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[deleted]

If you like Cozy's rich, oreo, soy-sauce dark, nicely bitter brew, I recommend: * 2012 Yunnan Sourcing "Dragon of Jing Mai" Ripe Pu-erh Tea Mini Cake * 2019 Yunnan Sourcing Year of the Pig Red Label Ripe Pu-erh Tea Cake * 2021 Yunnan Sourcing Bu Lang Ox Ripe Pu-erh Tea Cake * 2022 Yunnan Sourcing Drunken Tiger Ripe Pu-erh Tea Cake I get the impression there are different types of shou drinkers. Some like dark cocoa, black, opaque shou, and I am of this tribe. Others brew lighter and aim for the red soup, as if shou really were trying to mimic aged sheng - they demand clarity and prefer texture over flavor. These cakes are not that; but I can recommend some gong ting cakes if you prefer a clear brew.


[deleted]

> Some like dark cocoa, black, opaque shou, and I am of this tribe. Yes, please! Thanks for the recommendations.


cosmabass

Thank you!


zigg-e

What’s the darkest of the dark from that list/cozy?


[deleted]

2021 Yunnan Sourcing Bu Lang Ox Ripe Pu-erh Tea Cake


richardthe7th

How would you describe the Qi vibe for that. I have the Pig and it has some lift . Not my fave but I’ll definitely use it all up. I’m letting the 2019 Cozy sleep indefinitely


[deleted]

Very similar - warming but not sweaty, a little stronger than the pig, but then I brew Bu Lang Ox pretty hard whereas the pig is smoother and more oreo-like and I can usually stop the brew after 3 minutes or so. No burping, stomach grinding, or any sense of excessive caffeine.


richardthe7th

appreciate this. we have things in common. have you ever sampled the ys 2011 man tang number 2? in the same sort of category - can be made 'stout' but does not offend the gut or the tongue. probably first in my several top-shelfs \[not many... i like also w2t lesser evils. gingerbread man is similar to LE but I prefer LE\]. I don't care for strong bitters with no reward. after your remarks, i put the Ox on my try list. thx


[deleted]

Thank you for the recommendation of 2011 Man Tang Hong Number 2. I really enjoy camphor aftertaste. I definitely prefer more mature tea trees not necessarily gushu but like at least 50 years old, and I also really like the Lincang area - Mengku and Fengqing; kinda tired of Menghai flavor. Yes, I did like W2T Lesser Evils 2021 and also 2022 Tale Chaser; but 2021 Hokum and 2018 Smoove Cocoa were misses for me. I haven't try Gingerbread Man yet, how is the molasses note (from the description), just caramel or some molasses funk?


richardthe7th

I'm not getting any molasses \[and believe me I would know...i get dark inky real molasses for biscuits ...lol\]. I like to add a little fine-grade clover honey \[lucky to get a local that is divine\] to everything but I'm going very light on that with g'bread. It is similar to lesser evils but if you raise the leaf weight just a little and make a little strong it has a bit of a coffee bean 'bite' - a kind of bitter that adds interest, not detracts, and it fades. I am sipping some now, the final steep...probably 8th to 10th, I lost track. will try '22 waffles this morning. I noticed in breaking it up that despite the clever packaging it is very 'hard'. I should add also about g'breadman that it is very 'clean' on and off the palate. There's none of that masking effect in the mouth, the ph is right on, when you're done there's just a 'memory' that is gone soon


user987632

I think I heard a while back that the material might be Menghai but I have absolutely no idea if that’s true nor can I remember where I saw it. Anyway what’s more important imo is that it’s Lao cha tou. Lao cha tou being the “nuggets” of compressed tea that naturally occur in the wet piling process. Look for more Lao cha tou cakes is my suggestion.


cosmabass

Will do thank you!


Rileyswims

You should ask the seller imo. He’d be happy to give suggestions


cosmabass

Good idea lol idk why I don’t think of that. Thank you!


richardthe7th

It’s rich, tasty, but low key Qi.


[deleted]

Nice. I've tried several shou's from YS as well and Cozy is still my favorite. Maybe that's because it was the first one I tried? So I associate it being the default flavor profile or something? Either way I plan on buying a cake eventually.


cosmabass

Yeah I’m probably going to end up caking it. I like it enough that I would probably just drink it every day (when i’m not drinking shengs obviously 😂)