The 2015 Green Miracle is one the most publicized shou puerh productions by Yunnan Sourcing coming out of last year. This 250-gram cake is made from light fermentation wild arbor material harvested in Spring of 2014 from 50-70-year-old trees according to the Yunnan Sourcing website. For 22 dollars, it’s a good, affordably priced tea that could easily become a daily drinker.
It is hard to ignore the dui wei of this cake, despite its lighter fermentation. The term dui wei refers to the smell of new shou puerh that is given to the tea by the “pile fermentation” process which makes shou puerh shou puerh. This dui wei usually goes away with a little airing out and in the case of the Green Miracle, only takes a few days to dissipate if the cake is broken up.
The first infusions show a slight dui wei flavor typical of a new shou puerh, balanced with astringency and overripe fruit sweetness. The body is very thick with a slippery mouthfeel and coating effect. Mushroom, nut, ripe fruit, sweet earth, grain, wood, and a good amount of bitterness seem to be the most prominent notes with a caramelized sugar aftertaste that coats the mouth.
The middle infusions see the astringency and bitterness completely disappear and the tea becomes very smooth as it retains its very thick body. The mushroom, ripe fruit, sweet earth, wood and moss notes remain as the nuttiness begins to fall away. The mouthfeel is still slippery although the coating effect is less noticeable.
The final infusions show no bitterness at all and an increase in the sweeter notes. The wood, nut, and grain notes fall away somewhat leaving an earthy sweetness. The body is thinner than it was, though still quite robust. the mouthfeel is slippery and the tea leaves a very nice ripe fruit aftertaste in the mouth.
Overall, the Green Miracle is a good everyday drinker that is comforting, thick, and sweet. I fully expect the dui wui to go away with air exposure in only a few days/weeks.
The mushroom and earth notes of the Green Miracle reminds me of the general taste profile of the Xiaguan factory tea cakes with the twist of it having that signature Yunnan Sourcing storage taste. The grain and nut notes are very similar to Menghai factory productions such as the v93 and 7632. The bitterness in the first few infusions reminds me of the Yunnan Sourcing 2014 Red Horse Gongting mini cake.
I would recommend this one to someone who wants a simple, sweet, good-quality daily drinker or an affordable introduction to the earthy and sweet side of shou puerh.
you can get this tea here.
I’ve never been a huge fan of puerh. It’s the “earthy”, “bitter”, “astringent” qualities that I can’t seem to enjoy. Sounds like the later infusions would be better for me but I tend to stop after the first. For those who enjoy these flavors however, it sounds like this is a great priced, daily option.
I actually bought a sample of this not from the original purveyor Scott Wilson owner of Yunnan Sourcing, but from the secondary source in England called Green Tea Guru run by Olie hey man passion about Tea who makes it his life’s work sourcing good Teas from China and Taiwan. He had this and a sampler pack and I purchased it because I love puerh have samples are a good way to try things out and see if you like it. He also has some pretty good reviews on his own blogs at Green Tea Guru. I agree with our review about the flavor profile of this tea and unlike some I like the dui wei scent that comes from shou puerh! I highly recommend trying a sample of this tea!