2012 Gu Ming Xiang Bulang Gushu Shou Puerh

One whiff of this tea, and you know it's going to be good. Unlike some teas, which taste entirely different from how they smell, this 2012 Gu Ming Xiang Bulang Gushu Shou Puerh doesn't disappoint. The aroma of the dry tea is rich and robust, and it gets the saliva flowing!

This unique Shou Puerh is made from trees 200 years old - (these ancient trees are called 'Gushu' 古树). Unlike some teas which advertise 'Gushu' for marketing purposes, but only use a small percentage of ancient tree material , this one is 100% Gushu - a rarity. This tea was picked in the Spring flush of 2012 from high altitude tea gardens in the Bulang Mountains of Yunnan.

I purchased a 250g bag from Crimson Lotus Tea - a small Seattle based company specializing in Chinese Puerh. To brew the tea, I used 5 grams and a clay "Yixing" teapot - my preferred method for brewing Shou Puerh.

Using spring water right off the boil, I start with two quick rinses. The heated tea releases a deep, sweet aroma, almost dessert-like - it's amazing. For the first infusion, I let it steep for 12 seconds, then pour a rich brown/red, almost crimson-colored liquor.

The tea tastes rich and velvety, with high viscosity with a terrific mouthfeel. It is nutty (hazelnut) and slightly woody, with hints of nutmeg and a molasses/caramel sweetness. Well-rounded flavor, and the sweetness lingers in the throat. I add 10 seconds or so to each subsequent steeping.

Unbelievably, the tea continues to become sweeter and mellower, really peaking by about the 5th steep. Excellent Cha Qi. This tea is everything I like in a good Shou Puerh - rich, sweet and smooth. The leaves are very generous, and I'm able to get nearly a dozen solid infusions. Even after starting to thin out, it remains sweet, subtle and very drinkable.

I would highly recommend this tea. Period. It is an exceptional Shou Puerh in general, but especially so for the price: at $40 for 250g (around $1 a session!), it is affordable enough to be a daily drinker. Do yourself a favor and grab some while you can. To order, or if you wish to check out some other exceptional Chinese Puerh teas, visit www.CrimsonLotusTea.com

WuYi Yancha: Peng Pei Da Hong Pao

On October 18, 2014, I had an opportunity to join Andy Buckman - owner of Great Horse Teas on a 2-week tea-sourcing trip to SE China, including Guangzhou, Xiamen, and Wuyishan. As a photographer and avid tea-drinker, I was overwhelmed by countless tea shops, tea wares, fields and farms. Perhaps more than any other place, I was especially intrigued by the mystical Wuyi Moutains - the birthplace of Wulong tea. It was there that we got to see the original 300-400 year-old Da Hong Pao tea bushes:

The first thing that struck me about Wuyishan was how clean and fresh it was; The ideal environment for growing tea. We visited a family-owned and operated tea farm and tasted 6 different varieties of Yancha (rock tea) - Bai Ji Guan, Jin Que She, Jin Mu Dan, Qi Lan, Shui Xian, and Da Hong Pao. For this review, I'll be focusing on the most well known - the Emperor of Tea: Da Hong Pao, AKA "Big Red Robe".

The twisted leaves are dark brown and nicely roasted, with a woody/nutty cocoa aroma. I used the brewing method most commonly seen in Wuyishan city: 8 grams of leaf in a gaiwan with spring water around 200°F, with short steeps starting under 10 seconds. Normally, I'd start with 5g of leaf and slightly cooler water, but the steepings are shorter and WuYi Yancha can take the heat surprising well.

Following a standard leaf rinse, the first steep produced a rich, golden-orange liquor that matched the handle of my pitcher to a tee (see what I did there?)

The only thing more enticing that its appearance is the way it smells: amazing! Rich and slightly earthy, with strong hints of roasted cocoa.

A taste of the tea confirms it: mellow, rich and roasted, with woody, nutty and faint fruit notes - a delicious harmony of flavors. A sweet aftertaste lingers in the back of the throat.

By the 3rd steeping, the flavors really peak, and the tea becomes even sweeter, with hints of cinnamon emerging. This tea also has excellent 茶氣 (chá qì) - tea "energy". With hotter water and a lot of leaf, I'm able to get 8-10 solid steeps - quite generous. Upon inspection of the steeped leaves, they are nice and full, and very uniform.

I remember immediately liking this tea from the first sip in Wuyishan, China - and every cup from now on will bring back memories from that amazing trip. There will always be a place on my tea shelf for Da Hong Pao, and this particular one does its name justice.

For more information, or to purchase this tea, visit www.GreatHorseTeas.com