2012 Essence of Tea "Guafengzhai", "Dongbanshan", and 2009 Guyi "Dongbanshan"

Gentle Reader, we are back from San Diego, a city quite remarkable: stable, comfortably warm weather; fragrant bayside restaurants and hotels; a population that appears to be slimmer than anywhere in England.  It is a really lovely city in its situation by the bay, although it's good to be home.

So charming was San Diego, in fact, that I appear to have put on precisely 10.0% of my body weight (7.5 kg) while over there.  After the first day back in England, I lost 2 kg; after the second day, I lost a further 1.5 kg.  Something is definitely "up" with my (in)ability to cope with San Diego / Mexican cuisine...

I'm relying on pu'ercha to help me regain my equilibrium.

Along with the "Bangwei 33", this is the other of the 2012 cakes from Essence of Tea that I like very much.

We may be expecting the 400g cake to be rather pretty, given the form of Mr. and Mrs. Essence when it comes to the selection of healthy, visually-appealing leaves.  The photograph below makes me thirsty for tea just from looking at it, and I have been drinking all morning.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't remember there being neifei [inner labels] for Essence of Tea cakes; this could be my woefully poor attention-to-detail in previous years.  Below, nestled in the pretty leaves, the label looks rather cosy.

The leaves are huge, as pictured below.  I appreciate the inclusion of stems, which I think adds a little to the overall complexity; when making "single mountain" cakes, any complexity is worthwhile, given that there could feasibly be a danger of becoming rather one-dimensional when a single source for maocha is used.  The scent is fresh and sweet, but otherwise unrevealing.

The cups shown in the photographs, generously provided by Mr. and Mrs. Essence, have since become part of our daily routine, and we couldn't imagine life without them.  Their thickness and density are entirely suitable for drinking pu'ercha, and they retain the heat particularly well.

The scent in the wenxiangbei [aroma cup, shown above] is of dazzling white sugar which slowly... very slowly... turns into a darker sweetness.  This progression is remarkably slow, and powerful at both the start and the end, which encourages me.  "The pace and duration are both good", my notes read.

The soup is vibrant, very green in character, and finishes with an excellent cooling sensation.  It is properly heavy in texture, and imparts a kuwei [pleasant bitterness] that remains suspended in the mouth.  Its potency is such that it is easy to overbrew, which is a most welcome characteristic - I like teas that have a lot to offer, and which could quite happily overwhelm you with their contents if allowed to do so.

This is not a feminine Guafengzhai cake: it is strong, bitter, cooling, and penetrating.  It is "too big to fail".  This includes its price, which is an entirely wallet-destroying £128.  Being frank, I cannot say that it is worth paying such a fee; for the price of two such cakes, one could buy some seriously enjoyable, decently aged, pu'ercha.  Judged on its merits as a cake, however, it is delightful.  Caveat emptor.

Changing gear, I compare a pair of Dongbanshan cakes - one from The Essences, and one from Guyi.  This sample was very kindly sent to us by Mrs. Essence.  

Dongbanshan is in the Mengku region of Lincang prefecture.

"This tea is quite light; it is good for my pregnancy", observes my dear wife, who is otherwise careful to avoid drinking very much tea.  This cake takes a little while to rouse itself to action, and, while not a big "flavour" tea (which is not a bad thing), it resounds in the throat.  Its grassy, fresh, light feeling reminds me that it is time that I cut the lawn.

After coming in from wrestling with our lawn-mower, I am ready for some more tea.  This 2009 Kunming Guyi version of a Dongbanshan cake was kindly provided by ME, who lives in a seriously warm part of the world.

The leaves, shown below, have been well-preserved by the use of stone moulds to press the tea.  The scent is fresh and sweet, and quite active.

This is a much more punchy version of Dongbanshan than the Essence of Tea cake, but is a little more mainstream in its provenance.  Tuochatea sells this for a correspondingly reasonable price of just $15.  This latter tea merchant does not attract a lot of attention, but is one of the stalwarts of the Western pu'ercha market, having been selling tea at very reasonable prices for quite a long time.  I recall buying from them for many years - never very large quantities, but always interesting, low-priced cakes.  Every now and again, there is a complete winner on offer, too, such as the 1998 Menghai "Peacock" tuocha, which has aged so very well.

This $15 version of Dongbanshan is clean and proper, and very "dry", as with some white wines.  The kuwei is crisp in the finish, and I am pleased by a collection of granary sweetnesses that are clearly Lincangian in their origins, and which were absent from the Essence of Tea version.  For such an inexpensive cake, this little version has a welcoming mouthwatering finish and is great fun to drink.  It is challenging, but not rough; it is balanced, but not dull.  I don't know if I would pursue this in huge quantities, but it is decent for the price.

Thanks to Mrs. Essence and ME for the thoroughly enjoyable sessions.