u/FloorSimple

I tried the 2018 Dayi Jin Zhen Bai Lian today. I gave it a 20 second rinse before the first steep. Unlike the 2008 7572, the taste of Jin Zhen Bai Lian is more of a subtle wood and floral note. I prefer the 7572 because I like that punchy woody taste, but my stomach is much more agreeable with Jin Zhen Bai Lian. It looks like I might buy more of it instead.
It really seems like the older the tea is with puerh, the better it tastes. My mystery 2003 ripe puer still beats them both.
On a side note, I still have 95% of that 2003 mystery cake waiting for a Brisbane Redditor to pick up. It looks like he changed his mind though, since he never set a time to pick up from me. 😂😅😅

Sampled a 2008 Dayi 7572 today. The dry tea doesn’t have that bright, punchy fragrance you get from a raw cake like 2008 7542, but the liquor definitely made up for it.
First steep tasted great, with sweet timber notes and zero bitterness. The longer it steeped, the sweeter and more woody it got. The second steep was honestly perfect, as the flavor opened up into an even better sweet timber profile.
Compared to a mystery 2003 ripe puerh I’ve been drinking (unknown storage), the 7572 lacks that deep medicinal edge that the 2003 cake has. Still, I really liked the profile.
The only downside? It seems puerh isn’t something my stomach can process on a daily basis without getting upset, even with food in my system. Absolute bummer because the flavor is right where I want it to be!
Has anyone else loved the flavor of classic factory shou but found their digestive system just couldn't handle it as a daily drinker? Did switching to lighter, bud-heavy recipes help, or did you just have to reserve it for occasional sessions?

I’ve been building up a collection of samples to explore over the next year. Here’s what I picked up:

From King Tea Mall:
2013 Xiaguan “Fei Tai Hao” (LOVE FOREVER – Paper Tong Version) Raw Pu-erh
2018 Dayi Jin Zhen Bai Lian (Golden Needle White Lotus) Shou Pu-erh (1st Batch)
2008 Dayi 7572 Shou Pu-erh (Batch 801)

From the Dayi store:
Jin Zhen Bai Lian (Golden Needle White Lotus) 7g sample

From Lộc Tân Cương:
Trà Ngon 10 Vị sample box, which includes 10 different Vietnamese teas.
Trà Đinh Thái Nguyên
Trà Nõn Tôm Thái Nguyên
Trà Móc Câu Đặc Biệt Thái Nguyên
Trà Đinh Tâm Xuân
Trà Lài Thượng Hạng
Trà Oolong Ngọc Thanh Tâm
Trà Sen Thượng Hạng
Trà Oolong Quý Long
Trà Oolong Lộc Hưởng
Trà Shan Tuyết Hà Giang

The one I’m looking forward to the most is the Tuyết San Hà Giang tea from the Vietnamese sample box. It’s made from leaves harvested from approximately 300-year-old tea trees, so I’m really curious to see how it compares with the Chinese teas in the lineup.
I probably have enough tea to last me a long time now… but somehow I still keep finding more teas I want to try. 😅

I took it to a family friend’s house and brewed it. The dry tea has a very earthy smell, but once brewed, it actually smells quite fragrant.
As for the taste… I honestly don’t know how to describe it. 😂 I’m far too new to puer to start talking about ancient camphor forests, stone fruit and monastery libraries.
But I drank it and I’m still alive, so there’s that. 😂
I’m going to give about a quarter to half of the cake to the Brisbane Redditor who wanted to try it. The rest will stay with my family friend, who will probably use it to cook tea eggs. Lol. 😂

After all the drama with the mystery 2003 puer that my mum has explicitly forbidden me from drinking 😂, my 2008 Dayi 7542 arrived today, so I finally tried puer for the first time.
The dry tea smells really nice and fragrant. Interestingly, once I brewed it, I couldn’t really smell that fragrance anymore.
Unfortunately, I made the first infusion way too concentrated for my taste. It was quite bitter and my immediate thought was: who pays big money for this? 😂
The second infusion was lighter and much better. The bitterness had reduced and I could start tasting a little of the fragrance.
By the third infusion, I think I finally got it. It was lighter again, and I could taste more of that fragrance. I enjoyed it much more. Apparently my preferred puer brewing style is nowhere near maximum strength 😂.
I’m completely new to puer, so I’m not going to pretend I can identify notes of ancient camphor forests, leather, stone fruit and a monastery library after rain. All I can say is that the dry tea smells lovely, and I increasingly enjoyed the taste as the infusions became lighter.
So my first puer experience:
First infusion: Too concentrated. Too bitter. What is the hype? 😂
Second infusion: Oh, there’s actually a little fragrance here.
Third infusion: Yep. I like this.
Fourth infusion: Very good. Okay, now I understand why people drink puer. 😂
I think I’ll keep experimenting with lighter brews.

Update from my previous post. I couldn’t figure out how to add photos to the old thread, so I’ve started a new one. Hopefully I don’t get busted by the moderators for making two posts about the same mystery cake 😂.
A few people asked to see the actual cake, so here it is. I also brewed some purely for scientific observation 😂. The liquor is a clear reddish brown, it smells earthy, and I can’t see any obvious mould. I did not drink it because my mum has explicitly forbidden me from drinking “that thing” 😂.
Also, the wrapper appears to list Hongtaichang as the manufacturer and Yuzhuxuan as the company that issued/distributed it, which might explain some of the discussion about the dates.
Curious what you guys think now that you can actually see the tea.

Got given this 2003 puer cake for free. The owner said it cost about AUD $40 and she was going to throw it away because she doesn’t drink it. I have no idea how it was stored for the last 20+ years. The cake smells earthy and I can’t see any signs of mould on it, but I’m still too chicken to drink it 😂**. Does anyone recognise this cake or know anything about the producer? Is it actually a legitimate pue**r?