2019 Laomane Gushu Shou Puer
$14.00 – $798.00
- Description
- Additional information
- Reviews (3)
Description
When you indulge in a highly bitter Laomane raw puer and imagine how good that would be as a ripe tea, this is what you want. Very few ripe puers are made using quality, old tree material, as this one is. And for the ones that do, the improvement is sometimes not as obvious as you would hope. However, this tea offers a largley unparalleled experience.
Right out of the gate there is no question that you’re drinking Laomane. Even after fermentation, the bitterness is noticeable. It’s not overpowering, but it’s also not entirely subdued. While some of its former bitterness has transformed into sweetness, the flavour is quite layered, developing nicely from brew to brew.
What differentiates this tea the most might be the complex texture, which fills the mouth and provides a rich experience. While all of our shou offerings for fall 2022 focus on thickness and body, this one take it an even higher level. We highly recommend this tea as a must-try, whether you’re a heavy shou drinker or someone who still isn’t sure ripe puer is for you. This could change your mind.
$0.84/gram
Additional information
| Weight | N/A |
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Josh (verified owner) –
There’s definite bitterness here as you might expect with Laoman’e material, but it’s not overwhelming – it’s blended together with wood, backing sweetness, and even a bit of fruit for a hefty layered sip. Burnt caramel, grapefruit wood, a bit of spiced cacao, mandarin fizz in the cup. Texture is pillowy, full-bodied and complex with wood up front, sweetness backing on the tongue, and zesty bitterness congregating in the throat. Great for a complex session.
CB (verified owner) –
Tried this one the day after Beyond the Bitter End so I could better compare them.
A woodsy scent dominates from the wet leaf. Taste opens like it smells. Woody, with a clean, silky, bitter backbone. Not a flat particle board type of shou taste you might have some experience with, but a deep rich mahogany with a dollop of cinnamon and a hint of spicey clove.
As it cooled, the wood notes subsided, replaced with a mineral-rich deep compost like an old untouched forest. Just a hint of cocoa. Perfect for the cool weather. I hung on to this wonderful memory/image as long as I could while chain-sipping this glorious cup.
Further cooling brought more layers of complexity. Bitter dark chocolate dominates with a hint of orange peel, some graham cracker, a bit of black licorice, camphor, and then a clean honey finish. Body was also gaining some thickness here. Less silk and more velvet.
What a gem! This is by far the best shou I have had to date. You’d think this might be the end but nope, still has plenty more to give. Cocoa notes start to take a back seat to cola flavors, if cola were warm, uncarbonated, but still incredibly delicious. There are even more notes in there as it keeps cooling. Like a breathtaking sunset, it’s almost too much to take in or describe, you just have to experience what your senses can handle and be content with that. I think that last bit might be a product of the energy of this tea which was setting in on me – invigoratingly, gentle and euphoric. The texture is elegant, effortless expansion. This is shou puer nirvana.
Alexandra Verville-Paris (verified owner) –
Strong grapefruit taste for an active body effect.
//Smell : Candied fruits, warm and comforting soil, wet rock, honey/caramel, dessert that includes cranberry, incense, concentrated juice, warm zest, fireplace in action
//Texture: The texture starts medium, astringency, bottom part of the mouth coated, excited tastebuds
//Taste : Medicated notes like most stuffed mandarins, zest, chocolate (dark 95-100%), grapefruit, sweet, mineral and more!
//Body sensation: Increased heartrate, heat in the cheeks, sweating nose (not kidding)