2018 Chen Sheng Hao Lao Ban Zhang

Highlights:

• The yearly cake from the most popular LBZ producer
• Aftertaste, bitterness, complexity, aroma all score high
• Strong impacting Qi
• Much better price than official site ($1242/357gram cake)

Rare opportunity to try this famous tea without having to buy a full cake.

Understanding Lao Ban Zhang

There are a lot of incorrect and downright funny views about what LBZ should taste like. And given how expensive and hard to source it is, western shops have pretty much given up on providing it, so it’s quite normal the average puerh drinker has no idea about the real LBZ, and particularly the real old tree LBZ.

The first common level of misunderstanding is that “the taste should be so strong as to be unbearably bitter/astringent“, these are the common LBZ fakes and I’d expect most people reading this page to be able to easily see through this.

The second common level of misunderstanding is that “the taste will be thick, have sweetness but also strong astringency”. Actually, this is the taste of young tree LBZ, a somewhat more balanced but still very astringent (and potentially bitter if it includes other Menghai regions instead of just LBZ) brew.

In truth, real old tree LBZ (such as the gold mark) is smooth and the strength is only expressed as part of a very balanced and overall smooth brew. The Qi is extremely noticeable but totally comfortable.

Old tree LBZ will feel like all good aspects of puerh dialed up to the max, and not like a particularly bitter/astringent brew. Most intermediate drinkers would think it’s a Yiwu by its strong sweetness!