I'm finally getting around to doing reviews on my pu-erh collection.

Tea: Banzhang Wild Brick '04
Source: Yunnan Sourcing LLC
Leaf Description: Mostly big gnarled leaves. No tips noticeable.
Quite stemmy.

Method: 3g in 5oz gaiwan. Two rinses @ 160F x 30sec ea

1: 170F x 45sec. Light and fresh. Hint of sweet. Not much aroma.
2: 170F x 1min. Still fresh and clean. More sweetness. A hint of
popcorn tells me I'm pushing oversteeping it.
3: 170F x 1min. Much sweeter now. A bit of bamboo shoot taste.
Faintly citric.

Comments: the tea could have gone for more steeps, and was in fact just
getting better. The leaves look alot like yard rakings in fall, but
the taste is remarkably clean and delicate, at least at these
parameters. It left a very nice feeling in my mouth. No smokiness.

Tea: Haiwan Factory Lao Tong Zhi '04
Source: Yunnan Sourcing LLC
Leaf Description: beautiful higher grade well-compressed leaf. Very
aromatic.

Method: 4.5g in 5oz gaiwan. One rinse at 180F x 10sec.

1: 170F x 45sec. Warm wood, extremely round empty cup fragrance.
Light but hints at complexity. A bit of sweetness and some eucalyptus
on the finish.
2: 170F x 45sec. As above but stronger and with some sandy soil and
green twig notes. Quite astringent.
3: As above, but a bit muted.

Comments: This is a very nice tea, very aromatic, and without smoke.
It is, however, much to astringent to drink young. I'm not sure
whether the mutedness of the 3rd steep was the fault of the tea or the
tanning of my tongue.

More to come,

Cameron