Xiaguan Jin Se 2001

That tea was called “Turbo Pu” back in 2011-12 since it was supposed to have a sort of shu-like processing. Xiaguan claimed it was made with 5-6 years old material. Who knows, but it was a rather cheap tea delivering a unique profile for a sheng. Personally, I didn’t have old puerh at the time, so I thought it had interesting bitter kuwei flavors.

The first brew makes me think the tea remains unchanged, but after 2-3 brews, an obvious minty licorice shows up. I don’t recall that when it was young. A strong energy comes on quickly and abruptly. Aged flavors are less prominent than in my memory; it still has strong bitter, woody, and medicinal flavors, with a hint of soap here and there. No humid forest or aged notes at all. The huigan isn’t impressive, but some sweetness returns in the throat, though a slight unpleasant astringency lingers. It’s tasty but straightforward. The licorice is good news; apart from that, it’s very Xiaguan—bold but sometimes harsh. It’s a bit unfortunate that the tea feels rough on the throat, but I don’t have many teas with this profile, so it’s nice to drink occasionally. The qi hits quite hard, but it might trigger a slight headache, so not great… The aftertaste lasts long, with sweet wood and a medicinal touch in the throat.

It’s not fantastic nor super clean, but it has a bit of licorice, and I particularly love that in puerh (and chicken coop too!). I suspect it might have a slight pesticides aftertaste, though!

Side note: it’s giving me a curious craving for a toast with foie gras. I’m not a big fan of foie gras, but perhaps it would pair well with it?