Today I am drinking Bitterleaf Teas‘ 2016 Alter Ego. Alter Ego is made of Huang Pian material from the Mansa, which is in North Yiwu, bordering Laos. This 2016 tea is long sold out, but there the 2017 Alter Ego available… and 2018 brought out a bunch of other Huang Pian bricks from Bitterleaf.
Huang Pian material is a tea I am seeing more and more lately, and we’ll see it more in the future as it is a cost-effective tea using the “ugly” leaves. However, this is to not be confused with ugly mowed up tea barf we see in cheap mini tuochas, Huang Pian leaves are big, yellow, weird shapes, and a bit stemmy.
I heard early in the year, and witnessing it now as 2018 teas start rolling in, tea is expensive this year. Alas, I recall back in 2013 I could buy great young tea for under $20, now not so much, especially in single origin tastes, so Huang Pian is likely a good way to go without destroying your savings. To my surprise, is Bitterleaf tea came out with a big lineup of Huang Pian bricks. ~$0.10 a gram of your favorite puer mountains is hard to pass up, especially when the regular stuff is running $0.40+. Despite me having enough puer to last the long night Game of Thrones style, I am still a tea buying addict that tweaks off on trying new things.
Back to Alter Ego, it is the yellow leaves of Bitterleaf Teas’ infamous WMD Mansa. I’ve reviewed White2Tea’s 2016 Fade in the past, which I find people are divided and either love Fade or Alter Ego. I’ve also reviewed an aged Huang Pian from Mandala Tea way back in the day. Either way, this review of Alter Ego is well overdue.
Bitterleaf Teas’ 2016 Alter Ego Spring Mansa Ancient Tree Huang Pian Raw Puer
The dry leaf smells savory, smoke and sweet smell, like a BBQ tea with a bit of sweet sauce.
I leafed a little harder than usual, going 1 gram to 13.5ml, trying to compensate for sticks. I know some who pull out sticks, but I don’t have time for that.
First and Second Infusion: Alter Ego is a smooth, slick young puer tea. It has a savory thick broth feeling, with sweet and sour pineapple, faint smoke, and brassy notes. Part of me thought I could have been drinking out of a brass cup. The brassy element is what I tasted in the WMD Mansa. This tea is very easy to drink, I am literally chugging it down. This tea has a comfort feel of sweet and sour pork, without any bitterness or offensive tastes to make me stop.
Third, Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Infusion: Alter Ego is a consistent tea, still tasting a balance of sweet, savory, and slightly sour and smoke. I am getting a touch of bitterness, but nothing to stop this owl from chugging tea. There are notes of roasted peppers, with an aftertaste of flat peaches. I dig the rich flavor without being sharp, and the mouthwatering sweetness.
Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth Infusion: Alter Ego lost all savory and hints of smoke, and leaving a sweet, stewed apricot flavor. After each sip I get a lingering fruity flavor, as well as some astringency, feels in my cheeks. The astringency and salivation on this tea encourage me to continue chugging.
I don’t feel a tea qi, but my eyes are wide awake despite it being my sleepy 3 pm dead zone.
Tenth and Eleventh Infusion: The final infusions were stewed, bitter, and peppery. I am happy this tea lasted awhile, but I didn’t drink these last infusions as they were rough. But overall it was a good session, for this tasting it was actually one of the best tastings of Alter Ego I’ve had.
Big leaves, some with funny light yellow colour, with a spattering of thick sticks. Yes, this is Huang Pian!
Comments
Bitterleaf Teas’ Alter Ego is a well-balanced tea of sweet, savory, smoke, bitterness, and astringency. It is an easy tea to drink (chug chug!) making it a good, yet complex daily drinker for the seasoned puer drinker, and appealing to newer puer drinkers. This brick would be great to age as well. Like I said earlier, the price is nice.
I slightly regret not buying an entire brick with my last Bitterleaf Tea order, but I could also live without it. Those with tight wallets, it is time to embrace the Huang Pian.
(Tea was a gift from a Secret Santa exchange)
