Finding The Tea Qi: 2020 Yunnan Sourcing "Bang Dong Impression" Old Arbor Raw Pu-erh Tea Cake

On to day two of our journey through the tea sampler. Now, I did say I was on vacation, and while naturally a Little Tea Venerable is unmoved by the distractions of the mundane world, he ought to have the opportunity to prove his detachment from worldly desires. Ideally poolside.

He was impressively unmoved. I, regretfully, could only move on to the tea.

First Steep- Definitely a more woody aroma. Color remains quite light. First steep was a slow ten count then pour. Definitely a bit more astringency today, a bit of the syrupy texture- ten seconds too long for a first steep? Probably. Aroma doesn’t stay or evolve very long. Is this too young of a raw Pu’erh? Hope not, because most of the others are the same age.

I decided to check what actual humans said about this tea, and the best I could do is the same tea from a more recent year. I mean, what, ask an AI? AHAHA THATS CRAZY TALK. 

Anyhoo. Here is what an apparently real person said about Bang Dong Impression tea:

This is a very satisfying blend: refreshing and subtly complex with a nice Huí gān (returning sweetness). Dry leaf aroma: blueberries, strawberries. Wet leaf aroma: herbed butter, sage-infused honey, alpine meadow wildflowers, buttered raisin bread, icing sugar, muscatel grapes, blueberry jam, cherry shortcake, and sugarcane. Flavor profile: macadamia oil, honeydew, sweet tea. Empty cha hai aroma: hazelnuts and coconut, molasses, chocolate/Nutella spread, blueberry jam. Recommended!

• From the Yunnan sourcing listing for the tea, from a verified purchaser.

My brother in tea, what the actual expletive are you on about? The dry leaf aroma is Tea. The wet leaf aroma is Tea. I speak as one who has made herbed butter, eaten buttered raisin bread, eaten muscatel grapes, blueberry jam, cherry short cake… Bro. It tastes like tea. At this point, I am prepared to say it tastes like Raw Pu'erh tea. A bit woody, a bit tannic. Not bad, though. 

Steep 2- I get hay. That is what I get other than “tea,” it reminds me of hay in the sun. I kept the ten second steep, and I’m getting some of that syrup now. A bit of the menthol cool. Not as much wood. Tannins quite present. Color is still lighter than I usually associate with videos of Pu’erh. Don’t think it’s a boiling point issue, I can’t be more than thirty feet above sea level. 

Steep 3- Twenty second steep. Still a pale gold instead of the rather dark, dank color I associate with Pu’erh. Is that just a ripe Pu’erh thing? More investigation required. More pronounced menthol, with reserved tannins. I do see what the reviewer meant by returning sweetness- it’s subtle, but on the exhale after drinking, you do taste it. A bit more texture, too. Almost velvety. Sticking with the longer steeps.

Interesting to note that my gaiwan immediately punishes you for pouring too fast. The tea starts spilling and splashing immediately. You get a fairly nice pour so long as you tilt the vessel gently and slowly, which in turn really encourages you not to overfill since you pick it up by the ridge at the very top of the gaiwan. Do it right, no burnt fingers. Do it wrong? Toasty, and likely spilt tea. A gaiwan that trains you in how to use it. Kind of funny, kind of... on theme.

Steep 4- Slightly darker color? Maybe? Lost track of the time a bit, so it should be at least twenty seconds and probably a bit longer. Clay cup has heated up enough to scald my fingers. My little tea venerable can hold his poise because he simply conducts the heat on, it seems. Distinct menthol, subtle texture, no big flavor change. Less sweet on the exhale. I didn't take a picture of this one, it's just... very similar. Honestly, I could be imagining the color change. There just doesn't seem to be a whole lot of evolution in the tea going on.

Steep 5- Twenty six second steep. Menthol forward. I’m changing from a pint glass to a little glass espresso cup as my pitcher. The tea liquor is bright, bright gold and crystal clear. I have to be doing something wrong. [POST-SESSION CORRECTION- I was not doing something wrong, it’s that color in the pictures on the Yunnan Sourcing website. Go figure.] You can read through it. Not much tea flavor left in it, just menthol and texture. Zero woodyness or autumn leaves.

Conclusion- Reasonably pleasant to drink but… eeeh? I got zero, none, of what the reviewer picked up on, and not much of what I would associate with Pu'erh either. It is worth noting that this is very young as raw Pu'erhs go, and would probably benefit from another decade of aging.

I'm a little frustrated that I'm not finding nuances to hang my memory on, things to point to and say "This is what Bang Dong region teas taste like." It's a reputable supplier, and a very well established tea region. The problem isn't the tea. My palate just isn’t good enough to find everything hidden within. Maybe it needs another decade of training too.

Learning experience, learning experience. The Little Tea Venerable and I will challange another tea tomorrow, and see what it teaches us.