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2011 Canton Tea Co Special Puerh
2011 Canton Tea Co Special Puerh
High excitement in the Canton office when this perfectly formed 250g beeng cha arrived. Our exclusive, specially commissioned, traditional stone-pressed puerh cake is from a small artisan farm in Yunnan. The traditional recipe big leaf maocha is from the Big Tree, Arbor varietal. The leaves are Grade 6 and above with some young buds.
Drinking this puerh young, the tea is fragrant with fresh, subtle floral notes and a sweet persistent aftertaste. It has a good tea taste and a bittersweet finish, which shows that the tea will age well; after 5 years it will still have a young raw, flowery flavour but after 10 years it will open up to develop a softer, more complex and mature profile.
Read more about Puerh Tea in Canton Tea School.
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Range |
Premium |
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Country |
China |
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Year of Production |
2011 |
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Puerh Type |
Beeng Cha (cake) |
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Style |
Raw (Sheng) |
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Origin |
Yi Wu Mountain, Mengla, Yunnan |
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Harvest Date |
Spring 2011 |
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Leaf Appearance |
Grade 6 leaves and above with some young buds |
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Liquor |
Clear dark gold |
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Tasting Notes |
A light, flowery note with the classic young bittersweet raw puerh flavour. With age the flavour will deepen and develop. |
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Quick Brewing Instructions |
Ideally use the gongfu style. A small teapot (or small amount of water) with a 3-4 g chunk of tea and hot water: 95°C (203°F) infused for just 20 secs. Reinfuse at least 6 times. Read more about Puerh Tea in Canton Tea School. |
If future cakes from Canton Tea turn out to retain this level of quality, we may be seeing a new name added to our annual sources of good, hand-made tea.
Customer Reviews
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Definitely one to try repeatedly as it ages
Review by Roderick
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I bought this a bit back when Canton had it on special and finally cracked the beeng yesterday. I’m not sure what I was expecting from it really, although I could not help but compare it to the 2010 Xing Hai that Canton sells for half the price. So, my thoughts?
The beeng smells lovely. I get that people will get a tobacco smell from it. For me, although there is something of pipe tobacco in it, the aroma of the beeng itself is redolent of the stableyard, just like the Xing Hai. It’s a lovely grassy horsey smell that reminds me of good times.
When I picked it apart, I got large leaves with bits of stalk. I mean some of those leaves were huge. Great stuff.
Yesterday I made it in my gaiwan: 3g of tea in a 140ml gaiwan, temp at 95 degrees as recommended on the website. With steeping times starting at 10 seconds and rapidly escalating, I found it to be on the insipid side (or delicate, if you wish to be kind). The flowery taste was there, but I got little in the way of aftertaste or depth of flavour. Shame.
Today I opted for my dedicated sheng pot (170ml duan ni). I jammed 8g of leaf into the pot, and I mean jammed. Some of the leaves were too large to actually fit comfortably into the pot. I was going for destruction testing this time around, as far as I was concerned. I reckon I did the right thing too. The first steep was 20 seconds. It came out slightly flowery and a bit peaty. Not really fantastic, but pleasant. The second steep was also 20 seconds because I figured the first steep was a wake-up call and I was right. The taste came in a lot stronger. The peatiness and smokiness were emphasised but without killing the floral flavours. It was sweet and only just the right side of bitter. There was an aftertaste that really came into its own on the exhale, at which point my tastebuds started jumping around. Yes, that was about right for me. It reminded me of nothing so much as some of my favourite malt whiskies (without the alcohol, of course!). From that point on it was good all the way through to the sixth steeping, with some mushroom and mineral flavours developing along the way. I had to stop at that point else I shall not get to sleep tonight. Let’s see what it is like in the morning.
It seems to me that this tea likes it rough at the moment. It is robust enough to cope with some harsh treatment, and, for my taste, it needs a bit to bring out the best in it. I look forward to seeing how this tea ages, and will have to get a beeng or two more so that I can ensure a supply for some time to come. (Posted on 6/10/12)
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A lovely fresh young Puerh
Review by Toby C
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I bought a beeng of this to try with the anticipation that I may have to re wrap it and age it. I dont like the harsh astringent flavours one often gets with young raw puerh. I gave it a longer infusion and was delighted with the outcomes. It is soft, delicate and very refreshing. As I type this I have a cup beside me (infusion no 9 I think) and although I have to increase the steep time, the leaves are still producing a soft smooth light brew which is delicious. I still have half of the original beeng left, but think I will order another to try to age (if I dont consume it) as I am confident that this tea has the structure and finesse to age in to a spectacular tea. I look forward to the 2012 as I hope the CT co beeng is a regular from now on. (Posted on 4/4/12)
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an outstanding offering
Review by Vanessa at teaviews.com
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"though I was dismayed at the beginning of this review when I learned this was a Pu-erh, I walked away from this tea being very much satisfied, as well as having to re-think my opinion of Pu-erh as a whole. This is an outstanding offering and one I would recommend to others. "
Read the full review here: http://www.teaviews.com/2012/03/29/review-canton-tea-beeng-cha/ (Posted on 3/29/12)
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this tea just keeps on impressing
Review by Spencer E
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"Mmm, this tea really kicks it in gear with the second infusion. The vegetal pu’erh flavor floods the taste buds. It is incredibly smooth and just slides over the tongue. I am truly impressed. I put it through several more steepings, and this tea just keeps on impressing. Normally, I prefer cooked pu’erhs to raw pu’erhs, but with a tea like this, I can hardly afford to be biased"
Read the full review here http://steepster.com/morvaltur/posts/107070 (Posted on 3/20/12)
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Another tip of the spout to the folks at Canton Tea to say “Good job!”
Review by Little Yellow Teapot
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"The flavor of pu-erhs generally changes with each steeping. This one was no exception. It started out mild and had a hint of grassy/asparagus-like flavor with a nice yellow-orange color. An earthiness that is so characteristic of pu-erhs began developing in the second infusion and kept growing a bit stronger, adding a very pleasant element to the tea. ...."
Read the full review here http://lyt-tea-reviews.blogspot.com/2012/02/tea-adventure-beeng-cha-from-canton-tea.html (Posted on 2/10/12)
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If future cakes from Canton Tea turn out to retain this level of quality, we may be seeing a new name added to our annual sources of good, hand-made tea.
Review by The Half Dipper
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"The soup is so blissfully yellow that it tends towards green hints. Its aroma in the wenxiangbei [aroma cup] is reassuringly stable and heavy. I am relieved to find that its character in the mouth is similarly accomplished. The complex background of decent wild honey combines with a good, clean kuwei [bitter flavour] in the finish, which reminds me of other good Yiwu cakes...."
To read the full review, click here: http://half-dipper.blogspot.com/2011/10/2011-canton-tea-yiwushan-dashucha.html (Posted on 11/25/11)
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As always, Canton Tea never fails to impress. Whether you want to enjoy it young, or let it age and enjoy it later, this beeng cha will not disappoint!
Review by Mike @ Its all about the leaf
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"The scent of the dry leaf is earthy, but raw. A definite scent of dried hay, or drying grass on the lawn. I can also detect a slight fruity sweetness, like ripening peaches..."
To read the full review, click here: http://www.itsallabouttheleaf.com/2503/tea-review-canton-tea-2011-canton-tea-co-special-puerh/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=twitter (Posted on 11/25/11)
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Great potential
Review by David
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Quite a coup CTC has made in acquiring this high-grade young Puerh. Opening the pack, one is greeted by not only the appearance, but the aroma of sweet pipe tobacco. First brew I made was the recommended 5g per 200ml in a Yixing pot, with 20 sec infusion. The first pouring produced a pale liquid of honey-gold hue, and indeed you could say honey-gold taste. Needless to say, the depth of flavour and body were a lot less than those of more mature puerhs, Indeed, if you want to drink it now, I would suggest a longer infusion than the time recommended. This tea has great potential, and should make a worthwhile investment. (Posted on 10/16/11)
