The Bitter Truth: Tea Urchin’s 2014 Lao Man E Pu Er Review
Earlier this spring, I got a bunch of teas from Tea Urchin, an online tea vendor specializing in Pu Er.
They have a ton of single-origin Pu Er (or teas from specific villages and places).
This makes it really easy to get to know what teas from specific areas taste like.
So grab a cup.
And join me as I sit down with one of the most unique Pu Er’s I’ve had from them, their 2014 Lao Man E.
The Bitter Truth
I’ll admit it...
I love bitter tea.
Specifically bitter Pu Er.
I don’t mean over-brewed, undrinkable, bad quality tea.
I’m talkin’ about teas that naturally have a bitter-tasting flavor profile.
I know that’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but hear me out.
Before we get into my bitter tea addiction…
It’s helpful to have some basic info about Pu Er and its growing region.
If you’re new to Pu Er, no worries –
You’ll still be able to follow along.
But be sure to check out our guide on What is Pu er Tea? here if you’re looking to learn more.
Where Pu Er’s From: Yunnan
Pu Er grows in China’s southwestern province, Yunnan.
Which borders Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam.
Yunnan is a pretty massive place with a very long tea history.
So, generally speaking, there are many tea-growing mountains and villages.
In the tea world, you’ll often hear Pu Er categorized as having Yi Wu or Meng Hai character.
This just refers to their growing location and the overall flavor profile of the Pu Er.
This kind of info can get pretty in-depth and geeking, just like with wine.
But basically, all you need to know is that Yi Wu style teas are a bit more light and floral –
While Meng Hai style teas are a bit more bitter and punchy.
The tea we’re drinking today comes from Meng Hai.
It is the westernmost county in Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture.
More specifically, it comes from a village called Lao Man E which is on Bulang Mountain.
Extra info: The Camellia Sinensis or tea plant originated in East Asia (probably between North Myanmar and Southwesten China). So Yunnan Province (with Sichuan Province) is actually one of the first places to ever experience tea drinking.
Lao Man E Tea Village
In Yunnan, there are many tea-growing mountains with villages that produce tea.
Some of these villages are well-known for their tea.
Which sometimes makes the Pu Er from certain places really expensive and somewhat inaccessible.
Lao Man E is a village on Bulang Shan (Shan just means mountain).
Overall, Bulang is known for its bitter and aggressive teas.
Some Bulang villages and their teas have gotten incredibly popular and expensive.
Lao Ban Zhang Tea Village
One example is Lao Ban Zhang, a village that produces teas that are bitter and bold, but also sweet and elegant.
Recently, this village has gotten quite popular and really expensive.
With tea’s selling regularly for over $2 per gram (in terms of Pu Er this is expensive stuff)
The crazy thing is that a lot of surrounding villages also produce similar tasting teas with similar terroir (microclimate, soil, etc).
And they still sell for reasonable prices…
But that’s starting to change.
These areas are also starting to see an increase in popularity.
Because little by little, tea connoisseurs, producers, and factories are realizing that their tea is similar.
All of this to say:
Lao Man E is really close to Lao Ban Zhang.
Meaning its teas have some similarities, but minus the price tag.
What Lao Man E Tea is Like
Overall, tea from Lao Man E is pretty bitter and powerful.
But there’s a fair amount of sweeter, floral trees in the areas.
So sometimes producers will balance out the bitterness with some leaves that lean towards the sweeter end.
Which is probably best for the drinker…
Or the tea might knock us out completely.
(For Reference, the tea from Tea Urchin here is about a 50/50 mix of bitter and sweet)
Generally speaking, Lao Man E Pu Er is a bit of a wild ride...
Tea Urchin writes about Lao Man E –
“In the guileless way an ugly dog can win your heart, Lao Man E is a tea you grow to love, the more time you spend with it. Full of conflicting flavours and aromas, there is always the potential of a new discovery each time you drink. The more you pay attention to it, the more it loves you back.”
This is exactly what I love about Lao Man E, and Pu Er tea more generally.
It’s this ability to occupy those spaces and roles.
To confuse and love you.
Getting to Know Tea Urchin
I recently ordered a whole bunch of samples from Tea Urchin.
I’ve long admired their approach to single-origin Pu Er.
And I’ve been impressed with their vast selection of offerings.
When I first started looking for places to purchase Pu Er from, I was totally overwhelmed.
I just had no idea where to start.
It wasn’t easy to figure out who was selling legitimate Pu Er…
Or how to know what was “good” tea.
But I COULD tell which companies had a heart.
And who really believed in and loved what they did.
Tea Urchin stood out pretty quickly…
It’s quite easy to see their honesty and passion, which spoke volumes.
I finally got around to trying a decent selection of their Pu Er offerings.
And I’ve been very impressed.
The quality, value, and experience all add up.
Also, I’ve reviewed 2 of their other Pu Er teas, here:
The Tea Urchin 2014 Lao Man E Pu Er Cake
So, as I mentioned before…
I really love bitter tea.
I’m not really sure why, but I’ve always been drawn to teas that can be super bitter, while also being complex.
In my earlier days of tea drinking, I learned a lot from one of my dear tea friends.
He likes to push his tea a bit…
And by that, I mean he stuffs a ton of dry leaf into a teapot and brews a little longer than most people like.
Admittedly, it took me a while to warm up to his brewing.
But then I figured out that I was learning a lot about tea from brewing it strong.
Doing so allows you to really get to know a tea’s:
Flavor profile
And its processing
Anyway, I think I picked up some of these brewing techniques and started to prefer teas that packed a punch.
That’s probably why Pu Er is my favorite kind of tea.
I love how bitter and simultaneously elegant it can be.
That’s why I was so excited to try this tea.
I hadn’t had much tea from Lao Man E.
But my past experiences were all super positive.
Sitting for Tea
There’s a lot going on in the world right now.
And life kind of feels like a dream.
I almost haven’t wanted to sit down for tea.
I decided to pull out the 2014 Lao Man E because I needed something to knock me out of that space.
I knew it would help me recenter myself.
And make sense of all that’s been going on.
I live in NYC, so I went up to my roof.
The lingering floral aroma of early summer had been floating through the air all day.
I grabbed my favorite teapot and a few cups.
And tried to set things up intentionally.
I was trying to focus on reality
But to also find some joy in community, nature, and art.
As I waited for my water to boil, I sat looking at the leaves. Imagining what that forest might look like right now.
And thought about the broader notions of history and community and my role within them.
To be honest, this tea is a perfect pairing with how the world feels right now.
It’s a lot at first…
A lot of flavor, energy, and, forward.
But it’s also delicate, soft, and loving.
It knocked me out of the dream I was floating through.
And helped me remember that there’s hope in moving forward towards the future.
As I drank this tea, I thought deeply about community and what it means to hold, empower, and heal a community.
And I thought a lot about what got me to the exact moment I was in.
And about what my role in community is.
As expected, this tea hit me pretty hard.
It was pretty bitter, but also sweet.
The flavor was what I thought it would be.
But the energy surprised me.
Think what you want about energy in tea.
All I know is that I could feel it, almost instantly, in my head and chest.
It was deeply grounding – about 10 steeps in, I completely zoned out.
I finally slowed down and had some time to think.
It brought me back to myself.
In many ways, it was what I expected.
But here are my biggest takeaways:
It’s balanced well between bitter and sweet
It’s strong/powerful
It lasts (I easily got 20ish steeps)
It’s humble but solid
More of my tasting notes are below:
Age of the Tea Cake
This tea is about 6 years old.
So it’s about the age that most young raw Pu Er starts to change.
Its fresh green flavors start to become deeper and earthier.
I can tell that this tea is already starting to age well.
Tea Recap - Lao Man E Spring 2014
Tea Name: Lao Man E Spring 2014
Producer: Tea Urchin
Price: $82 / 200g cake ($0.41 / gram or about $2.87 / standard session of 7g)
Year: 2014
Growing Location: Lao Man E, Menghai County, Xishuangbanna, Yunnan, China
Tasting Parameters:
Gong Fu Brewing Method
7 grams of tea
110ml Clay Teapot
Flash (or quick) steeps
Aroma:
Earthy
Subtle sweetness
Light wildflower
Tasting Notes:
Early steeps 1-5:
The tea is instantly sweet
The liquid feels dense, thick, and oily (good stuff!)
There’s a bitterness at the end of the sip
A few steeps in, it seems to switch.
The bitterness comes right out in the front, and the sweetness lingers in the back
Later Steeps 6-15:
The tea starts to gain momentum.
This is where I start to notice it’s pretty powerful.
Started feeling it in my head and throughout my body.
Intense, drying astringency felt on the sides of my cheeks.
The flavor eventually died down a little and became more humble and less punchy.
And the returning sweetness, also known as Hui Gan, starts to bloom.
15 steeps later, it was still going strong.
At a few points, I totally zoned out. Felt really grounded.
Later steeps (16-20) were still strong, but not as aggressive.
Still really flavorful.
At that point, I was totally in the experience.
It was hard to even focus on the flavor.
Extra info: Pu Er can come in 2 forms: loose-leaf or compressed into a tea cake (other shapes are possible). The pressed leaves will slowly decompress while you brew. By using the Gong Fu brewing method with very quick brews, some Pu Er can even give you up to 20 steeps.
Overall Thoughts:
I really enjoyed this tea…
And wish I had more.
It’s great for drinking now, but this would be a great tea to check in on periodically.
Maybe as a special occasion tea…
Or as something I pull out when I’m really looking to focus on a tea.
Great tea, good value, and well made.
Would I Repurchase it?
I think I would. It’s not the cheapest tea, but it’s super solid and worth the price.It would definitely be a welcome addition to my Pu Er collection. And it already has a bit of age on it.
I think it will only get better as it ages.
Brew with Us
Let’s talk about tea.
Come connect with other like-minded people through tea and art.
We’ve got a Facebook group for that, called the Steepers Union.
Plus, we’ve got a tons of great Tea Hacks to share with you.
Hope to see you there.
And be sure to leave a comment if you happen to try this 2014 Lao Man E…
I’d love to hear what you thought of it.
