1988 Yuen Neun Hong Tai Chang Aged Raw Pu-erh Tea Cake

It’s the first puerh I’ve tried that doesn’t come from China.
I’m not an expert when it comes to giving an accurate taste description, but I know when I like a tea and I will give it my best:
This tea has amazing earthy and woody notes that remind me of a tropical forest. Fruity notes that remind me of ripe tropical fruit such as mangosteen. There are also some herbal and medicinal notes underneath all the tropical foresty goodness. There’s sweetness all around and no bitterness or astringency to be found. The tea has an oily mouthfeel and the smell is similar to the taste, tropical and earthy/woody.
My first experience with Thai puerh is a good one, it definitely makes me want to try more teas from Thailand and other South East Asian countries.

When ordering from Tea Side some time ago, I tried make use of their offering of various samples of aged raw pu-erh, a category I have very little experience with. This particular one is very much an educational experience rather than anything else, which easily justifies even the price of $2 per gram. Even though I won’t be rushing to get a cake of it, I can actually see myself looking for a similarly aged tea even in this price range in the future. To a large degree, I would find its value to be in terms of being just pretty distinct from the rest of my collection. However, one thing to take into account absent other considerations is that this tea lasts about twice as long as I would expect from teas with good endurance! In this particular session, I oversteeped some of the early infusions and I still ended up with about 400ml/g eventually (the last five steeps being boiled for several minutes on a stove).

Now, the tea itself is very earthy and woody, but ultimately I think it would count as an example of a “clean” aged tea for sure. The cha qi is calming and very pleasant, but much more subtle than younger examples of premium sheng I’ve had the chance of getting to know. I don’t know if it can be partly attributed to the tea, but I did relax pretty well after a stressful week and managed to reduce the tension in my neck and back. Somehow, one of the most memorable aspects is probably the mouthfeel though. The liquor is smooth, heavy, soft and incredibly oily. It is engaging from the first infusion all the way until the last, 22nd, one.

I can’t really think of many ways to describe the aroma, but it does have a milky and woody nature throughout. One scent that stands out among my notes from the middle of the session as quite an unusual and unexpected one is rose – I am not sure if I was imagining it honestly.

The taste, on top of the underlying earthy and woody ones, displays medicinal, nutty, herbaceous and flowery notes. There are flavours like cumin, tree sap, coca leaf, nutmeg, parsnip, fenugreek, vanilla, orange blossom and others. It is pretty sweet throughout, while retaining a nice bitter bite. Late in the session, the flavour profile moves more towards the mineral and higher notes, but still keeps significant earthiness present until the end.

Early on in the session, the aftertaste is very protracted, but it starts somewhat benign and ramps up over time. It is subtle overall, not pungent in any way and yet complex and evolving. Sweet, tart and camphor like sensations dominate, with notes of fireplace, molasses and licorice among others.

Great aged sheng. Truly mature and well-stored. Deep taste and cha qi. Definitely worth a try.

I drink it on special occasions, not in any way in a hurry. It has such an effect that it can both cheer you up and make you sleep well, at least in my case, so I drink it when I don't have to rush anywhere today.

Warmed leaves smell tropical and sweet, but the liquor comes out as dark as shou. Bitter dark chocolate at the start, rich and thick. The tea revealed itself in layers, as the dark notes slowly wore off and led me to the tropics promised by the initial aroma. Warming and gentle grounding energy, very satisfying in a way that felt more like rich meaty soup than a tea.

Not many teas I've tried have started off like a dark chocolate shou ended as tropical flavor candies. One of those tea adventures that can only come to us with as a gift of time, quite a ride.