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• Author: Gerald Tiffany
  80s Red Iron Beeng from GrandTea 3/19/06. Dry leaf appearance: Brown, yellow, and gold leaves very tightly compressed. Wet leaf appearance: Deep red and black. 3.5g in 3oz gaiwan. Short rinse (15s) in boiling water. 20s rest. 1st Infusion, 10s. Boiling water. Very little aroma, perhaps mint. Amber-brown liquor, clear. Very tart flavor. Quite a bit of sweetness under the astringent citrus taste. 2nd Infusion, 4s. Water just off boiling. Much darker brown liquor. Mint, cedar, and clean earth aroma. Fascinating candy flavor, caramelized sugar. Power lemon or grapefruit in the finish. Due to short infusion, lemon is not overpowering. Overall, very pleasant, very clean. 3rd Infusion, 4s. Water jut off boiling. A little cool water added to the kettle prior to infusing. Color deep, rich red-amber and clear. Wood notes strong in the aroma. Initial sweetness persists in first hot sips. Noticeable camphor in the finish. The tartness somewhat diminished in the aftertaste. 4th Infusion, 6s. Low boil, shrimp eyes. Color a little bit less red. Aroma from gaiwan lid excellent in wood tones. First hot sip very nicely balanced. Finish nicely balanced. Thick consistency in the mouth. Pine forest effect overall. Very nice. 5th Infusion, 9s. Very low boil. No color change. No aroma change. Hotter water brings on heavier citrus in the aftertaste. Will continue with cooler water. Liquor tasting drier. Still some sweetness in the initial flavor-moments. Overall, very easy to drink. Different effect from CNNP and Meng Hai products of similar vintage: livelier and less mellow. 6th Infusion, 10s. Very low boil or hot simmer. The citrus finish abates somewhat. The cedar flavor comes out somewhat more clearly. Still very pleasant, and cooling in the mouth in the linger aftertaste. 7th Infusion, 15s. Hot simmer from kettle. Color perhaps a tiny bit lighter. Wood notes still very strong in the aroma. Best infusion thus far. Good balance of caramel and grapefruit. There is a not-unpleasant medicine taste. This pu’er reminds me, oddly, of rum punch. Still there is an excellent cooling aftertaste in the back of the throat and roof of the mouth. 8th Infusion, 20s. Water off boil: shrimp eyes. No color change from preceding infusion. Flavor and aroma extremely similar to preceding. 9th Infusion, 30s. Water: shrimp eyes. Very good flavors as citrus continues to recede and the wood notes come more to the fore. 10th Infusion, 45s. Water: shrimp eyes. Liquor much lighter in color. Aroma: wonderful wood tones. In hot sips, flavor far less sweet now, but still sweet nuances as the liquor cools. Powerful mint/cedar/camphor, but still offset by lemony flavor. Still very noticeable cooling effect in the aftertaste. 11th Infusion: 1m15s. Very low boil. Color unchanged from preceding infusion. Strong wood in aroma persists. Strong citrus tasting more like orange and less like grapefruit or lemon. Medicinal and cooling aftertaste. Conclusion: I have much to learn. This pu’er is tricky to brew. I believe that shorter infusions and cooler water keep the tart elements from turning sour. I am familiar with aged pu’ers from the 60s, 70s, and 80s that remind me of walking through a broad-leafed forest. This tea is quite evocative of a stroll through a mixed evergreen and citrus grove. It is, therefore, hard for me to judge. I have less experience with Xia Guan beeng chas and almost no experience with Iron Beengs. The strengths of the pu’er are twofold: the fantastic aroma and the marvelous mint/cedar cooling finish. From beginning to end, the challenge is in the tart nature of the headstrong liquor. Many tea aficionados may not find this to be a challenge at all. Perhaps in another twenty years, the flavor will match the aroma. On a scale of one to five, this pu’er rates a 4.5.
• Author: Mike Petro
  Tea Name Red Iron Beeng - 80's PA-8004 Reviewer Mike Petro Vendor Name Grandtea.com Vintage 1985 Form Bingcha Genre Sheng/Green/Uncooked/Raw Wet Appearence Very dark brown, crumbly, no whole leaves. Somewhat dry to the touch, I would have expected more life in the leaf. Brew Method Gungfu in 75ml Yixing pot. Rinsed tea with boiling water for a 20 seconds. Used Boiling mountain spring water collected at the source. Date Reviewed 7/9/2005 Leaf 3.5g Water 75ml Steep 1 20 seconds - Liquor is a medium orangish brown. Tastes of wood and loam and mushroom. Small sweetness at the finish. Steep 2 20s - Liquor is darker and more date like. Flavor is heavy on the wood in a pleasant way. Nice thick mouthfeel. Sweetness more even and Steep 3 30s - More balanced, less wood, less sweet, more smooth. Steep 4 45s - Still lots of color and flavor still balanced. Steep 5 60s - Still lots of color and flavor still balanced. Wood is giving way to plum. Comments Eventually got a total of 12 steeps before the flavor gave out.
• Author: Gerald Tiffany
  80s Red Iron Beeng from GrandTea 3/19/06. Dry leaf appearance: Brown, yellow, and gold leaves very tightly compressed. Wet leaf appearance: Deep red and black. 3.5g in 3oz gaiwan. Short rinse (15s) in boiling water. 20s rest. 1st Infusion, 10s. Boiling water. Very little aroma, perhaps mint. Amber-brown liquor, clear. Very tart flavor. Quite a bit of sweetness under the astringent citrus taste. 2nd Infusion, 4s. Water just off boiling. Much darker brown liquor. Mint, cedar, and clean earth aroma. Fascinating candy flavor, caramelized sugar. Power lemon or grapefruit in the finish. Due to short infusion, lemon is not overpowering. Overall, very pleasant, very clean. 3rd Infusion, 4s. Water jut off boiling. A little cool water added to the kettle prior to infusing. Color deep, rich red-amber and clear. Wood notes strong in the aroma. Initial sweetness persists in first hot sips. Noticeable camphor in the finish. The tartness somewhat diminished in the aftertaste. 4th Infusion, 6s. Low boil, shrimp eyes. Color a little bit less red. Aroma from gaiwan lid excellent in wood tones. First hot sip very nicely balanced. Finish nicely balanced. Thick consistency in the mouth. Pine forest effect overall. Very nice. 5th Infusion, 9s. Very low boil. No color change. No aroma change. Hotter water brings on heavier citrus in the aftertaste. Will continue with cooler water. Liquor tasting drier. Still some sweetness in the initial flavor-moments. Overall, very easy to drink. Different effect from CNNP and Meng Hai products of similar vintage: livelier and less mellow. 6th Infusion, 10s. Very low boil or hot simmer. The citrus finish abates somewhat. The cedar flavor comes out somewhat more clearly. Still very pleasant, and cooling in the mouth in the linger aftertaste. 7th Infusion, 15s. Hot simmer from kettle. Color perhaps a tiny bit lighter. Wood notes still very strong in the aroma. Best infusion thus far. Good balance of caramel and grapefruit. There is a not-unpleasant medicine taste. This pu’er reminds me, oddly, of rum punch. Still there is an excellent cooling aftertaste in the back of the throat and roof of the mouth. 8th Infusion, 20s. Water off boil: shrimp eyes. No color change from preceding infusion. Flavor and aroma extremely similar to preceding. 9th Infusion, 30s. Water: shrimp eyes. Very good flavors as citrus continues to recede and the wood notes come more to the fore. 10th Infusion, 45s. Water: shrimp eyes. Liquor much lighter in color. Aroma: wonderful wood tones. In hot sips, flavor far less sweet now, but still sweet nuances as the liquor cools. Powerful mint/cedar/camphor, but still offset by lemony flavor. Still very noticeable cooling effect in the aftertaste. 11th Infusion: 1m15s. Very low boil. Color unchanged from preceding infusion. Strong wood in aroma persists. Strong citrus tasting more like orange and less like grapefruit or lemon. Medicinal and cooling aftertaste. Conclusion: I have much to learn. This pu’er is tricky to brew. I believe that shorter infusions and cooler water keep the tart elements from turning sour. I am familiar with aged pu’ers from the 60s, 70s, and 80s that remind me of walking through a broad-leafed forest. This tea is quite evocative of a stroll through a mixed evergreen and citrus grove. It is, therefore, hard for me to judge. I have less experience with Xia Guan beeng chas and almost no experience with Iron Beengs. The strengths of the pu’er are twofold: the fantastic aroma and the marvelous mint/cedar cooling finish. From beginning to end, the challenge is in the tart nature of the headstrong liquor. Many tea aficionados may not find this to be a challenge at all. Perhaps in another twenty years, the flavor will match the aroma. On a scale of one to five, this pu’er rates a 4.5.
• Author: Mike Petro
  Tea Name Red Iron Beeng - 80's PA-8004 Reviewer Mike Petro Vendor Name Grandtea.com Vintage 1985 Form Bingcha Genre Sheng/Green/Uncooked/Raw Wet Appearence Very dark brown, crumbly, no whole leaves. Somewhat dry to the touch, I would have expected more life in the leaf. Brew Method Gungfu in 75ml Yixing pot. Rinsed tea with boiling water for a 20 seconds. Used Boiling mountain spring water collected at the source. Date Reviewed 7/9/2005 Leaf 3.5g Water 75ml Steep 1 20 seconds - Liquor is a medium orangish brown. Tastes of wood and loam and mushroom. Small sweetness at the finish. Steep 2 20s - Liquor is darker and more date like. Flavor is heavy on the wood in a pleasant way. Nice thick mouthfeel. Sweetness more even and Steep 3 30s - More balanced, less wood, less sweet, more smooth. Steep 4 45s - Still lots of color and flavor still balanced. Steep 5 60s - Still lots of color and flavor still balanced. Wood is giving way to plum. Comments Eventually got a total of 12 steeps before the flavor gave out.

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