2020 Tea Encounter Bang Dong: Summer Mojito

This is the only repeat offering in the Tea Encounter 2020 Spring release.  The 2019 Tea Encounter Bang Dong was an enjoyable, simple, easy drinking, young puerh experience for me (and others).  I notice that Tiago has delisted the 2019, perhaps, in the hopes that others will opt for this 2020 while fresh.  I wonder if this 2020 will be much of the same?  This 2020 Tea Encounter Bang Dong goes for $41.75 for 250g cake or $0.17/g which is cheaper than the 2019 ($0.20/g).

Dry has a light strongly fruity sweet almost floral candy like vibrant aroma- an alluring tuti-fruity candy.

First infusion has a light watery onset of airy limes and fruity tastes.  There is a soft mouthfeeling, slight vegetal base and a sweet almost sour taste that emerges in the aftertaste.  There is a creamy chalky sweetness that emerges minutes later in the aftertaste.

The second infusion has a slightly sour but mainly sweet lime, fruit, and vegetal taste then transforms into a floral creamy slightly astringent sweetness.  The result is a very refreshing vegetal floral fruity sweetness.  The mouthfeeling is chalky and sticky and the throat is sticky at the upper-mid level.  The Qi has a soothing effect on my body and mind.

The third infusion has a mellow fruity lime floral onset which almost reminds me of lemongrass, flowers, and coconut cream.  The taste is refreshing with a touch of astringency.  The mouthfeeling is sticky, mildly astringent and there is a floral creamy returning taste with a vegetal more than sweet aftertaste.  The Qi is mellowing.  The upper-mid throat is mildly stimulated.

The fourth infusion has a lemonade like onset of refreshing flavours.  It is a nice balance between sour and sweet over a soft mouthfeeling and throat feeling.  There is a subtle creamy floral finish with lime and slight fruits.  The Qi is mellow.  I enjoy the easy drinking lemonade fresh taste and feel on this hot summer day.

The fifth infusion has a lemonade sweet-slight-sour taste.  There are some faint creamy floral like tastes that come out in the aftertaste with the sweet lemonade taste.  There is little to no astringency or bitterness here.  The mouthfeeling is soft and slightly sticky.

The sixth infusion has a fruity lemonade taste over a soft tongue coating and mild throat stimulation.  This puerh is very refreshing as I hear the consitant hum of air conditioning in peak heat of the day.  There is more of a lingering sweet-sour aftertaste of cream and floral and lime.  The Qi is a mild mellow type of thing.

The seventh infusion has a mellow buttery fruit onset with lemonade more in the distance.  The tastes lay over a soft mouthfeeling and throatfeeling.  There is very little to no astringency or bitter.  The aftertaste is mild sweet-sour nuance.  Mellow Qi.  This is a nice sweet and refreshing tasting puerh.

The eighth infusion has a creamy sweet floral onset with a faint sourness.  There is a more distinct returning sweetness as the cup cools now.  The sweetness has a creamy, lime, fruity vibe.  This puerh tastes a lot like a mojito cocktail and is very satisfying on this hot summer day.  This puerh would taste good iced…

The ninth infusion has a lemonade sweet vibe to it over a soft and slightly chalky powdery mouthcoat which is building into something more substantial while still being quite light.  The aftertaste taste has a mild coolness in the breath and a flat lemonade sweetness in the aftertaste.

The tenth infusion has a creamy buttery floral sweetness with an underlying lemonade taste that hits a mild coolness on the breath and kind of skates off into the distance as a soft mild creamy sweetness returns.  The mouthfeel is mild sticky and soft and so is the upper throat.  Mild mellowing Qi.  The sweet floral taste lingers on the breath.

The 11^th has a slightly sour-floral taste that isn’t quite lemonade but expands into a more buttery and creamy sweetness in the aftertaste after faint cooling breaths.  The mouth- and throat-feeling is soft and sticky and it manages to stimulate the upper throat enough to allow for a longer aftertaste of creamy florals.  This tea is very comfortable in the body and is another easy drinker Bangdong.

The 12^th has a sour but mainly sweet lime initial taste with some butter florals coming back in the aftertaste.  There is a slight vegetal taste of sweet peas in this infusion as well.  The mouthfeel is more sticky almost astringent now.  The Qi is relaxing and mild in the body.

The 13^th has a light lemonade onset with a slight salty taste that shows up on the soft mouthfeeling.  The aftertaste carries these tastes out over the span of a few minutes.

The 14^th has a saltier woodier lime taste with sweet taste coming mainly in the aftertaste.  There is not much cool breath here but a lime salty barely sweet finish over a soft and almost sandy tongue.  Very mild Qi.

The 15^th 20 second infusion pushes out more salty lime vegetal tastes with not that much sweetness left to savor.

I put the rest of the leaves in a mug and grandpa steep out the rest…

This is a simple, easy going, drink now kind of puerh that is really refreshing especially for summer time drinking.  I can think of some fresh puerh that are maybe more complex for this price but none as refreshing.  In the next few months I imagine the limeade taste will drop and it will become more fruity sweet.  In many ways this 2020 is very similar to Tea Encounter’s 2019 Bangdong which is also meant to be approached in a similar manner.  I go to my sample inventory to do a comparison tasting but realize I did the right thing by drinking the 2019 up when it was fresh last year.  On a hot summer day, I find this Bangdong irresistibly refreshing as I search for something similarly satisfying amongst my samples….

Peace

Tea Encounter Brand Puerh Initial Impressions

I guess it’s a little overgeneralizing to state grand sweeping impressions of Tea Encounter’s premiere brand of Tea Encounter puerh.  It’s a bit of a stretch because the release only had four offerings.  I would say the most obvious thing about Tea Encounter puerh is that its main goal is likely to fill gaps in what is offered both at Tea Encounter and on the Western puerh market as a whole.

For instance, their 2019 Tea Encounter Bai Yin Shan Yesheng fills a gap of offering a Lincang wild from a region not represented by any Westren dealer.  Their 2019 Tea Encounter Laos Gushu offers Laos puerh which hasn’t been offered in the West since 2014.  Their other offerings give us budget versions of regions that typically are offered at a higher quality by Western vendors (and therefore much higher price point) such as 2019 Tea Encounter Bang Dong and 2019 Tea Encounter Gua Feng Zhai.  Smart offerings (and currently discounted on a Black Friday Sale).

As far as the overall feel of the brand, I would say that they are milder and not as aggressive, they focus on subtlety and are not standoffish or overly bold.  They are deliberately positioned to be budget puerh so, overall, they are easy on the wallet.  They could all be consumed now, and many have decent stamina especially considering the price.

I think Tiago of Tea Encounter might be positioning the brand to focus more on the further Eastern Border of Yiwu and even the border tea beyond.  Of course, it’s a complete guess but wouldn’t be surprised to see more from Gua Feng Zhai, Xiang Chun Lin, and even Laos, and other border teas in the years to come.

Congratulations Tiago on your premiere offering!

Peace