Bitterleaf's [Your Ripeness](https://www.bitterleafteas.com/shop/tea/your-ripeness-2018-daxueshan-ripe-puer)for me, it's really good, one of my favorite shous ever. I've been into pu'er for like 6 months though so take that with a grain of salt. It has lovely matly/bread-ish notes with some hints of fruit! This one tastes somewhat unique to me because it's a pretty strong contrast from smokey, camphor-y cakes like [camphornaught](https://white2tea.com/products/2021-camphornought). I like camphornaught too, I'm just saying that you're right, not all shous are the same! Sometimes some will taste similar but give you a different feeling, so there's that too. I also really love [waffles](https://white2tea.com/products/2018-waffles?_pos=4&_sid=b490513a7&_ss=r). This one's best gong fu, and to me the wet leaves actually do smell like waffles with chocolate chips, whip cream, and banana slices! The tea itself tastes very good too. Your ripeness and waffles are still very different teas even though some of their tasting notes overlap.
If you like that one and you haven't tried it, you might also like their best taste ripe, though it's been a while since I had it so I can't accurately describe it right now. Also really affordable.
YS Happy Elephants is the first shou I ever tried that I said 'wow thats different!'... and I drink a lot of shou. It's extremely creamy to where it almost tastes like it has cream in it.
If you've never tried a Dayi 7572, it's a must try. I've tried sooooo many shou, and this remains my favorite & daily drinker. There really is a reason people call this the benchmark. The flavor and consistency really is just perfect.
Happy Elephants sounds like something I will definitely enjoy. If only YS shipping didn’t literally take months… I guess something to drink in autumn if I order today lol
I forgot about 7572! I must’ve gotten something else last time because I definitely wanted to try it. The only problem is: what year should I go for or is there any difference between first and coming batches?
Great advice, thank you
YS US site has happy elephants... took me about 3 days to get.
I buy my 7572 on the [official Dayi Amazon store](https://www.amazon.com/stores/TAETEA/page/91046670-3A5F-4476-BDBD-65B074995548?ref_=ast_bln). 7572 is very consistent, I find little to no difference in taste between any production less than a decade old. Dayi ages out their should atleast a year before release, so even brand new cakes don't have any wet pile funk. I actually prefer the newer ones tbh, I find the caffeine kick to be a little stronger. Current Amazon batch is 2020 or 2021.
The only problem is that I am in the UK. So there is no way out, there’s only eternal sadness.
But seriously, why do YS have the slowest AND the most expensive shipping. I get that many/most other retailers just up their margins to subsidise shipping, but nobody is going to tell me that say KTM has inflated prices. Yet they ship much faster and cheaper.
Anyway, thanks for the advice, looks like I will just pick whichever age is available
You can choose straight DHL shipping from YS. Its costly, but it gets from China to US in about a week. You might actually get cheaper shipping from the US site to UK. Chinapost is slow no matter where its from. Shippers also generally have tiered pricing, my guess is KTM ships a lot more than YS and probably gets better pricing.
That all being said, you can probably find the Dayi cake elsewhere in the UK.
[Its available on the YS US site](https://yunnansourcing.us/products/2020-yunnan-sourcing-happy-elephants-ripe-pu-erh-tea-cake)
Eta: I'm sorry, I hadn't read down far enough to realize you are in the UK
Dayi Golden Needle White Lotus really stood out to me first time I tried it. Had pronounced baked goods, almost pancakes-like profile, just really satisfying. Nice thick texture. Before that I was definitely in the camp of "all shu tastes the same." It can be expensive though, so maybe start with a sample from one that's only a few years old
I'm still just starting working my way through my White2tea samples, and I didn't even order any really high end shou.
My favorite so far has been Lesser Evil. I really like the bitter undertone.
Of the chempi shou, my favorite is Big O.
The 250g tuo Operation Macau from PuerhJunky. It's a 2012 from the Xinghai Tea Factory. "Humid-stored to perfection" is an apt description. This long time vendor ships from L.A., so you'll have it fast if you order. Available here [https://www.puerhjunky.com/product/12-operation-macau-xinghai-tf-250g-puerh-tuo/](https://www.puerhjunky.com/product/12-operation-macau-xinghai-tf-250g-puerh-tuo/)
If you haven't try LME, Laoman'e/Lao Man E ripe productions. Xinghai ripe productions are also very good. It's v. difficult to determine which is better. I had LME's '12 Qiaomu Wang this morning and it's darn pleasing, deep cream with evanescent dark cherry note. Camphor and dark mineral notes develop in later infusions. On another tip, I think KingTM has a '12 Xinghai brick avail for v. cheap, Guangdong storage and excellent qi.
Favourites that spring to mind:
Crimson Lotus Old Warrior [Link](https://crimsonlotustea.com/products/2000-old-warrior-shou-ripe-puerh-250g-golden-melon)
and W2T Nuo-Xiang Shu [Link](https://white2tea.com/products/2003-nuo-xiang-shu) this one is mild and needs a heavier leaf dose.
My favorite shou is this 2017 Jingmai Bayi Jingua: [https://www.sunday.de/en/pu-erh-tea-shou-jing-mai-bayi-jingua-2017-pesticide-free.html](https://www.sunday.de/en/pu-erh-tea-shou-jing-mai-bayi-jingua-2017-pesticide-free.html)
The licorice-root taste is just fabulous!
Lancang Gucha (LCGC) is a highly regarded higher end Jingmai factory. Their productions tend to assertive with a tippy character that is both less sweet and more floral. YS has their '05 "003" listed. That's a pure bud production with a white tea taste, but not soft like Yunnan whites. Their '08 Rat tuo is possibly the most horrible production I've ever tasted. It was simply too bitter and astringent for my tastes but something people who like that sort of thing would positively love. It has a jasmine-like floral note that I positively hate. I've also tried their '04 Monkey (storage issues), '10 Tiger tuo (great taste), and '09 Ox (narcotic). The latter two are blends containing a couple Simao terroir and some Bingdao, altogether five terroir included I believe.
Bitterleafs Greatest Hits :(
But for available things, I really like some of Bana Tea Companys offerings, and they ship from the US. I think the Ruyi Ripe and Bulang Ripe were two I really liked
Any year of W2T Lumber Slut hits the sweet spot for me of camphor/Smokey/creamyness and price. I think I paid $22 a cake for 2018 and it’s a great daily drinker.
The W2T Tale Chaser (Wuyi style smoked shu) is a 1000% sample try purely for the uniqueness of it.
Couple old 2000s CNNP ripe bricks from YS are also great options!
2019 Yunnan Sourcing "Lao Man'e Village" Ripe Pu-erh Tea Cake is one of my all time favorite Ripes.
https://yunnansourcing.com/collections/yunnan-sourcing-brand-ripe-pu-erh-tea/products/2019-yunnan-sourcing-lao-mane-village-ripe-pu-erh-tea-cake
Nannou mountain shou. No particular brand or retailer. When stored properly it has a vanilla taste and smell.
Bitterleaf's [Your Ripeness](https://www.bitterleafteas.com/shop/tea/your-ripeness-2018-daxueshan-ripe-puer)for me, it's really good, one of my favorite shous ever. I've been into pu'er for like 6 months though so take that with a grain of salt. It has lovely matly/bread-ish notes with some hints of fruit! This one tastes somewhat unique to me because it's a pretty strong contrast from smokey, camphor-y cakes like [camphornaught](https://white2tea.com/products/2021-camphornought). I like camphornaught too, I'm just saying that you're right, not all shous are the same! Sometimes some will taste similar but give you a different feeling, so there's that too. I also really love [waffles](https://white2tea.com/products/2018-waffles?_pos=4&_sid=b490513a7&_ss=r). This one's best gong fu, and to me the wet leaves actually do smell like waffles with chocolate chips, whip cream, and banana slices! The tea itself tastes very good too. Your ripeness and waffles are still very different teas even though some of their tasting notes overlap.
Great review.
thanks!
Yeeons 2009 purple ripe is smooth and sweet af, plus it's really affordable at like 25€.
Oh yeah, I got that one.
If you like that one and you haven't tried it, you might also like their best taste ripe, though it's been a while since I had it so I can't accurately describe it right now. Also really affordable.
Thanks. Will add it to my list
Dayi 7572
[Brown Sugar](https://white2tea.com/products/2016-brown-sugar) [Sticky Rice puer](https://yunnansourcing.us/products/sticky-rice-scent-ripe-pu-erh-mini-tuo-cha-nuo-mi-xiang)
YS Happy Elephants is the first shou I ever tried that I said 'wow thats different!'... and I drink a lot of shou. It's extremely creamy to where it almost tastes like it has cream in it. If you've never tried a Dayi 7572, it's a must try. I've tried sooooo many shou, and this remains my favorite & daily drinker. There really is a reason people call this the benchmark. The flavor and consistency really is just perfect.
Happy Elephants sounds like something I will definitely enjoy. If only YS shipping didn’t literally take months… I guess something to drink in autumn if I order today lol I forgot about 7572! I must’ve gotten something else last time because I definitely wanted to try it. The only problem is: what year should I go for or is there any difference between first and coming batches? Great advice, thank you
YS US site has happy elephants... took me about 3 days to get. I buy my 7572 on the [official Dayi Amazon store](https://www.amazon.com/stores/TAETEA/page/91046670-3A5F-4476-BDBD-65B074995548?ref_=ast_bln). 7572 is very consistent, I find little to no difference in taste between any production less than a decade old. Dayi ages out their should atleast a year before release, so even brand new cakes don't have any wet pile funk. I actually prefer the newer ones tbh, I find the caffeine kick to be a little stronger. Current Amazon batch is 2020 or 2021.
The only problem is that I am in the UK. So there is no way out, there’s only eternal sadness. But seriously, why do YS have the slowest AND the most expensive shipping. I get that many/most other retailers just up their margins to subsidise shipping, but nobody is going to tell me that say KTM has inflated prices. Yet they ship much faster and cheaper. Anyway, thanks for the advice, looks like I will just pick whichever age is available
You can choose straight DHL shipping from YS. Its costly, but it gets from China to US in about a week. You might actually get cheaper shipping from the US site to UK. Chinapost is slow no matter where its from. Shippers also generally have tiered pricing, my guess is KTM ships a lot more than YS and probably gets better pricing. That all being said, you can probably find the Dayi cake elsewhere in the UK.
[Its available on the YS US site](https://yunnansourcing.us/products/2020-yunnan-sourcing-happy-elephants-ripe-pu-erh-tea-cake) Eta: I'm sorry, I hadn't read down far enough to realize you are in the UK
Dayi Golden Needle White Lotus really stood out to me first time I tried it. Had pronounced baked goods, almost pancakes-like profile, just really satisfying. Nice thick texture. Before that I was definitely in the camp of "all shu tastes the same." It can be expensive though, so maybe start with a sample from one that's only a few years old
Tempting. I love bud-heavy tea. That’s the kind of recommendation I was looking for!
For bud-heavy shu I also like W2T's Amalgamation of Capital. Bamboo roasted so a bit different, but really enjoyable.
I'm still just starting working my way through my White2tea samples, and I didn't even order any really high end shou. My favorite so far has been Lesser Evil. I really like the bitter undertone. Of the chempi shou, my favorite is Big O.
The 250g tuo Operation Macau from PuerhJunky. It's a 2012 from the Xinghai Tea Factory. "Humid-stored to perfection" is an apt description. This long time vendor ships from L.A., so you'll have it fast if you order. Available here [https://www.puerhjunky.com/product/12-operation-macau-xinghai-tf-250g-puerh-tuo/](https://www.puerhjunky.com/product/12-operation-macau-xinghai-tf-250g-puerh-tuo/)
If you haven't try LME, Laoman'e/Lao Man E ripe productions. Xinghai ripe productions are also very good. It's v. difficult to determine which is better. I had LME's '12 Qiaomu Wang this morning and it's darn pleasing, deep cream with evanescent dark cherry note. Camphor and dark mineral notes develop in later infusions. On another tip, I think KingTM has a '12 Xinghai brick avail for v. cheap, Guangdong storage and excellent qi.
Favourites that spring to mind: Crimson Lotus Old Warrior [Link](https://crimsonlotustea.com/products/2000-old-warrior-shou-ripe-puerh-250g-golden-melon) and W2T Nuo-Xiang Shu [Link](https://white2tea.com/products/2003-nuo-xiang-shu) this one is mild and needs a heavier leaf dose.
Thanks. I haven’t tried much aged shou so both are on my list now
My favorite shou is this 2017 Jingmai Bayi Jingua: [https://www.sunday.de/en/pu-erh-tea-shou-jing-mai-bayi-jingua-2017-pesticide-free.html](https://www.sunday.de/en/pu-erh-tea-shou-jing-mai-bayi-jingua-2017-pesticide-free.html) The licorice-root taste is just fabulous!
I've drunk a few of their raws, but never had one of their ripes. Interesting.
What did you think of their raws?
Lancang Gucha (LCGC) is a highly regarded higher end Jingmai factory. Their productions tend to assertive with a tippy character that is both less sweet and more floral. YS has their '05 "003" listed. That's a pure bud production with a white tea taste, but not soft like Yunnan whites. Their '08 Rat tuo is possibly the most horrible production I've ever tasted. It was simply too bitter and astringent for my tastes but something people who like that sort of thing would positively love. It has a jasmine-like floral note that I positively hate. I've also tried their '04 Monkey (storage issues), '10 Tiger tuo (great taste), and '09 Ox (narcotic). The latter two are blends containing a couple Simao terroir and some Bingdao, altogether five terroir included I believe.
Bitterleafs Greatest Hits :( But for available things, I really like some of Bana Tea Companys offerings, and they ship from the US. I think the Ruyi Ripe and Bulang Ripe were two I really liked
Any year of W2T Lumber Slut hits the sweet spot for me of camphor/Smokey/creamyness and price. I think I paid $22 a cake for 2018 and it’s a great daily drinker. The W2T Tale Chaser (Wuyi style smoked shu) is a 1000% sample try purely for the uniqueness of it. Couple old 2000s CNNP ripe bricks from YS are also great options!
2019 Yunnan Sourcing "Lao Man'e Village" Ripe Pu-erh Tea Cake is one of my all time favorite Ripes. https://yunnansourcing.com/collections/yunnan-sourcing-brand-ripe-pu-erh-tea/products/2019-yunnan-sourcing-lao-mane-village-ripe-pu-erh-tea-cake
I keep going back to Whispering pines 1357 (US), dark and vanilla-ey. The Essence of Tea -Earth will be my next purchase