I knew I’d give in to temptation sooner or later.

In October of last year I wrote about my experiences with a free 4 gram sample of 2010 Yi Wu Hai Lang Hao Wild Arbor sheng Pu-erh (read that post here).

Despite having a few reservations about the tea, I was open to the idea that those concerns could be explained away by the usual conditions that apply when infusing such small samples of leaf. Back then I had the feeling that a proper sized cargo of these leaves in an appropriately sized gong-fu vessel would dole out a very nice session indeed.

I concluded that even though I wasn’t sure if I was prepared to fork out that many pennies for a full sized beeng at that time, my curiosity would inevitably get the better of me, and at some point in the future I’d end up ordering a beeng. “When not if…” was the phrase I used.

Well, guess what? In mid-June of this year I ended up doing precisely that.

To be honest all I have to say about this long, lazy, four hour session is that all of the good points from the sample session were present here but significantly enhanced. The vegetal sweetness was still there, once again paired nicely with a sort of sour note. A pleasant, mineral like aroma hung around the empty cup, and as in that first session I was on the receiving end of a welcome Qi bump.

Perhaps my biggest niggle with the sample had been with the body. Autumnal teas can sometimes feel a bit light for my taste, and I was a little worried that after committing to buying a full beeng I’d discover that the tea was still packing a mouth-feel a tad on the thin side.

This session quickly dispelled those fears once and for all. With a good amount of leaves in the pot the soup was slick, smooth, and very satisfying.

I see this tea fitting into my stash as a Daily Drinker, but very much at the top end of that scale. This is not quite a “temple tea“, but is still nevertheless a tea I want to take my time with. Rather than swigging this tea as a backdrop to my daily chores, I’ll be sipping it during a quiet period, one set aside for reading, writing, and boat spotting.

So, am I glad I splashed the cash and bought a full beeng?

Sure am! Can’t say fairer than that…