Ancient Forest Black Tea from Art of Tea

ancient_forestTea Information:

Leaf Type:  Black

Where to Buy: Art of Tea

Tea Description:

A specialty of the southwest province of Yunnan, this unique tea is harvested from ancient trees on the protected land of Jingmai Mangjing’s Blue Mountains. 100% organic, hand picked and sorted, this black tea steeps a rich, earthy infusion with notes of cedar and honey.

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

The description of the “creamy texture and notes of amber and honey” this tea purports to provide made me particularly eager to try it. It certainly sounds divine, after all. I was even more interested when I learned that the base tea is Yunnan, as it’s one of my favourite black tea varieties. The dry leaf is relatively small compared to some I’ve tried, with no leaf over 0.5cm and some decidedly smaller. They’re mostly a uniform black-brown, but there are a few golden-flecked leaves as well. I used 1 tsp of leaf for my cup, and gave it 3 minutes in boiling water. The resulting liquor is a medium golden-brown, the scent a touch mineral and a touch spicy, with a deeper woodiness underlying.

I liked this one so much straight off that I hardly realised nearly half of it was gone before I’d even really started consciously thinking about the flavour. The first thing to say is that it really is creamy, and that’s with no additions. It has a very smooth, silky texture and an underlying richness of flavour that really makes “creamy” an appropriate word, even if it’s not quite the same creaminess I’d associate with dairy. It’s the only word for it, nonetheless. The initial flavour is a mild earthiness, a little like wet forest floor only not so pungent as that perhaps suggests. I’m reminded of an aged black or a pu’erh, although the flavour here is milder than either of those typically are. It’s definitely in the same kind of territory, though. I get a woodiness in the mid-sip; resinous and a little cedar like. It pairs really well with the underlying earthiness – it seems like they’re two flavours of a kind. The aftertaste is a touch mineral, in the way of wet rock, and is again in keeping with the damp, earthy, fresh flavours I’ve tasted so far. It’s a tea that really holds together well, and one where all the flavours are complimentary.

I enjoyed this one, and it’s a tea I’d definitely drink again if the opportunity arose. It’s flavourful and fairly unique among the teas I usually drink. Certainly an encouraging experience for my first Art of Tea!

“Planet Jingmai” Ancient Tree Sheng Pu-erh from Crimson Lotus Tea

Planet-JingmaiTea Information:

Leaf Type:  Pu-erh

Where to Buy:  Crimson Lotus Tea

Tea Description:

“A world of flavor in the palm of your hand!”

Don’t let their small size fool you. These tiny spheres of puerh are made from 300yo Gushu/Ancient Tree material from Jingmai. They were picked and processed in Spring of 2014. They have been aged loose as maocha in Jingmai until now. They are fantastic. The aroma is thick with honey. The flavor is smooth and floral with just enough bitterness and astringency to keep your palate interested. 

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

Mmm!  OK, so I say that a lot when it comes to tea.  But I don’t often say it when it comes to Pu-erh!  At least, not so you – our readers – can “hear” it.  But this “Planet Jingmai” Ancient Tree Sheng Pu-erh from Crimson Lotus Tea has earned the “mmm!”

This tastes more like honey than Pu-erh.  (When reading the word ‘honey’ in the previous sentence, you should hear it the way that Mr. Wonderful aka Kevin O’Leary says “money.”)  It is sweet and delicious and so honey-like, you’ll wonder why you’re not all sticky after drinking it.

Planet-Jingmai-PlateMy second cup is even more honey-esque.  I’m still searching for something that reminds me of a pu-erh.  It doesn’t taste earthy, it doesn’t have a mushroom-y taste.  Just beautifully sweet.  Perhaps a hint of vegetation and a light touch of floral notes.  But mostly, honey is what I taste this time too.

And this pearl of tea takes quite a while to unfurl too!  It wasn’t until after my third infusion that the orb looked more like a tea and not a ball of yarn.  After my fourth infusion, I noticed that the leaves were beginning to settle in a heap rather than staying wound in the ball.

The flavor of the honey notes begins to wane by the fourth infusion.  It was with this infusion that I started to pick up on more floral notes with hints of earthy vegetation than a strong honey-like flavor.  I’m still tasting honey notes even in my fifth infusion, but, they continue to soften with each new infusion.

By the end of the sixth infusion, the leaves had fallen away from the ball shape and had become a pile of wet leaves.  There is still plenty of flavor to them though, and I kept on going until I finished my ninth infusion.  I probably could have gotten even more from this tea!

This tea is a PLANET of flavor!  I highly recommend the journey.

2011 Mahei Sheng Ancient Tree Pu-erh from Wymm Tea

MaheiSheng2011Spring1Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Pu-erh

Where to Buy:  Wymm Tea

Tea Description:

This is a sheng pu-erh that brews bright yellow liquor with a delicate taste and silky texture. The tea is full-bodied with minimal astringency, and brings back a prolonged honey-like aftertaste.

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

This 2011 Mahei Sheng Ancient Tree Pu-erh from Wymm Tea is quite a wonderful tea!  It has a really lovely honey note to it that I don’t usually expect when I drink pu-erh.  It’s not often that the first thing I really notice about a pu-erh is the strong honey tones!  

MaheiSheng2011Spring
One of four little bundles of pu-erh that I received from Wymm Tea.

This has a light vegetal flavor that is – to me – reminiscent of a buttery green tea.  I get a slight creaminess from this cup: a light, buttery vegetative note.  It is wonderfully smooth with no astringency and no bitterness.  It’s mellow yet flavorful and really quite pleasant to sip.

My second infusion was a little less smooth than the first and I’m picking up on some citrus notes as well as a hint of astringency toward the tail.  The creaminess of the first cup has waned and while I’m finding this tea to be different than the last cup, it’s still quite lovely!

The vegetal notes are a little more defined now and I’m not sure if that’s because the creaminess has waned or if it’s because these notes are emerging.  They are lightly herbaceous.

My favorite thing about this cup is the aforementioned citrus notes and the honey notes – I like the way these two profiles taste together.  There is a nice balance to the flavors of this tea and this is something that remains consistent through it’s many infusions.

Later infusions maintained their honey-like tones.  As I continued with the infusions, I noticed that the vegetal notes that I noticed especially in the second infusion began to transcend into a fruit-like note, reminiscent of melon.  Some floral notes began to emerge.

What I didn’t get – throughout those many infusions, I lost count after about six! – was a briny or fishy flavor.  I didn’t taste a strong, earthy quality that I normally associate with a pu-erh.  If you’re someone who tends to shy away from pu-erh because you don’t care for those strong flavors, you really should try this one!  This is a really lovely pu-erh and a very interesting tea – one that’s well worth trying!

Mangnuo Cane Tea Raw Pu-erh (Ancient Tree Early Spring 2014) from Wymm Tea

MangnuoCaneTea1Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Pu-erh

Where to Buy:  Wymm Tea

Tea Description:

This is Wymm’s signature tea. It is a sheng pu-erh that brews bright golden with a rich and sweet flavour, and with the aroma of fresh-cut grass in the morning. For the initial 6 steeps, there is a pronounce bitter taste that lingers in back of the tongue with hints of astringency, which are slowly replaced with a bold honey aftertaste. The liquor is heady because of the ultra concentrated nutrients in this tea. Each serving of this tea can be steeped up to 20 times.

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

Good stuff!  This Mangnuo Cane Tea Raw Pu-erh (Ancient Tree Early Spring 2014) from Wymm Tea is really nice.

I’m only on my first cup at the moment, but I’m really enjoying the strong sugary notes to this cup.  I taste subtle notes of grass and a light astringency.  It has a pleasant, light flavor overall, with the most forward notes tasting sweet – like something in between a sugary molasses and honey.

My second infusion was even nicer than the first.  The sweet notes seem to be even stronger.  I’m picking up on some delicate floral notes.  The astringency is still there and it seems to be developing.  There is a distinct dry note toward the finish.  Vegetal notes are more defined now too, with a slight bitterness toward the finish.  Not an off-putting bitterness, but more of a savory bitterness to contrast with the sugary sweet notes.

My third infusion was very much like the second.  The fourth infusion was my favorite – the flavors became smoother and I found the astringency starting to wane.  It wasn’t quite as sweet, but there was a nice balance between sweet, hints of bitter and light grassy tones.  It was really quite pleasant.

The fifth infusion was pleasantly mellow.  Sweet and refreshing taste.  Hints of grass but very little bitterness.  Just smooth, mellow sweetness.  Later infusions began to pick up on the astringency again and since I’m not a big fan of the astringency, especially with such a mellow tea, I decided to stop with seven infusions.

Overall, a very pleasant pu-erh.  I liked that it didn’t have a strong, earthy character nor was I experiencing a briny or fishy sort of flavor.  Just a really pleasant vegetal note and some really remarkable sweet tones.  It’s quite nice.

Menghai Shou Pu-erh Third Grade (2008) from Wymm Tea

MenghaiShou3rdTea Information:

Leaf Type:  Pu-erh

Where to Buy:  Wymm Tea

Tea Description:

This shu pu-erh brews with a rich and honey flavor and long-lasting jasmine rice aroma. Small buds from high mountains in Menghai County, located in west of Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture in Yunnan Province, are picked to make the tea in 2008. Pu-erh tea has the potential to ferment over time, and this tea has been post-fermented for 6 years since production. Post-fermentation gives the tea vibrant flavours and richer aroma as well as deep wine colour.

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

WynnTeasPresentation1I was so excited when I received my package from Wymm Tea!  What a fun presentation I received from them!  They sent me four samples of Pu-erh and they were all nestled in this really cute carton.  I really love it when a tea company puts thought into their packaging like this.  It’s a little like getting a gift in the mail.  And the only thing that’s just as much fun as getting tea in the mail is getting a gift in the mail – when the two are combined – we’re talking Pure Tea Joy!

And it may surprise you to hear that the tea inside that carton is also eliciting joy from me too!  Yep, it’s pu-erh, and yep … it’s making me happy!  Each of the samples was wrapped in rice paper (I love rice paper) and it was like a little gift inside each rice paper bundle!

Menghai Shou Third Grade
Menghai Shou Third Grade (2008)

I’m really enjoying this Menghai Shou Pu-erh Third Grade (2008) from Wymm Tea.  My first two infusions were very mellow – mild tasting with very little earthiness (I like that a lot!) but with a deep, lovely flavor that evoked thoughts of molasses.  I also pick up on some slight woodsy/earthy notes that remind me of a walk through the woods after a rain.  (There are a lot of places up here in the Pacific Northwest that offer that kind of experience!)

These first two cups disappeared so quickly, that I’m having to write most of this from the memory of them.

My third cup has a stronger flavor than the first two.  It’s a very mellow tasting tea with a very delicate earthiness to the flavor.  The earthiness slowly emerges with this tea and I like that.  I’m not being hit over the head with a strong, earthy flavor.

I taste notes of jasmine rice (a favorite staple in this house).  The texture is smooth and there is no astringency.  No bitterness.  It’s sweet, molasses-y, with hints of rice.  I’m not tasting any briny, fishy or other ‘odd’ undesirable flavors that sometimes are tasted with Pu-erh – this is the GOOD stuff.

I find that with each new cup of this tea – the flavor gets deeper with a more developed sweetness.  I never encounter any bitterness or strong, off-putting flavors.  Just a lovely, mild, remarkably smooth tea experience.

And, just in case you’re wondering what the different “grades” mean, according to the website:

First grade contains the smallest leaves while seventh grade contains the largest leaves. There is marginal difference in the taste; first grade has a slightly stronger and woodier flavour, while the seventh grade has a milder and sweeter flavour. The third and fifth grades fall in between of the first and seventh grade.

And if this tea is something “in between a stronger/woodier flavor and the sweet/mild flavor, then I’m in for a real treat when I get to the seventh grade tea!

A really lovely, delightful ancient tree pu-erh – I highly recommend it!