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Yunnan Sourcing pu'er blind tasting notes - Spoilers

Ditto, here's my "beta":

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I remember them all being yellow, rather than orange. I reckon someone's slipped Scotto some 6FTM!


Toodlepip,

Hobbes
 
If this is the case that our samples have been shuffled then where do we go from here? Any ideas? I guess just carry on and see if there are any more indications of things just not matching up? And if so, can anybody think of a way to un-shuffle the teas? I hope this isnt the case but if they have been mixed up then this tasting is kinda pointless for the obvious reasons.:eek:
 
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View attachment 66297O.K. so here,s Delta. Nine grams of leaf, six ounce capacity Yixing and 15 second infusion time and this is the result. Much more orange or almost brown than any of the other samples so far. As far as the flavor go,s, I need some time to sort it out. No real distinctive characteristics are jumping out at me on this one. When you guys get around to Delta let us know if you,ve got something similar in appearance.

Into the fifth infusion: this one has a very full, round mouthfeel. I could see how this could be percieved as being malty, but to me more of a sweetish grain flavor. The slightest touch of bitterness in the aftertaste. Very dry, almost puckery. Not as penetrating as I would hope for considering it,s heavy texture. What flavors it has are nice enough but Delta just kinda plod,s along without enough complexity to keep my interest.

P.S. I wonder if that little hair made it into the pot? If so, then that explains everything. haha!
 
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If this is the case that our samples have been shuffled then where do we go from here? Any ideas? I guess just carry on and see if there are any more indications of things just not matching up? And if so, can anybody think of a way to un-shuffle the teas? I hope this isnt the case but if they have been mixed up then this tasting is kinda pointless for the obvious reasons.:eek:

Scotto and I seldom have the same opinion on tea - it's almost as if we're perpetually drinking different teas. I swear there's something asmiss with one of our set-ups! Either way, I think the fact that Scotto's tasting notes reflect apparently different teas is actually more evidence in favour of the fact that the teas are correct. If we agreed on a tea, we could almost certainly conclude that the samples were mislabelled. :001_smile


Toodlepip,

Hobbes
 
Scotto and I seldom have the same opinion on tea - it's almost as if we're perpetually drinking different teas. I swear there's something asmiss with one of our set-ups! Either way, I think the fact that Scotto's tasting notes reflect apparently different teas is actually more evidence in favour of the fact that the teas are correct. If we agreed on a tea, we could almost certainly conclude that the samples were mislabelled. :001_smile


Toodlepip,

Hobbes

Indeed! :wink:
 

ouch

Stjynnkii membörd dummpsjterd
Scotto and I seldom have the same opinion on tea...........If we agreed on a tea, we could almost certainly conclude that the samples were mislabelled. :001_smile


Toodlepip,

Hobbes


More likely the coming of the apocalypse, if you ask me.
 
Scotto and I seldom have the same opinion on tea - it's almost as if we're perpetually drinking different teas. I swear there's something asmiss with one of our set-ups! Either way, I think the fact that Scotto's tasting notes reflect apparently different teas is actually more evidence in favour of the fact that the teas are correct. If we agreed on a tea, we could almost certainly conclude that the samples were mislabelled. :001_smile


Toodlepip,

Hobbes

I,m not convinced. To a degree I could expect differences of opinion when it comes to flavors, but the tasting notes are just too far off. Also when you have two people suposedly drinking the same tea and one guy says it,s orange and the other guy saying it,s yellow, one says smokey and the other, what smoke? then we know there is a flub up. Color isnt all that subjective. But if it is screwed up maybe all is not lost. This could turn out to be even more of a learning experience by trying to figure out what,s what.
 
I,m not convinced. To a degree I could expect differences of opinion when it comes to flavors, but the tasting notes are just too far off. Also when you have two people suposedly drinking the same tea and one guy says it,s orange and the other guy saying it,s yellow, one says smokey and the other, what smoke? then we know there is a flub up. Color isnt all that subjective. But if it is screwed up maybe all is not lost. This could turn out to be even more of a learning experience by trying to figure out what,s what.

Maybe, maybe. :001_smile

I could probably make a "yellow" sample orange and emphasise smokey tones by using more leaf, and brewing for longer. Sometimes, my day-to-day changes cause such variation, if I'm not being careful! It could just be differences in style.

This has happened with so... many... teas between Scotto and I that it can't be down to mislabelled tea. :ihih:


Toodlepip,

Hobbes
 
Beta:

Opening the foil bag released a blast of sweet and sour yumminess. The leaves are in great shape and the chunk is fairly loose. This is either very loosely pressed or broken up by a pro.

Quick rinse: Soup is pale yellow with a hint of brown or orange. Not bright yellow. I taste flowers and straw with a good bit of sweetness in the rinse water.

5s: Light sweetness. I'm surprised by the smokiness combined with florals and straw. Like a hybrid of Xiaguan and numbered Dayi teas. That's an odd sensation. Soup is pretty sedate, maybe needed a longer rinse to awaken. Mild bitterness but in a way that tells me it will develop later. Brown sugar? The empty cup yields an aroma similar to very slightly unripe pears and a touch of hay.

10s: Much stronger ku but still not overbearing. Some tobacco. Sugar scents are darkening.

20s: (Too long! Wife handed over the baby in a hurry. Protesting would bring the pain!) Big ku... still not on par with the punishing ku of Cang'Er but big enough to show this tea has some balls. Tobacco, dark flowers, deep sugars.

20s: Same as last infusion but a touch more restrained.

35s: Much better. Spicy. This infusion is really alive and jumping! The dark sugars are turning maply. How did this happen so late in this process?! Best infusion so far. I don't know that the sample is large enough for me to learn to reproduce this.

45s: Same as previous but with more ku. Nicely done.

From here we start to decline and fade out. I didn't chart these because we all know this process by now. I push and the tea chooses to give it up or not.

Summary: This wasn't a bad everyday tea. The Xiaghainess is somewhat confusing to me. I haven't seen many that ride the boundary between the styles this closely. I'm intrigued and will savor this sample. If nothing else, I wouldn't mind having some of this around to drink. I won't pretend to know how this tea will age.
 
The Epsilon is more up my alley, way up my alley. Superlative! The dry leaf is multiple shades of greens, browns with plenty of silvery / bluish tips. Dry leafs aroma is fresh and green with lots of depth. This tea opens up quickly, releasing it,s flavors without much coaxing. Brews yellow with the slightest touch of amber. From the first infusion it,s flavor palate is established. Long beans and chestnut sitting on a background of grain. Fully saturated flavors, and perfect viscosity for this tea. I think that sometimes a teas flavor and their textures dont match, for instance a tea with delicate flavors yet a heavy body. Showing up mid way through the session are hints of meadow in the cup a well as the aroma. Delicately sweet, barely noticable bitterness in the aftertaste. Even though I tend to push teas too hard this ones durability is pretty good. None of the flavors drop out or shift positions. I like this tea quite a bit and would buy without hesitation. So far I,ve not been playing "name that sheng" but I,m somewhat confident that this is the Yiwu. This is a tea that is perfect right now, even though teas improve with age, I dont think I would go there with this one. I wonder if what I like so much about this tea would still be there in however many years of aging.
 
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Gamma,s got some big chunky brownish leaf, sturdy! I can smell the earthiness in the leaf. This ain't gonna be your light and dainty cup-o-sheng. All of these teas have ideal compression, so easy to separate without breaking them up. Brews up yellowish brown. The aroma is robust, earthy and beany. Not beany as the fresh green variety but more of a dried legume smell. The slightest amount of grain in the background and I think I detect something that reminds me of Oolong, a barely detectable spice. Very round, full mouthfeel, almost thick. What a brute! Not so much in it,s flavor but more in it,s persistence. As the session progresses the brew go,s darker in color turning more brown. Just a tad sweet and no noticable bitterness. Midway into the session another element appears that I hadnt noticed before, the flavor of dried fruit, dates? Durability is good, into the fifth and it,s still going strong. I wouldn't mind having a couple of these cakes for storage. Although they are good now they might be more interesting in a couple years. That,s the only real flaw in my opinion, rather boring at the moment. The guessing game, You Le, me thinks.

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Gamma:

Much darker leaves than alpha or beta (I think beta was lightest so far). Darker aroma from the dry leaves as well.

10s rinse: Darker and mustier rinse water.
5s: Soup is very orange compared to the others so far. Very mellow and somewhat bland.
7s: Orange soup. Some minor bitterness. Not much else in the way of flavor. Maybe a bit of wood but not much.
15s: Much more bitter now. Empty cup smells ever so slightly of baked apples without the sweetness. Soup is orange and flavors muddy. Not crisp.
20s: More bitterness and less flavor.
25s: The decline has started. From here on out we quickly lose all the flavors and bitterness. The liquor stays soft and dark but little else remains.

Nothing to see here, unfortunately. Nice mouthfeel but little else to recommend it. I don't think I'd pay for this. Is this a bulang? It's got the ku but seems to lack the rest and I used almost 9g!
 
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Large leaves, green, a few white tips

Brews light yellow, hint of orange

Basic green sheng, brimming with astringency.

Single note. Nice leaves though, some buds.

Alpha is overpoweringly astringent. Had to stop after 4-5 infusions. Haven't been playing this game long enough to guess whether with time the astringency will mellow into something to cherish.
 
View attachment 66614O.K. Ive had all the teas a couple of times now and I am absolutely positive that I have made the correct conclusions. Just kidding, of course I dont know for sure. This has been a lot of fun, tasting, evaluating and re-tasting. I know Hobbes is going to have the final repository for this tasting but as we are provided with a forum for this event, take advantage of it. I do wish more people would participate though. And the conclusions are:

Alpha= Ban Zhang
Beta= Wu Liang
Delta= Bu Lang
Epsilon= Yiwu
Gamma= You Le

O.K. So, wheres my prize? :001_rolle:001_rolle
 
Here is a photo of all the leaves. Had a massive tasting yesterday with friends. Just beginning to get feeling back in my cheeks. Beta and Gamma were some sexy leaves. Beta in particular. Found a full, whole bud. Funny how sexy sometimes can leave a bad taste in your mouth :frown: (Disregard the date stamp)
 
i wasn't real impressed with the alpha sample either. Nice looking leaf that smelled fresh, green and slightly sour. First infusions were good but on the light side. Comfortable amount of bitterness and a slight astringency, slightly under ripe pear and nutty, cashew? I like the over all balance of flavors but it,s lacking any real depth. Brews a beautiful yellow cup with just a tinge of orange, superb clarity. Anxiously awaiting the fourth (or there abouts) infusion to see what develops, but nothing. By the time the leaf is actually opened up, it,s done. Bottoms out way too early. If this tea had more depth and stamina it would be decent. But as it is, i wouldn't buy it. :bored:

Having had my second session with this tea ive realized it does need a lot of leaf and quick infusions to postpone the crash. I noticed an odd chalky astringency in the aftertaste, i dont like it. Alpha has some good qualitys but they dont out weigh the funky aftertaste. Stickin to my guns, wouldnt buy it. :eek::eek:
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Just for your FYI, you have 0 out of 5 correct :ihih:


Toodlepip,

Hobbes

I,m not suprised! But more important, I know which one it is that I like. Interesting that the Ban Zhang doesnt taste anything like what I would expect a Ban Zhang to taste like. Ive always associated Ban Zhang with lots of bitterness, this one, not so much. Oh boy, have I got a lot to learn.
 
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Interesting that the Ban Zhang doesnt taste anything like what I would expect a Ban Zhang to taste like. Ive always associated Ban Zhang with lots of bitterness, this one, not so much.

People often say that Bulang is potent, but I don't know how true that really is. "Bulang" is a seriously large area, and there are some significant variations.

Banzhang (which is a sub-area of the huge Bulang region) is the most expensive maocha, currently (leaves from Laobanzhang village). While the price is unrealistic, it is expensive for a reason: it tastes really good. It has tons of complex content, and is a genuinely lovely experience if done well. Nada spent some time searching out actual laoshu Banzhang this year (and last year), and of the samples I've tried, it was truly delicious. It wasn't brutal or rough, just... lovely. Complex, sweet, floral, clean. Amazingly clean. Sure, if you use too much leaf it gets aggressive, but all teas have that point.

Generally speaking, if you're finding something too aggressive, you might consider using fewer leaves. There aren't all that many teas that can't be tamed in some way or other. For example, in this YS tasting set, if you're finding any of them too bitter, it's probably not the tea's fault - I've had good, non-bitter sessions out of all of them. Just tweak your parameters a bit.


Toodlepip,

Hobbes
 
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