Wild Jungle Sheng Maocha Puerh and Liming Spring High Mountain Sheng Puerh

Wild Jungle Sheng Maocha

A little while ago I acquired a couple pounds of a "wild jungle sheng mao cha" dating back to the year 2000. Although technically not a pu'er as this tea comes from Laos, it is a pu'er and has been exceptionally aged. Picked and processed by the Dai people just across the border from Yunnan, the wild tea plants and associated leaves are delicious and exhibit many of the characteristics that I love about this style of pu'er. The leaves are very large and thick, coming from the summer harvest. They were minimally processed, being sun-dried before being piled and aged. Opening up the bag, the classic "funk" of a good pu'er wafted out and overwhelmed my senses. The tea brewed up to a smooth, slightly sweet brew with a slight viscosity that coated the tongue before slowly revealing the subtle flavors.

Sharing the tea with friends, all seem to really enjoy it and it has been selling really well, even to a few green tea fans who enjoy it's ability to not turn astringent on longer steeps. People really overlook aged maocha in my mind, thinking that cakes are where it is at when it comes to pu'er, but to my mind a good aged maocha can be exceptional, and often just as good as an aged cake pu'er but for less money. Something like this one will never be found on the market again, and so I will be holding on to as much of it as possible to slowly put out over the next couple years. If you happen to come into the cafe and see a "wild green sheng" available, I strongly suggest you give it a try.

The readings I got on this were:

Water
TDS - 87ppm
PH - 7.56

Tea
TDS - 484ppm
PH - 5.95

Difference
TDS - 397ppm
PH - 1.61

This was a really good extraction, as I usually only get that much TDS change in black teas. The PH change is a bit above the normal pu'er, but not a total outlier.

2005 Liming Spring High Mountain Sheng

I got one cake of this 2005 gushu to try before buying the entire tong. A couple people have put forth a negative impression of the factory, which is located in the Menghai area and is one of the oldest pu'er factories, having been established in 1964, but from what I can tell they have done so to simply push their own pu'er and agenda. Others have noted how Liming, which also produces under the name Ba Jiao Ting (which is the label of their higher quality products), has been noted for its consistency, quality, and push towards organic tea. The online world is full of players pushing their own agenda - I try and ignore that and let the tea speak for itself. So I ordered a cake, as the price was favorable and I wanted to try the tea.

I enjoyed it - my notes include "nice, alert, hay and honey, lingering through the nose, good digestion, a touch dry in aging." It did not have the viscosity or slowly rising chi of the Wild Jungle Sheng above, but I was able to pull a 5 hour standing counter shift with no breaks right after enjoying this tea and felt great the whole time, so that should speak to something. I will order a tong and see what the customers say, but think it will go over well.

This photo shows the difference in leaf size between the spring Liming cake and the summer Wild Jungle maocha. Quite the difference!

Here are the numbers I got:

Water
TDS - 53ppm
PH - 6.95

Tea
TDS - 388ppm
PH - 6.07

Difference
TDS - 335ppm
PH - .88

Another good extraction, although not as high as the Wild Jungle Sheng above. The PH change was also much less, indicating that the leaves released less carbon into the water, most likely because they are 5 years younger.

1998 Menghai Area Pu'er

Ahhh, the mystery and fun of older pu'er (puer, puerh, etc.). I recently bought a tong of this old pu'er - the only information I got on it was that it was harvested around 1998 from the Menghai area. Obviously it is a Menghai pu'er based on the paper wrapping, but beyond that the only other information I have is that it was stored in Guandong until 2008 under "wet conditions" and then brought over to the United States where it continued to age in "dry conditions." Some may not like the lack of information, others may not approve of the storage techniques, but one must taste the tea to make an ultimate decision.

The tea is very good in my opinion. It is what I would call a "classic" Menghai pu'er - deep, smooth, semi-sweet at the end. Some earth flavors, but really a mellow, all day drinking tea with a very slow rising cha qi. The tea can handle many steeps, and can either be brewed with flash steeps for a lighter cup or let sit for a dark, thick brew. I prefer the flash steeps myself, but one of our regulars loves to let the pu'er sit until it is nice, thick, and dark.

Measurements on this tea are:

Water
Temp - 165
TDS - 73ppm
PH - 7.34

Brewed Tea
Temp - 165
TDS - 288ppm
PH - 6.48

Difference
TDS - 215ppm
PH - .86

Puer - 2006, 2007, 1995

Puer - Puerh - Pu-er

Oh, how people love to tell stories about puer. The "drinkable antique" fills books, Facebook groups, and hundreds upon hundreds of blog posts. I find it fascinating how people are head-over-heels about puer, but not necessarily other teas, especially considering that we know the least about most of these puers compared to other teas. Ages of trees are thrown around like facts when really it is all made up. Varietals are tossed around like soccer balls, when really again, we know hardly anything. Even the location of the harvest is largely made up, yet people will stake their lives on so-called "single origin" puers. The puer market is one giant illusion, with little transparency and jianghu players throughout.

But that rant is for a later post, when I, naive as I am, have more knowledge and education surrounding this tea. The main point here is that if you are a tea buyer - hold off on puers until you get a good handle on the truth behind them, or if you must have a few for your customers, focus on shou or cooked puers that come from the main "factories".

Yunnan and Pu'er. The main centers are listed: Xishuangbanna and the Six Tea Mountains, Lincang, Dali, Dehong, and Pu'er.

2006 Dali Xiaguan Jia Ji Sheng

I have been sitting on this sheng for a couple years now, and put it out recently or our customers to enjoy. Pulling the tuocha's out of the tong was a magical experience, as the smell oozed out and began to pervade my nostrils. Breaking apart the tuocha was perhaps even better, as the aroma rose and coated my fingers, leaving the residue of a properly aged puer for me to enjoy. The tea had hints of spice and black pepper at the front, mellowing to a smooth finish with hints of sweetness and hay towards the end. Drinking the tea was a pleasure, and the effects lasted long after the last drop had been drunk - I continued to taste the tea for several hours after. It proved to be a great seller, and we quickly went through our 5 tuochas. I put one last one aside to age for a few more years, and then gave the remainder of one tuocha to some friends to try.

The tuocha before being broken up.

As we roll through winter here in Colorado, I will continue to pull out various sheng and shou puers for people to enjoy. I find winter to be the prime drinking season for puers, and plan on featuring several rare ones for people to try over the next several months.

I came across this print by Utagawa Toyokune, the great master of ukiyo-e and found it relevant to my current thoughts around puer. Although it is a print of kabuki scene in Japan, it illustrates the intrigue, mystery, and showmanship surrounding puer in the contemporary market.

2007 and 1995 Mao Cha Sheng

A couple years ago I bought a couple pounds of a 2007 and a 1995 loose sheng from a particular vendor. I've sat on these, continuing to age them, as well as bring them out from time to time to share with friends and others. To me, these illustrate perfectly the real puer market before and at the height of the boom. Little information is known on these shengs, other than they come from Xishuangbanna and the year they were harvested. At the time, prior to the re-invention of puer and especially pressed puer from Yi Wu and other villages around 2004, most was harvested and then sold to "factories" for fine processing. That is the case with these - most likely a mixture of "wild arbor", "terrace", and other leaves all mixed. Most was probably turned into shou puer at the factories, but some was set aside and aged as mao cha such as this. The flavor profile fits the location of Xishuangbanna, but beyond that it is hard to pin-point much more. The 2007 has aged well, mellowing into a nice sheng that is fairly easy to approach. The 1995 is even better, with more complexity in the flavor profile - including some interesting notes of spice, wood, and fruit.

2007 Mao Cha Sheng

1995 Mao Cha Sheng

A very nice pluck coming from 1995, demonstrating the quality of this sheng.

Now for the numbers...

2006 Dali Xiaguan Jia Ji Sheng

Water
TDS - 86
PH - 7.49
Temp - 165

Brewed Tea
TDS - 407
PH - 5.85
Temp - 155

Difference
TDS - 321
PH - 1.64

2007 Mao Cha Sheng

Water
TDS - 73
PH - 7.32
Temp - 160

Brewed Tea
TDS - 400
PH - 6.05
Temp - 156

Difference
TDS - 327
PH - 1.27

1995 Mao Cha Sheng

Water
TDS - 76
PH - 7.57
Temp - 165

Brewed Tea
TDS - 240
PH - 6.17
Temp - 153

Difference
TDS - 164
PH - 1.40

What do the numbers reveal? Well, preliminary data suggests that the ages of the puers are correct. The 2007 and 2006 extract almost the same as a fresh green, but less than an oolong or a shou. The 1995, because of it's age, did not extract as much, resulting in a lower TDS difference. The only other tea showing these characteristics so far are charcoal roasted Da Hong Pao's. Logically, this makes sense, as the older the tea, the harder it is to get them to "open up". Likewise, the more roasted an oolong, the harder it is to get it to "reveal itself to you."

But really, all of the above is beyond the point. Tea, and drinking tea, is about sharing and enjoying with friends. So, I end with this photo of a good puer session I had recently with friends. Enjoy!

Wulu Mountain Tribute Green, Tea Culture, and 2011 Man Tang Hong 2 Shou Puerh

I've been busy preparing for this Sunday's upcoming tea tasting on competition oolongs from Taiwan, but that doesn't stop me from trying teas on a daily basis. I'm also constantly researching tea and tea history, as I find what is out "there" really is inadequate or incorrect. I don't pretend to know very much, but I do find it frustrating when people do pretend to be authorities, yet it is obvious with a little research that what they are saying is not completely accurate. The real lesson is that if you are serious about tea, and want what you actually pay for, then you need to do a lot of research and learning. The internet is full of "authorities" or websites that are fudging their facts to make it sound like they have the "best" or "true" or "highest quality" tea out there.

This rule of caution may not hold as much truth when buying teas from Ceylon, Nilgiri, Assam, or Darjeeling, simply because you can generally get the quality and grade you pay for directly from the Estate. So, in the cafe, I buy directly from each Estate in these locations and have the tea air shipped in. This allows us to get the freshest tea possible from these locations. It may cost a bit more for the air shipping, but when you are dealing with a Moonshine Darjeeling, or a SFTGFOP Assam, or a Ceylon Silver Tip, fresh is the name of the game.

However, when talking about tea from China or Taiwan, if you do not know your source - and hopefully it is direct from farmer/grower/producer, then caution must be exercised. It is very easy to be sold a Long Feng Xia from Taiwan made of the Jin Xuan varietal when you wanted one from the Qing Xin varietal. Or a Wuyi Oolong that really is not Wuyi. And puerh is an entirely different story. So, education and research, every day is how I go about learning what is real and what is hype or exaggeration.

But part of this is also learning the larger history of tea and appreciating it in all forms across what many call "tea culture" - a culture that goes way back in history, for thousands of years.

This is a photo from the book "The Dali Lama's Secret Temple Tantric Wall Paintings from Tibet." This image is that of Chandrabhadra receiving an ambrosia. Accompanied with the photo below of the same wall painting, one may argue that the ambrosia is tea!

From the same book, this is Nagarjuna receiving some ambrosia from a forest spirit. But look at the tree - it sure looks like it could be a tea bush/tree. There is certainly a high reverence for tea among Tibetan Buddhists, and monks have been using tea for centuries to help with meditation practices.

Wulu Mountain Tribute Green

One of the newer green teas that I put out recently in the cafe. Another summer green, from the Anhui Province in China. The leaves were picked in June of this year, pan fired and slightly rolled by hand.  The liquor is delicious, classic green, with hints of herbaceous, grassy flavor that is found in well made summer greens.

The dried leaves, slightly curled.

I do fast steepings of around 20 seconds, for a slightly lighter cup.

The unfurled leaves.

Another images, this one from the book "Oriental Rugs and Carpets" by Stanley Reed. The image shows Mumtazi-i Mahal, wife of Shah Jahan in a 1726 painting.  Shah Jahan was the 5th Mughal Emperor of India. Here she is enjoying some tea, perhaps from the tree just behind her?

2011 Man Tang Hong "Number 2" Shou Puerh

This puerh was made from an average of grade 2 ripe tea leaves harvested from mature tea bushes in Mengku county (Lincang prefecture), in southwest Yunnan Province, China. The tea was made from spring leaves harvested and fermented during the summer of 2007, then allowed to age for 4 years before being blended and pressed. Finally, after six years of dry storage in Kunming the puerh was released onto the market. I only had a sample to try, and although I found it delicious, with a classic ripe puerh flavor and a smooth, dark liquor, I can't say much more. It was a perfect everyday drinking puerh.

The pressed, dried leaves.

Third steeping, deep and dark.