The range of EOT Bulangs from 2009 to 2012. From left to right is a progression of the oldest to the youngest teacake.
Taking the opportunity to reconnect with a few Essence of Tea (EOT) teacakes in my collection, the popular range of EOT Bulang from 2009 to 2012 needs little introduction for the seasoned tea drinker. The annual pressing of EOT Bulang is perhaps the most discussed and reviewed tea on the Internet to come out from this premium vendor. A lot have been written about the EOT Bulang from multi years and for those looking to dig deeper I will leave you in the good hands of Google.
Below comprises of a series of pictorials on the range of EOT Bulangs during a 4 year period. Observing the teacakes from different years always make for an interesting comparison. Compare the darkened shades of age and see how each has been transformed by time under Thailand’s tropical climate.
Comparing EOT Bulangs from 2009 and 2010 (Front and Back)
Comparing EOT Bulangs from 2011 and 2012* (Front and Back)
In Part 2 I will be brewing and tasting each EOT Bulang from their respective year of production. I expect the comparative brewing will allow me to ride along the age journey of EOT’s Bulang and perhaps observe a pattern of change that allows a glimpse into the future of what can be expected from a fully matured EOT Bulang.
* The EOT Bulang 2012 despite being the newest appears the most worn and tattered. The reason for this is that as my only Bulang from 2012 it is my go to teacake for chipping away at. It is important to note that 2012 marks a year that EOT introduced new changes to their Bulang production that includes using a blend of 2 sources of maochas (as opposed to previously sourcing from a single estate). I recommend visiting the product page of EOT 2012 Bulang for a full description.