybe cooler water and definitely a shorter steep is in order. On the other hand, I did not pour off the first cup as a wash. I almost never do, so I'll take the blame for this one.

As the cup cools and I taste while typing, I caught a faint hint of smoke. Promising.

For my second 10 oz pot, I used 200F water and a 10 second steep. The color is only slightly lighter in color. The wet leaf now has a pleasant woodsy mushroom with a hint of smoke aroma. Yeah, that's more like it!

The bitterness is all but gone. Just enough remains to make this interesting. The dryness is also greatly reduced. This is sweet. It feels a bit syrupy. The taste is a combination of stone and mushroom. There is nothing off-putting in the taste. A very enjoyable cup.

Mug three - cup 9, if you gongfu brew - at 20 seconds, is the best yet. A slight bitterness is present. The flavor is again woodsy mushroom with a stone element. The stone is a mineral taste like drinking water poured over rocks. The smoke is light but present late as I exhale.The aftertaste lingers.

This shows no signs of giving up but I want to post the review, so I am quitting here for now.

You can find the 2008 Menghai 8582 Dayi Raw Pu-erh Cake here