2007 Yongpin Hao Yiwu Zhengshan (Spirit of Yiwu)

Another in the Spirit of Yiwu tasting from Puerhshop.

Fat whole leaves on the stem, loosely compressed, uniform throughout the cake, make the leaves of this cake the highest quality of the offerings in the sample set.

One odd thing about the tea: it does very well in a pot, but gaiwans don't make this tea shine. In a pot, this tea is thick in flavor. In a gaiwan, this tea is thin, despite having the same aroma. I can't place what factor does this, but with many differences between pots and gaiwans, any of them could explain it: differences in heat retention, thickness, porosity, and/or pour time. Either way. In both cases, the aroma coats the nose with the usual straw smell, with finishing spice, maybe cardamom or cinnamon.

In a pot, the Yongpin Hao Yiwu Zhengshan offers syrupy texture, flavor of dry grass, and lingering sweet aftertaste. When it cools, rather than being bitter or sour, it becomes salty. The vegetal notes taste sweet, like the way grilled zucchini or eggplant is sweet, kind of gourd-like, and at times buttery. Oddly enough, I found no florals in this tea. It activates the sensors on the hard palate. Lovers of young sheng, like myself, would probably like this tea. Collectors, too, maybe: it tastes like "factory" tea without the bitter and smoke.

The only bad is it's a bit metallic in flavor at times, doesn't brew well in a gaiwan, and is temperature sensitive: anything under a full boil doesn't give the best flavor. But these are all small complaints. Actually, one thing that could be bad is that, while this tea tastes great, it tastes awful after eating something sweet, like botched green tea. Maybe, though, any sheng pu'er would taste that way after eating something sweet, like mixing cranberry and milk.

I really enjoy this tea. I've drunk almost all my sample.