Bitter End Xtra 2019 Laomane Bitter Varietal Raw Puer
$17.00 – $848.00
- Description
- Temporary Tattoo Instructions
- Additional information
- Reviews (9)
- Makin' tea in Laomane
Description
This tea will kick your ass. Now that we’ve established that, let’s move on.
Made from the bitter varietal of trees native to Laomane, this tea’s most dominant characteristic is its bitterness (surprise, surprise). However, it’s not a one trick pony. The material used is still excellent quality gushu, which displays a thick texture and array of flavours that still shine through.
While this tea is incredibly powerful (if you’re after body feeling/energy/chaqi, then look no further), it’s more enjoyable than most might expect. Compared to our 2018 version, this tea is slightly sweeter, likely due to extra picking of nearby “sweet” varietal trees. The differences between the varietals are often indiscernible for tea pickers, so consistency from one picking to another varies.
We highly recommend picking up this tea in conjunction with our Bitter End regular (sweet varietal), as well as Bittersweet huang pian in order to experience the full range of Laomane teas.
Picking window: March 29 – April 7
$0.95/gram
Get tatted: Simply drinking bitter tea doesn’t make you hard though – you need to be able to show it. That’s why this year we’re offering Bitter End temporary tattoos with each purchase of either our Bitter End sweet varietal or Xtra bitter. Check the box below when adding to cart in order to indicate that you’d like a tattoo.
- Remove plastic cover of tattoo
- Place the tattoo face down on the area of skin you wish to apply it
- Apply a wet cloth or sprinkle a few drops of water to the back of the tattoo – enough water for it to absorb but not be too soaked
- Apply firm pressure to the back of the tattoo for 60-90 seconds
- Gently remove the back paper of the tattoo to reveal your new badass self
- Avoid direct sunlight, water or any physical contact on the area for 10 minutes or more until it has thoroughly dried
These tattoos are made from non-toxic materials and we have every reason to trust that they are safe for human use. However, we take no responsibility whatsoever in the event of irritation, allergic or any other reaction. We don’t want to scare you, but just like with tea, our bodies all react to things differently and we’d like you to play it safe.
Additional information
| Weight | N/A |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 16 × 16 × 1 cm |
9 reviews for Bitter End Xtra 2019 Laomane Bitter Varietal Raw Puer
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Sara (verified owner) –
No surprise here! This tea is very intense and bracingly bitter, with a lingering bitterness that lasts for ages after a session. It’s not a tea I’d drink every day (hence the 4 star review), but it’s also not undrinkable. I enjoyed my sample side by side against the less-intense Bitter End 2019 and a sweeter aged white tea for a vivid contrast. If you’re looking for a tea that starts out like a pleasant, aromatic gushu and then punches you in the face with a shock of intense bitterness that lingers, you’ll love this tea! My wife, a beer and Scotch aficionado, remarked “Imperial IPAs have NOTHING on this tea.”
Shadadams (verified owner) –
Wow. This might be my favorite tea of 2019. So thick that it feels like it is expanding in my mouth. Aroma went from honey-ish from the dry leaf to a more savory thing after the rinse. The bitterness is not overpowering in my opinion and I could drink this regularly. To me, it is no more bitter than grapefruit juice. The sweetness tho! And it has this tongue tingling/numbing thing. Unbelievable tea.
theweekendsessions (verified owner) –
This tea gets five stars from me not because I enjoy it in any way, but because I think it lives up to its goals and the overall quality and care in processing seems to be high. It starts out with a little bit of bitterness, a slight plum-y fruitiness, and with a touch of sweetness, but after a couple of infusions becomes an unrelenting beast whos only goal is to bring you pain and sorrow. If over time some of the fruitier and sweet notes become a bit more pronounced and balance out the bitterness a bit I could see this being a tea that I may enjoy on occasion, but for where it sits right now it’s a bit over the top for me.
[email protected] (verified owner) –
This tea didn’t steal his name, a punch in your mouth & then in your face as you say ” how shit it’s super bitter” but not unpleasant. I’ve drink it for an entire afternoon & get a lot of energy from it.
If you love IPA beer, just go for it !
DJPAS (verified owner) –
Ohhhh yeah it is slightly more bitter than the other variety but nothing that a Pu head cant handle (if he/she likes bitterness)
it got outstanding returning sweetness and after a couple of infusions I experienced some floral HuiGan too
Alexandra Verville-Paris (verified owner) –
//Eyes Dry Leaf
Large amount of silver-beige & hairy buds with tiny leaves (ocher)
//Nose Dry Leaf
What a smell! Clean wet clothes, old book store and rocks
//Nose Wet Leaf
Fresh and floral; lovely! Wet rocks. Dumplings
//Eyes Liquor
Yellow; like the hay
//Mouth Texture
Strong tingling on the tip of the tongue. Thick and syrupy texture (even my teeth are coated)
//Mouth Taste
Steamed dough, Dumpling flavored with summer flowers
//Mouth Finish
Zesty. Little drying sensation
//Eyes Wet Leaf
Olive green. Some leaves are broken
//Body Sensation
Heartbeat increases, physical energy
//Brewing Notes
1 gram per 20mL of water at 95C. 13 seconds + 3 second
//Resume
Vivid and fresh. The tea is a bit too punchy for me.
Togo (verified owner) –
Bitter End Xtra is undoubtedly a high end tea. It gives almost neverending sessions and with passing years, it should brew even longer and display more complexity. Today I got 21 steeps (that would be almost 300ml/g), but it is clear that one could push it even further.
The dry leaf aroma is fairly standard as far as young sheng goes – it is sweet and metallic with a strong dry grass character. After the rinse, I get the impression of a forest with a sort of cooling sensation. Over the course of the session, the aromas then become quite complex and elusive until they settle into a mix of fruits and flowers towards the end.
As expected, the tea is bitter, although not in any particularly negative way. The bitterness is far from overpowering. As TJ Elite mentions, it is not abrasive. I would say that there are two kinds present.
In the first quarter of the session, there is a fast grapefruit-like bitterness that subsides quickly. Other flavours include licorice root, straw, apricot pits, and beech wood, with some black pepper and grapefruit notes in the aftertaste. The liquor is very active in the mouth and there is no astringency whatsoever. The cha qi creeps up fairly slowly and at this point it is mostly energizing.
Later in the second quarter, there is a very long-lasting woody bitterness that can linger on for more than an hour after drinking. The texture is buttery and reaches peak viscosity. I also get a notable apple flavour around these steeps. They carry the strongest mind-numbing sensations accompanying the drinking. The effect of the tea seems much more meditative than before.
In the second half, bitter flavours recede, allowing other aspect to come to the fore. The third quarter of my today’s session was actually the most flavourful! Fruity and floral flavours dominate with notes such as banana and yellow beans. Mouthfeel is more on the oily side, although not as full-bodied anymore.
Around steep 16 is when some astringency finally appears. From then on, the flavours gradually weaken and the overall character becomes increasingly floral with no bitterness left.
dhfarber (verified owner) –
It is as advertised, an extremely bitter tea. It’s certainly very high quality material in that it has a lovely thick texture, significant cha qi, and can be steeped a very large number of times. However, the bitterness is more of the astringent variety, similar to purple teas, which just isn’t my favorite flavor. I could see this being an amazing tea for aging, but currently I much prefer “The Bitter End,” which is quite bitter but still allows other flavors through.
Josh (verified owner) –
This tea kicked my ass, as promised. The bitterness is so much more apparent here than with the sweet varietal, and it comes out swinging almost immediately. There’s a lot buried under that initial punch – plenty of sweetness, florals, and fruit. And the texture is really nice as well, soft with a good bit of body to it. It took my brain a little bit to catch up after that initial hit of bitterness, but this tea certainly succeeds at its goal. At the very least, it provides a memorable experience.