1980 Thai Aged Raw Pu-erh Tea Wet Storage

The best sheng I've ever tasted. Soft and deep flavor, the great state from the first drink, which is impossible to convey with words.

The tea speaks for itself; it looks, smells, tastes and feels like a thoroughly aged and wet stored raw puerh. Though not as long lasting as I was hoping, the good infusions it did provide were excellent and quite interesting in terms of developed notes.

On the dry nose are notes of beetroot geosmin, dark chocolate, wet wood, incense, peat, forest floor, slight camphor and balsamic. The wet notes was intense; cola, forest floor after rain, wild mushrooms, cedarwood, 99% dark chocolate, brown bread, soda crackers and a hint of wild truffle.

The liquor is medium to full bodied, with well developed, integrated and grainy tannins. A remarkably smooth and lightly sweet and savoury brew with a medium finish full of pleasant minerality. The palate shows notes of earthy cocoa, pecans, hazelnuts, liquorice, applewood smoked fresh bacon, buckwheat honey, hay, pickled bamboo shoots, raisins and a hint of porridge. A really pleasant and well drinking tea, but one that quickly lost steam after the 7th infusion. Subsequent brews, even multiple minute ones, could not reach anywhere near the previous intensity of flavour, aroma or mouthfeel. The energy was light, subtle and mildly calming but not hugely present. A good tea overall!

If you are a fan of old wet stored raw puer then try this one out, it's very good!
I've had several Hong Kong traditionally stored puer and this one compares favorably.

I personally prefer dry stored puer, even on the more humid side, as it preserves more of the original material character.
So for me, at this price, I'd go for the 1988 Yuen Neun Hong Tai Chang.. but for others, maybe the opposite!

Still, great quality and good taste..

I'm not a big fan of old shengs since I haven’t grown up for them yet. But as soon as I’ve found out that such pearls have appeared in Tea Side, I’ve immediately ordered them and while my order was on its way, I’ve been training with YQH and old shengs from EoT to remember the taste and sensations.
I brewed 4 g / 70 ml, Japanese clay teapot, 10 seconds each steeping. The infusion turned out of a very beautiful color, black but very homogeneous and transparent. The taste is mainly earthy, walnut and some wood tones.
But the most important thing about the tea is the effect. The tea covers almost immediately and seems to stop the time. Thoughts seem to slow down and focus on details, you’re just sitting and watching the clouds changing their shapes or the wind shaking the leaves. Buddha, they say, could hear the grass growing - I believe, it was just after drinking such tea.
Very interesting experience. Tea Side, thank you very much!

3.6 grams / 65 ml, Jin clay teapot. Water: mineralized osmosis, 95-97 degrees.
Just for my interest, I tried the very first sanitary steeping. Pale foliage, a little earthy. The infusion is too watery, not tasty. Radical black color. On the photo, the tea seemed similar to shou by color, but in close examination, it is completely unsimilar.
I brewed it in a fast way, 5-6 seconds per steeping. The second infusion became already thick and not unpleasant. Soft and silky. The taste is still the same - dry leaves. And that's all. No hints of wodui, swamp or peat. The aroma of a deciduous forest after a night frost, when there is no excess of moisture and the air is fresh.
From the middle of the session, tea began to brighten rapidly and the taste goes more into sweetness with every next steeping.
And yes, it was the first time I drink this tea. So the next time it can turn out completely different.
The energy was deafening to a slight ringing in my ears. It covered me heavily and immediately. My sigh reluctantly focused on the surrounding objects. Thoughts became distant and slow, I felt just too lazy to think. The calmness around became reinforced. I felt clearly hot in my head and upper back, the blood poured into my face.
I can’t say for everyone, but I personally like this tea. The best to drink somewhere in the country away from people. So after you can lie around with a book on the couch and not see anyone.
Alas, the end of the session turned out to be blurry. I had to answer the phone, run to the yard and talk with fussy people. The return was long, the head was heavy for an hour, and the reactions were slightly inhibited.
As a result, tea withstood 10-11 steepings. Necessary to repeat for the purity of the experiment.