Last year, I tried raw puer for the first time. It was an interesting experience, although the intense bitterness and earthiness scared me off trying it again in the near future. But I wanted to come back to this and when I realised that Kenny was selling 2009 raw puer dragon balls (dragon balls again! 有缘 haha), I decided to give it a shot. This has a bit of age on it, so I was less afraid of trying it.

The description:

“Bold, punchy bittersweet aromas and flavours, dominated by a piquant nutty grassiness that gives way to subtler notes of figs. Slight dryness on the finish.”

First Impressions

The dried tea ball smelled sweet and grassy, very much like a white tea. I pulled out pictures of the raw puer from last year and I noticed that this one is noticeably darker.

Tasting Notes

Like with the previous puer I had, this was another tea vs Eustacia competition, which I lost (and in fact, ended up unable to sleep even though I finished my tea session by 4pm!)

Rinse/opening up the leaves: I remember hearing you can drink this if you want so I gave it a go! The liquor smelled very sweet and floral (the floral notes here are more like the ones in duck shit than high mountain oolongs, if that makes sense?) and it tasted pretty much the same

First round: The tea liquor was a light golden yellow. It really reminded me of a white tea but with a slightly more pronounced bitter note. The tea was smooth with little astringency but quite a lasting finish.

Second round: The leaves were all loose by now and the tea liquor had deepened into a light amber. The bitterness and astringency were more pronounced but I still got a lot of floral and sweet notes.

Third round: This one, I gave to my HK mama who has only drunk ripe puer up to now. She seemed to like it, although I think she was trying to process the fact that it was so different from the ripe puers that she’s used to. I could not get anyone else to try this tea.

Fourth round: There is a bitterness to the aftertaste, though it doesn’t become unpleasant like my first raw puer (which is currently my only point of reference). Still sweet and fresh, though! I’m also really getting the astringency because my mouth is really dry after drinking this.

Fifth round: The tea is a much darker colour and I am really feeling the bitterness (and astringency) here. But it’s a lot more manageable and I feel compelled to drink more. But not before I have a small piece of dark chocolate and a glass of water to reset my tastebuds. As I finish the glass, I realise that Kenny’s description is very accurate – this is really bittersweet and the flavours are really “punchy”. Drinking deeply, I get a sudden impression of spring.

Sixth round: The bitterness is starting to recede and I’m starting to get grassy notes. The sweetness isn’t as strong as before, but it’s still very much present and so are the floral notes.

Seventh round: The bitterness has retreated till it’s mostly in the aftertaste. The dominant notes are now sweet, grassy, and floral.

Eighth round: This is mostly sweet and grassy, with very little bitterness. I gave up here, but I felt that the leaves still had more to give so I cold-brewed them overnight.

Cold Brew: The cold brew, which I’m drinking as I write this, is very sweet, with just a hint of bitterness. The astringency is also mostly gone. It’s a very pleasant tea to have.

I took a look at the spent leaves as well. The whole leaves were smooth to touch and I saw some that were were with the stem.

Conclusion

This turned out to be a very enjoyable experience and quite unlike my first experience with raw puer. I think that having some age on this really helped with my appreciation of the tea and since I have seven more dragon balls, I will have to store them carefully and slowly try them out as they age! If you’re interested in trying this for yourself, you can contact Kenny to get some.

Next up: Going back to the teas from the Rare Tea Company!