First, this is the cake. You can tell it's a sheng (raw) pu'ehr because the leaves are lighter than a shou (ripe). Although at 11 years old, it's mostly brown, there's some red, being, slight traces of white.
When you have a cake, the fun is is cracking it open with a pick. So stabbed my gold pick horizontally from the inside, put in something like 5g of leaves into my super tiny brownish-red clay teapot—reserved *only* for pu'ehr.
After two infusions, the leaves expanded big time—as you can see here.
Two infusions in, I noticed that the liquor was still pale. Almost the same colour as a white tea or oolong. Did I screw up by breaking this open after 11 year? Should I have waited longer?
After giving this a good long taste, carefully letting it swish around my mouth for awhile, then letting everything linger after a swallow...
...No, I most definitely did not screw up.
This is where I want to be. This is what sheng pu'ehr can give you that shou pu'ehr cannot. I'm talking about natural youth.
Because, sure, I might not want to drink this at 5-years-old. But at 11-years-old? This is has crisp and a whole lot of snap. Not earthy like a shou, but it tastes like autumn leaves that have settled on the ground for awhile—something you'd sweep up mid-November.
Now when you have a lot of things going on like I do—big life things I have to contemplate—it really means something to be able to settle down, take a breather, let gongfu have its way.
You see, some things are only worthwhile if you give it time and attention. You'll miss out on a whole lot if you only ever look for a quick pick-me-up. Drinking this pu'ehr is like going on a hike, spending some time watching chipmunks grab a few nuts, listening to the birds make their calls. That's what this is all about.
The other thing—never let price fool you. Sure, I bought this 200g cake for $14.99. So you think, "What's the catch?"—which is a valid question to ask if you don't know your vendor.
But Daniel and I have now known each other for 17 years. He's never done me wrong. And every single one of his teas have been exceptional—no matter the price.
So thanks, Daniel, for a stellar Wednesday afternoon.
Today’s tea is Bada Mountain Big Tree Fate Pu-Erh Tea Cake (Raw/Sheng), made in 2015, by Menghai Bada Mountain Laozhai Tea Factory.
In my attempt to drink all the tea in my house, I’m actually breaking open this sheng pu’ehr which hasn’t been touched for 11 years. In fact, it was picked on March 16, 2015.
Do not be fooled by the price. I bought this pre-COVID at the Chinese Tea Shop in Chinatown, which has a stellar reputation in Vancouver. The purveyor is Daniel Liu, and he is a master of gongfu-style brewing—he, himself, taught me to do it.
Nevertheless, when I bought it, the tea wasn’t all that drinkable because sheng pu’ehr takes awhile to settle. But now that it’s entering its vintage period, it worth breaking open, although it won’t truly reach its apex until 2029. I debated whether to weight, but since I already have enough shou pu’ehrs, I’d like to taste a pu’ehr that’s relatively young.
Regardless, getting 200g of sheng pu’ehr for $14.99 is actually insane. Almost borderline theft. I assure you that if I sold this cake today, it would probably be worth $55-80.
The other thing is, this tea is underrated. Bada Mountain in Yunnan is quite decent but doesn’t have the reputation of Lao Ban Zhang or Bulang. And Menghai Bada Mountain Laozhai Tea Factory has almost zero hype behind it. Nevertheless, they’re a small boutique company that works with local farmers.
I’m quite thankful that I bought a new tiny clay teapot specifically for pu’ehr because we are definitely brewing this gongfu style.
I’m going to put in 6-10g of tea leaves into the pot. Then I will add piping hot boiled water. After a flash rinse to wake up the tea leaves, I’m going to do a steep for 20 seconds before I pour. The second steep will be for 15 seconds. 3rd and 4th for 25 seconds. 5th and 6th for 45 seconds. And after the 7th, a minute or more.
