2022 年 10 月茶俱乐部

Eyes - Dry Leaf: assortment of chalky brown leaves that look right at home in the Jianshui pot Nose - Dry Leaf: chocolate and clay Nose - Wet Leaf: deep earth (clay and wet moss) and molasses Eyes - Liquor: dark brown liquor with a prominent red undertone Mouth - Texture: full-bodied and round Mouth - Taste: earth, clay, and sweet molasses. Full bodied and sweet, with a profound richness and depth. Milk chocolate supplants molasses in later infusions. Mouth - Finish: sweet molasses and hints of jujube Nose - Empty Cup: moss and molasses Eyes - Wet Leaf: garden mulch Body - Sensation: relaxed and contented This tea served as an introduction to tea for my wife when we were first dating and has since become a staple of our tea journey together. As one of the teas that made her fall in love with gong fu cha, it was only fitting that we inaugurate a new teapot with some of the last of this tea that we have. This session was a wonderful full-circle moment for both of us and leaves a fond ending to this tea that shares so many memories.

Nose - Dry Leaf: chocolate and molasses Nose - Wet Leaf: earth and bright mint Mouth - Texture: full and thick Mouth - Taste: rich soil and clay, with a long-lasting, bold earthiness and a jujube fruitiness, which leads to a bright mintiness. Classic deep-ferment aged shou flavor reminiscent of the first good shou I tasted. Mouth - Finish: long-lasting and clean earthiness, with a minty, refreshing quality. Lasting refreshing juiciness on the top of the mouth. Nose - Empty Cup: clay and molasses

I really want to give this a 3.5, but the lingering smoky aftertaste is not pleasant. It's a very strong tea with a lot to explore. Pouring directly on the leaves brings out too much of the smoky flavor making it hard to find other notes. Overall the effect of the tea is calming with a slight energetic kickstart to my day. Rating Criteria: 0.5 - bad, flavorless, or worse very astringent, teabag 1.0 - mostly bad, flavorless, most teabag tea 1.5 - not good, but maybe something to like 2.0 - slightly disappointed, not my kind of tea, but still can appreciate it - probably the worst rating I would give a loose leaf tea (at least one that hasn't turned bad) 2.5 - mixed feelings, like it, but there is something off about it I don't like 3.0 - good, I like it but nothing stand out about it or a very good tea with one critique that holds me back - probably the highest I would give a teabag tea 3.5 - very good, a tea that I was very happy to have but content with what I had, wouldn't seek it out for additional purchase 4.0 - great, very happy with the experience, would seek out for purchase, but only occasionally 4.5 - a favorite, one I love and want very often 5.0 - life will be very sad without it, reserved only for my favorite (roasted tie guan yin), room for more hopefully A very good tea that I wish I could give a higher rating.

This tea made my top 5 teas list for 2022! I adore the bold flavors. Thick, clean mouth feel. Citrus top note. Old attic, leather. Pine, smoke. Perfect Ripe for a rainy day.

I am blown away by the first 3 infusions. Aroma is pipe tobacco, dry dessert, wet cave. Mouth vibrancy is very pleasant and controlled. Around infusion 5 the complexity changed to subdue , less dimensional. Still very nice. If I could rate this a 4.5 star that would really be my choice. Aftertaste is long lasting sweetness. Very lovely Shou

This tea is fantastic. So sweet and complex. Smells a little fisht but does not give off that flavor. Tastes earthy and spicy like licorice. Fantastic tea session witht the club agin. Interesting discussion about pairing tea with food. This tea is so complex and rich, but still balnced. I tasted notes of earth and wood and licorice, as well as sweet creaminess. It paired well with both the cranberries I had during the session and the leftover dim sum I had for lunch.

Nice consistent middle of the road no surprises and fairly light shou. Reminds me a bit of Lapsang Souchong with a little mushroom and just a hint of smoke. Good for a morning breakfast “background” kind of vibe. Sipped this Shou visiting tea friends in the tea club session today. It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to join! Nice no-surprise consistent stable flavor, not complex but nicely balanced. Maybe a good morning breakfast kind of vibe. A little like a Lapsang Souchong with some forest floor or mushroom sprinkled in.

Delightful. Sweet with hints of vanilla. Interesting session today comparing two teas. Also interesting because I was on a cocktail of medication for a pressure migraine so I waa quite drowsy for the first half of the meeting. I liked this first tea, the Bulang Mellow Brick, the best. It had a complex flavoe and I loved the mixture of the earthy notes with hints of sweetness, cream, and vanilla. As a side-note, my migraine is finally gone and I don’t know if it’s the tea, my lunch, or one of the medications kicking in, but I’m glad that it is.

Very nice warming and soothing. Wet bark, some slight lily floral like daffodil or orchids, a subtle nectar sweetness, and a nice mineral after like rock and even a bit of brass. Pares really nicely with a freshly picked fig. Really enjoy this shou. Not sure about my taste buds these days but the wet bark and nectar experience with a nice mineral finish was soothing and warming

My first Shou! Reminds me of the Golden Flower Tibetan Tea, which I just finished a couple weeks ago. Sweet and earthy, with notes of fungus and wood. Lovely session today. Drank my first Shou and learned a lot about the Shou process.

Very interesting. I think I like the flavor of last week’s tea more but this had a very sweet, mellow and earthy flavor. Very interesting to see what everyone else is feeling and what they are tasting when consuming this tea. I felt a blissful zen for about the first half hour of consuming this and now I feel like I could take on the world.

Seems like a solid tea after a rich meal to help with digestion. I enjoyed how the hint of sweet was there consistently and dark plum notes came out around infusion three. Solid tea that seems like a perfect ending to a rich meal.

A smooth, thick and silky texture. Mouth activity through 6 infusions. Flavors are getting dull. At this point I am adding the leaves into boiling water to see what else might extract. A lovely Bulang. Surprised it didn’t last longer but maybe I should have used more leaf. My first gong fu tea session of 2023! A nice Gushu Bulang ripe. Didnt last as long as I had hoped so I will be brewing up another from the Oct 2022 tea club.

This is a pretty good tea but it is not as complex as the Mellow Brick, which is I think due to age. I think I will let it chill in a box for a few years and see how it tastes then. This is the second Bulang tea that I tried today. It is not as old as the previous tea which may account for some disparity in the flavors. I much preferred the first tea as it was more complex and sweeter. This was still pretty goos though, so I’m hoping that I can age it to a good spot. We will see!