2003 Tai Lian "Yi Wu Mountain" Raw Pu-erh Tea Brick

Tobacco + Mouthwatering + gentle Smokiness!

"Bouquet: Right from the start this buddy comes along with a very nice blend in smokiness which covers everything but without killing their individual presentations. Within the smokiness you definitely get a major mixture of smoked sausages but in a very gentle and perfectly harmonic way and also hints of slightly smoked cranberry ham. Further there is a certain scent of baked pears within its steaming atmosphere followed by upcoming notes of fresh tobacco which is also one of the keynotes and woodsy aspects of sandalwood and aged agarwood. This whole structure of steaming nuances is highly mouthwatering! Taste: Within its creamy oily liquor this buddy brings along a certain bitterness especially if you steep this sheng a bit longer. This bitter notes are a bit like the ones of very high percentage dark chocolate also with a tiny hint of actual dark chocolate taste to it. But the main act within this play is definitely this elegant fantastically composed symphony of smokiness. It isn't an in your face smokiness some bricks tend to be - it is more like a masterfully puppet show where every string is pulled with such elegancy and knowledge. Every movement and every layer is performed with such sensitivity. Other major parts of baked nashi pears (Asian pears especially within the aftertaste), fresh wet tobacco and aged wood is guided by those smoky layers of fine barbecue notes, smoked sausages and cranberry ham. The aftertaste is very persistent and constantly moving and developing within your mouth. I would lay a small minus onto this aged buddy the reason is simple (for me). Don't get me wrong this is a fine and nice fellow but for an aged Sheng I really like it if it can keep its potent and full profile for quite a while. The strongest and most intense infusions are 2 & 3 - 4 is still nice but with 5 and 6 it already fades out quite quickly. So if you want to enjoy a lovely and wonderful tasting experience for a couple of intense moments then this guy is a good candidate and also not that expansive considering its age. Definitely worth a sampler or more ;) More Reviews & Photos at https://www.instagram.com/zerozen_artlab/"

— ZeroZen (4/5)