Lao Man E 2014 Spring

One of the last teas from the swap with derk became my choice for an evening session as I wait for my yogurt to ferment, after an active day of repotting plants and cycling. Thanks for the sample my friend! Lao Man E is becoming one of my favourite pu’er production areas, and having a variety of examples of that style is great. Moreover, this tea is still available for sale at a very reasonable price! :) It has got quite a dark orange colored liquor, I’d say this is pretty clearly in the semi-aged category now. Interestingly, the aspect of this tea that impressed me the least is the aftertaste. There is definitely some huigan, but it’s nothing spectacular. Plus I found the aftertaste to be generally a bit muted and lacking complexity. The other negative, as far as drinking the tea now is concerned, is the fact that it gets astringent already around steep 5, and by the tenth infusion the astringency is pretty damn strong. One would expect that this will improve with aging and as a result, the longevity should get better too. Now, with that being said, this was a very enjoyable session nonetheless. The aromas are unexpectedly pungent and complex, which I find to be quite rare in teas around 6 years of age. Taste is not overly complex, but it’s definitely a profile I like a lot. Liquor texture is interesting too and quite unusual – being buttery yet foamy, and super light yet full-bodied. And of course, the cha qi is amazing. The energy this tea is creeping, disorienting and extremely calming, without being aggressive or rushy. I haven’t had a proper gong fu session with the W2T’s Pin, but this tea made me dance for real, derk (see music pairing). As for the particular tasting notes, I could smell cookies, grass compost, and a light, clean smoke from the wet leaves; and some flowery scents in the empty cha hai. Early infusions possess a light bitterness, but it’s not abrasive at all. In fact, I would say these are much more sweet than bitter, which changes a bit later on, but without throwing off the balance too much. There are flavours of courgette, citrus fruits, toast, and brown sugar. Around steep 6, more sourness akin to yogurt develops, alongside grapefruit bitterness that’s increasingly present. In the eighth infusion, I got a distinctive tangerine note too. Throughout the session, light medicinal notes keep appearing, which may or may not be a sign of aging being decently fast. The aftertaste also has a sort of apple flavour going on.

Originally posted on Steepster by Togo.
Note: the original rating was on Steepster's 100-point scale; the star rating shown is converted from it.

I’ve been pretty nervous about trying this, as it feels larger than life and quite intimidating based on everything I’ve read about it. And just Lao Man E in general — this is my first. Beautiful leaves, all colors of grey like a dried mushroom party. 1 Light iodine on the nose, bandaids at the bottom of cup. Already I’m wondering how different my impressions will be from some of the notes I’ve seen earlier. This stuff already has extra years on it! Tastes lightly sweet of grape, undefined floral. Leaves smell herbaceous, with tobacco. 2 Light mushroom and iodine nose. I like that. Juicy in the mouth; still nebulous floral, like wildflower petals. Herbs still on the leaves… fresh fennel? 3 I do experience some hui gan, not long-lived. Tastes and nose not changing much, though. I actually do really like the medicinal/iodine on the nose as I lift the cup, and then the floral, juicy, subtly sweet taste. It’s a really interesting juxtaposition. 4 Oh, a pass of banana after a lip smack, lol. Remains juicy; there is astringency, but it feels like it dances around in the pockets and just pinpricks the juiciness. No defined swathes of dryness. 6 or 7…? Some diffuse melon, smoothing out more now. Deeper yellow-orange liquor, where it started more goldenrod. 10th or so infusion? These later sheng infusions are sometimes so approachable and delightful. That’s happening here. The astringency has subsided, the leaves finally yielding to roundness, smoothness. My thermos ran out, and I have a cat on my lap, sooo… I’m pausing for now. I can’t say I am experiencing huge cha qi (no dancing, daggit), but I feel at peace with the session (and some relief, finally sitting down with this icon and making it tangible). Thank you, derk!

Originally posted on Steepster by beerandbeancurd.
Note: the original rating was on Steepster's 100-point scale; the star rating shown is converted from it.

Clean energy, happy, calm and numbing vibrancy. The longevity on this one is coming around, the astringency is leaving and the returning sweetness has bared itself fully. The flavor is rounder, the sweetness is balanced with the bitterness. If there is one thing to knock this sheng, despite having a general sweet aftertaste, it’s that the aftertaste lacks definition. But that could just be my oolong-and-black-tea-loving self talking. The bitterness — the bitterness makes up for that, though. The bitterness feels in suspension in small particles within the thick and sweet body. Each particle penetrates my tongue and braces the whole mouth. It’s a unique and special feeling that arrests my entire being. I take pause. If there is a common theme among my most coveted teas, it’s that we simply sit with each other.

Originally posted on Steepster by derk.
Note: the original rating was on Steepster's 100-point scale; the star rating shown is converted from it.

Okay, this was a wonderful gongfu session. Sadly was and not is. Thank you a lot derk, but again, I have no idea ho long I had it in my “cupboard”? All steeeps, unless second one, were lovely. Lovely balance of astringency/sweet flavours. Why was second one bad one? Well, I oversteeped it. By a lot. I was steeping it for two-three minutes because I just forgot I filled my gaiwan and my brother was asking me something. Stupid human error. But all others were so good. I am not able to re-write the flavour notes nor aromas, but Togo captures them very well. I will repeat, I really liked the balance. Luckily there was no creeping bitterness, texture was amazing. What is the best is afterdrinking feeling. It calmed me down, it is not high in caffeine (I have been drinking it in the evening), very relaxing and focusing in same time. Well done!

Originally posted on Steepster by Martin-CZE.
Note: the original rating was on Steepster's 100-point scale; the star rating shown is converted from it.

Sample from my Secret Santea this year – and very thankful for it :) I’ve come to expect a certain “cleanliness” from Tea Urchin sheng – I haven’t had a whole ton of their teas, but just about all of them have had that clean feeling going for them. I don’t know if that’s really the right word, but that’s how my brain/taster/body process it. It manifests itself in both taste and body feeling. No off flavors strange sourness that can be common in puerh and no crummy feelings or roughness in the gut. It’s sort of become what I associate TU’s teas with – not that all others seem grubby in comparison, just that these are particularly…pristine? This one is no different – it has a pretty heavy bitterness which I fully expected going into a Lao Man E tea. That kind of clean bitterness though – not really astringent and didn’t make my mouth feel funny or anything. That bitterness is followed by a nice sweetness, though the bitterness is what leaves the lasting impression in my mouth. Great thickness to the liquid of this tea. I didn’t really pick up on a lot of qi in this session. Definitely one I would like to order at some point. I really ought to try to pick up more TU this year. Or maybe I should focus on drinking some of the tea I already have. What a crazy idea.

Note: the original review included no star rating — the rating shown was estimated from the review text.

I think the bitter puerhs were my first puerh love – dig me some of that Bulang – but this is the next level shit. It’s a glorious bitter, somewhere between a quinine bitter and a burnt-rubber bitter (but good!) – just hanging out and glowing while all this other oceanic stuff – warmth, passing dairy flavors, all kinds of fruity junk – meld and change and pass beneath it. And that bitter flavor just hangs out up there, glowing a little, and just being so insanely beautiful.

Note: the original review included no star rating — the rating shown was estimated from the review text.

Minerals and a lasting sweetness from an amber liquior which hangs out in the back of my throat in the first couple of steeps. As my session progressed I noticed a non-mouth drying bitterness. Thinking back on that bitter feeling…I think it’s best described as leaning more towards the green/unripe apple tart side of the spectrum (versus persimmon dryness or a lemon’s tartness). The website mentioned a sweetness like Starburst, I had to really stretch my palate to taste that, Starbursts have an artificiality to their fruit flavor, something that really attacks the mouth…no artificial or mouth attacking sweetness was found during my session. The sweetness was more pleasant and natural again akin to eating an apple. I got a sample of this cake partly because the adjectives describing its taste were so interesting: “watermelon rind” “Starburst” …I even found a blogger who mentioned it being “mucous” “salmon-like” –he found this bad, again I was attracted to the weirdness. After my session I could see why someone would say ’mucous’ like…the tea really hangs around the mouth (and throat) and the liquor is quite thick right off the bat. Looking into my gaiwan I noticed the leaves kinda slowly floating… as if all time and space within the walls of my gaiwan was warping (just so I could have a perfect cup of tea). Taking a break mid-way through my session, I noticed a warmness radiating around my center and arms…as if just these areas of my body were in a steam sauna. A fair amount of chi here (different from the caffeinated jitteriness I have experienced with past sheng). Data bits: Acquired 30g sample for $13.50 USD, March, 2015. Brewing parameters: 6g leaf, 100ml gaiwan, 1 rinse, steeps 1-5 5-10 seconds each, steeps 6-8 30 seconds to 1:30 seconds. Before mentioned blogger and their requisite post: http://cajovykamen.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/she-once-was-true-lao-man-e.html I really like this tea. Might pick up a cake. Flavors: Apple, Tart, Thick

Note: the original review included no star rating — the rating shown was estimated from the review text.

My god, First thanks to the awesome Phi for giving me a sample of this one. Here is the best example I can come up with this tea, this is the bastard child between a very sweet yiwu AND a menghai production like the New Amerikah 2. It’s not bitter per my standard but I do not find the NA2 to be too too bitter which is to say that I love my teas VERY punchy. The energy that goes out of this tea is awesome, deep relaxed calm that help me to focus. I paired this tea with some solo piano jazz and it was perfect! I will definitvely consider a cake of it at some point! Cheers Flavors: Bitter, Sweet

Note: the original review included no star rating — the rating shown was estimated from the review text.

One of the last teas from the swap with derk became my choice for an evening session as I wait for my yogurt to ferment, after an active day of repotting plants and cycling. Thanks for the sample my friend! Lao Man E is becoming one of my favourite pu’er production areas, and having a variety of examples of that style is great. Moreover, this tea is still available for sale at a very reasonable price! :) It has got quite a dark orange colored liquor, I’d say this is pretty clearly in the semi-aged category now. Interestingly, the aspect of this tea that impressed me the least is the aftertaste. There is definitely some huigan, but it’s nothing spectacular. Plus I found the aftertaste to be generally a bit muted and lacking complexity. The other negative, as far as drinking the tea now is concerned, is the fact that it gets astringent already around steep 5, and by the tenth infusion the astringency is pretty damn strong. One would expect that this will improve with aging and as a result, the longevity should get better too. Now, with that being said, this was a very enjoyable session nonetheless. The aromas are unexpectedly pungent and complex, which I find to be quite rare in teas around 6 years of age. Taste is not overly complex, but it’s definitely a profile I like a lot. Liquor texture is interesting too and quite unusual – being buttery yet foamy, and super light yet full-bodied. And of course, the cha qi is amazing. The energy this tea is creeping, disorienting and extremely calming, without being aggressive or rushy. I haven’t had a proper gong fu session with the W2T’s Pin, but this tea made me dance for real, derk (see music pairing). As for the particular tasting notes, I could smell cookies, grass compost, and a light, clean smoke from the wet leaves; and some flowery scents in the empty cha hai. Early infusions possess a light bitterness, but it’s not abrasive at all. In fact, I would say these are much more sweet than bitter, which changes a bit later on, but without throwing off the balance too much. There are flavours of courgette, citrus fruits, toast, and brown sugar. Around steep 6, more sourness akin to yogurt develops, alongside grapefruit bitterness that’s increasingly present. In the eighth infusion, I got a distinctive tangerine note too. Throughout the session, light medicinal notes keep appearing, which may or may not be a sign of aging being decently fast. The aftertaste also has a sort of apple flavour going on.

Originally posted on Steepster by Togo.
Note: the original rating was on Steepster's 100-point scale; the star rating shown is converted from it.

I’ve been pretty nervous about trying this, as it feels larger than life and quite intimidating based on everything I’ve read about it. And just Lao Man E in general — this is my first. Beautiful leaves, all colors of grey like a dried mushroom party. 1 Light iodine on the nose, bandaids at the bottom of cup. Already I’m wondering how different my impressions will be from some of the notes I’ve seen earlier. This stuff already has extra years on it! Tastes lightly sweet of grape, undefined floral. Leaves smell herbaceous, with tobacco. 2 Light mushroom and iodine nose. I like that. Juicy in the mouth; still nebulous floral, like wildflower petals. Herbs still on the leaves… fresh fennel? 3 I do experience some hui gan, not long-lived. Tastes and nose not changing much, though. I actually do really like the medicinal/iodine on the nose as I lift the cup, and then the floral, juicy, subtly sweet taste. It’s a really interesting juxtaposition. 4 Oh, a pass of banana after a lip smack, lol. Remains juicy; there is astringency, but it feels like it dances around in the pockets and just pinpricks the juiciness. No defined swathes of dryness. 6 or 7…? Some diffuse melon, smoothing out more now. Deeper yellow-orange liquor, where it started more goldenrod. 10th or so infusion? These later sheng infusions are sometimes so approachable and delightful. That’s happening here. The astringency has subsided, the leaves finally yielding to roundness, smoothness. My thermos ran out, and I have a cat on my lap, sooo… I’m pausing for now. I can’t say I am experiencing huge cha qi (no dancing, daggit), but I feel at peace with the session (and some relief, finally sitting down with this icon and making it tangible). Thank you, derk!

Originally posted on Steepster by beerandbeancurd.
Note: the original rating was on Steepster's 100-point scale; the star rating shown is converted from it.

Clean energy, happy, calm and numbing vibrancy. The longevity on this one is coming around, the astringency is leaving and the returning sweetness has bared itself fully. The flavor is rounder, the sweetness is balanced with the bitterness. If there is one thing to knock this sheng, despite having a general sweet aftertaste, it’s that the aftertaste lacks definition. But that could just be my oolong-and-black-tea-loving self talking. The bitterness — the bitterness makes up for that, though. The bitterness feels in suspension in small particles within the thick and sweet body. Each particle penetrates my tongue and braces the whole mouth. It’s a unique and special feeling that arrests my entire being. I take pause. If there is a common theme among my most coveted teas, it’s that we simply sit with each other.

Originally posted on Steepster by derk.
Note: the original rating was on Steepster's 100-point scale; the star rating shown is converted from it.

Okay, this was a wonderful gongfu session. Sadly was and not is. Thank you a lot derk, but again, I have no idea ho long I had it in my “cupboard”? All steeeps, unless second one, were lovely. Lovely balance of astringency/sweet flavours. Why was second one bad one? Well, I oversteeped it. By a lot. I was steeping it for two-three minutes because I just forgot I filled my gaiwan and my brother was asking me something. Stupid human error. But all others were so good. I am not able to re-write the flavour notes nor aromas, but Togo captures them very well. I will repeat, I really liked the balance. Luckily there was no creeping bitterness, texture was amazing. What is the best is afterdrinking feeling. It calmed me down, it is not high in caffeine (I have been drinking it in the evening), very relaxing and focusing in same time. Well done!

Originally posted on Steepster by Martin-CZE.
Note: the original rating was on Steepster's 100-point scale; the star rating shown is converted from it.

Sample from my Secret Santea this year – and very thankful for it :) I’ve come to expect a certain “cleanliness” from Tea Urchin sheng – I haven’t had a whole ton of their teas, but just about all of them have had that clean feeling going for them. I don’t know if that’s really the right word, but that’s how my brain/taster/body process it. It manifests itself in both taste and body feeling. No off flavors strange sourness that can be common in puerh and no crummy feelings or roughness in the gut. It’s sort of become what I associate TU’s teas with – not that all others seem grubby in comparison, just that these are particularly…pristine? This one is no different – it has a pretty heavy bitterness which I fully expected going into a Lao Man E tea. That kind of clean bitterness though – not really astringent and didn’t make my mouth feel funny or anything. That bitterness is followed by a nice sweetness, though the bitterness is what leaves the lasting impression in my mouth. Great thickness to the liquid of this tea. I didn’t really pick up on a lot of qi in this session. Definitely one I would like to order at some point. I really ought to try to pick up more TU this year. Or maybe I should focus on drinking some of the tea I already have. What a crazy idea.

Note: the original review included no star rating — the rating shown was estimated from the review text.

I think the bitter puerhs were my first puerh love – dig me some of that Bulang – but this is the next level shit. It’s a glorious bitter, somewhere between a quinine bitter and a burnt-rubber bitter (but good!) – just hanging out and glowing while all this other oceanic stuff – warmth, passing dairy flavors, all kinds of fruity junk – meld and change and pass beneath it. And that bitter flavor just hangs out up there, glowing a little, and just being so insanely beautiful.

Note: the original review included no star rating — the rating shown was estimated from the review text.

Minerals and a lasting sweetness from an amber liquior which hangs out in the back of my throat in the first couple of steeps. As my session progressed I noticed a non-mouth drying bitterness. Thinking back on that bitter feeling…I think it’s best described as leaning more towards the green/unripe apple tart side of the spectrum (versus persimmon dryness or a lemon’s tartness). The website mentioned a sweetness like Starburst, I had to really stretch my palate to taste that, Starbursts have an artificiality to their fruit flavor, something that really attacks the mouth…no artificial or mouth attacking sweetness was found during my session. The sweetness was more pleasant and natural again akin to eating an apple. I got a sample of this cake partly because the adjectives describing its taste were so interesting: “watermelon rind” “Starburst” …I even found a blogger who mentioned it being “mucous” “salmon-like” –he found this bad, again I was attracted to the weirdness. After my session I could see why someone would say ’mucous’ like…the tea really hangs around the mouth (and throat) and the liquor is quite thick right off the bat. Looking into my gaiwan I noticed the leaves kinda slowly floating… as if all time and space within the walls of my gaiwan was warping (just so I could have a perfect cup of tea). Taking a break mid-way through my session, I noticed a warmness radiating around my center and arms…as if just these areas of my body were in a steam sauna. A fair amount of chi here (different from the caffeinated jitteriness I have experienced with past sheng). Data bits: Acquired 30g sample for $13.50 USD, March, 2015. Brewing parameters: 6g leaf, 100ml gaiwan, 1 rinse, steeps 1-5 5-10 seconds each, steeps 6-8 30 seconds to 1:30 seconds. Before mentioned blogger and their requisite post: http://cajovykamen.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/she-once-was-true-lao-man-e.html I really like this tea. Might pick up a cake. Flavors: Apple, Tart, Thick

Note: the original review included no star rating — the rating shown was estimated from the review text.

My god, First thanks to the awesome Phi for giving me a sample of this one. Here is the best example I can come up with this tea, this is the bastard child between a very sweet yiwu AND a menghai production like the New Amerikah 2. It’s not bitter per my standard but I do not find the NA2 to be too too bitter which is to say that I love my teas VERY punchy. The energy that goes out of this tea is awesome, deep relaxed calm that help me to focus. I paired this tea with some solo piano jazz and it was perfect! I will definitvely consider a cake of it at some point! Cheers Flavors: Bitter, Sweet

Note: the original review included no star rating — the rating shown was estimated from the review text.