Ripe Puerh Showdown! (My two favorites from my sample purchase)

This was a shootout for my daily drinker puerh. I would never have been able to decide without drinking both at the same time.

Tea & Water

Tea 1: 2003 Tian Di Ren "7572" (9g in my 120ml gaiwan)

Tea 2: 15 Years Aged Golden Melon Ripe (7g in my 100ml gaiwan)

Water Temp: 203-205F

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Tasting Notes

Dry Smell:

(1) Sweet Wood

(2) Bright Punchy Wood

Wet Smell (Post Rinses):

(1) Minty hay, fresh plants by a creek

(2) Deeper minty hay, chocolate

Brews: (*) Indicates that I liked that tea more for that brew.

• Two flash rinses so I start further into the teas.
• Steep 1. [flash, flash]
  • (1) Orange/Tan: Light wood
  • (2)* Dark Brown: Rich chocolate wood
• Steep 2. [12s, flash]
  • (1) Dark Red: Bright honey pencil in nature
  • (2)* Dark Brown: Honey pencil
• Steep 3. [18s, flash]
  • (1)* Red Orange: Writing in my notebook by a pond
  • (2) Dark Brown: Rich body, lower aromatics
• Steep 4. [28s, 15s]
  • (1)* Elegant Red: Honey, creek, pencil
  • (2) Dark Brown: Pencil, deep
• Steep 5. [35s, 25s]
  • (1)* Elegant Red: Playing outside on a rubber tire swing
  • (2) Elegant Red: Nice pencil
• Steep 6. [55s, 40s]
  • (1)* Elegant Red: Mint, mulch, nostalgia
  • (2) Lighter Elegant Red: Nice pencil, metallic/slight bitter mouth feel

Qi: After drinking both of these teas I feel the familiar lazy feeling I get after drinking more puerh than is needed. There was a moment around brew 3 that I felt quite nice and energized and motivated in a comfortable way, but now I am passed that. I just want to laze around and consume any content that is at least mildly interesting.

Overall: At the start I enjoyed tea 2 more because it was stronger. However, it seemed to extract quicker and with less complexity and joy in the aromatics. So, tea 1 slowly pulled ahead and stayed ahead as the brews continued. Tea 1 was cozier and more inviting, had better staying power, and brought me to more enjoyable places.

Price Notes: Both teas come to about $0.21/g. That makes a 10g day of tea only $2.10.

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Both teas had more brews in them. I am just too affected at the moment to keep brewing.