90

This is an older sample, I think it’s from my first box from Nicole… Oopsies! The name of this one confuses me, hah! I thought Shou Mei was a white tea? But apparently Fu Shou Mei is the name for this specific tea processed with red cane sugar. The only other Feng Qing tea I’ve had is the dragon pearl variety from TeaVivre, and I wasn’t terribly impressed with it. Good but not great!

Anyway, long story short, I didn’t really know what to expect from this tea! The leaves are black and spindly, and quite long for how thin they are. I didn’t get much of a dry scent from them, maybe a little touch of sweet and malt. Did my usual 3 minute steep.

Ooh, aroma! The brewed tea smells strongly of raisins or prunes, with an obvious caramelized brown sugar scent. There’s malt there too, of course. I confess, on my first sip, it was totally an eyes-rolling-back-into-my-head moment. I love the strength of the dried fruit flavor in this tea! It’s dark and rich, with lots of raisin/prune and maybe a touch of fig. There’s a dark grainy flavor, not quite bready, more like raw grain but in a rich sense. I wouldn’t describe this tea as “sweet”, but it has a lot of molasses flavor along with dark caramelized sugar. It’s weird to describe a sugar flavor as not being sweet, I guess it adds more of a richness and almost toasty flavor.

This tea is so delicious, I’m now sad that I waited so long to try it. I’m sorry, little baggie that got lost at the bottom of my sample pile! This is the tea I would reach for when I want something dark, rich, and comforting. Definitely a reorder, and I would love to try the autumn harvest too!

Flavors: Brown Sugar, Caramel, Dried Fruit, Grain, Malt, Molasses, Raisins

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML
Tealizzy

I went to put this on my wishlist but I already tagged it! Haha! I guess someone else highly recommended this one. Must be good!

Cameron B.

Definitely a good one if you like darker teas with fruity notes. :D

boychik

One of my many faves fr YS. I didn’t have any bad tea fr them

Cameron B.

boychik, I’ve liked every tea I’ve tried from them so far. :)

Cheri

This sounds tasty. I was digging through my tea pantry looking for a specific tea, and I found a few that had fallen off the back of the shelf that I’d forgotten I had. Oops! It happens. I’ve moved mine to the front of the shelf so I can’t forget about them again.

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Tealizzy

I went to put this on my wishlist but I already tagged it! Haha! I guess someone else highly recommended this one. Must be good!

Cameron B.

Definitely a good one if you like darker teas with fruity notes. :D

boychik

One of my many faves fr YS. I didn’t have any bad tea fr them

Cameron B.

boychik, I’ve liked every tea I’ve tried from them so far. :)

Cheri

This sounds tasty. I was digging through my tea pantry looking for a specific tea, and I found a few that had fallen off the back of the shelf that I’d forgotten I had. Oops! It happens. I’ve moved mine to the front of the shelf so I can’t forget about them again.

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Bio

Hi, I’m Cameron! I’m a 30-something software engineer currently living in Austin, Texas with my husband and our two pugs, Gobo and Ume. I tend to cycle between my different hobbies, and they include piano, knitting, video games, board games, miniature painting, planners, bento, KBeauty, and – of course – TEA! But really, what I’m best at is “collecting” hobby-related things… ;)

~ 2024 SIPDOWN CHALLENGE! ~
- January Sipdowns: 6
- Total 2024 Sipdowns: 6

I prefer my tea lukewarm or at room temperature and without milk or sugar. I steep Western style, and fluctuate between using big mugs or small teapots depending on the season. Occasionally I’ll brew Gongfu style when I’m in the mood. I’ll also often use a kyusu for Japanese teas.

I am always up for a swap! Just let me know if you’d like to try something in my cupboard.

Tea Preferences:
I enjoy both flavored and unflavored teas in many forms. These days, I drink mostly flavored teas, and I tend to gravitate most toward black, green, oolong, and herbal varieties. I do have a special fondness for straight Japanese green teas, however. I also enjoy maté, rooibos, and honeybush. I love matcha and drink it often! Fruit tisanes are not a favorite, but I’m always willing to try them.

I do not sweeten my teas, and pre-sweetened teas are usually too sweet for me. I also do not enjoy stevia.

Fruit: All of them! My ‘go-to’s tend to be in the red fruits, stonefruit, or citrus spectra. I also really love apple, banana, berry, fig, lychee, melon, pear, and rhubarb flavors. Tropical fruits aren’t among my favorites, but I still enjoy them once in a while – especially passionfruit, mango, and pineapple. I am not generally a fan of coconut in tea, though there are some exceptions.

Dessert: I love creamy vanilla and marshmallow flavors, along with anything in the caramel family such as butterscotch, toffee, or maple. Chocolate is also a favorite, though I’m often disappointed by it in tea. And don’t forget anything buttery, cakey, or cookie-y!

Floral: I’m a little bit more particular in this category. I very much enjoy jasmine, even strong jasmine, along with sakura, chamomile, and elderflower. Osmanthus is also a favorite of mine. But I’m not crazy about rose or lavender flavors, and I prefer hibiscus in moderation only.

Spices: I don’t generally find myself drawn to masala chai, but I do enjoy spices combined with other flavors. My favorite spices are the warm ones, especially cinnamon, nutmeg, anise, and cardamom. A bit of heat from black pepper or chili is okay too, as long as it’s not overwhelming! Ginger can be a lovely accent, but I find it difficult to drink as a starring flavor.

Aromatics: I’m obsessed with Earl Grey! I also love cooling flavors such as mint (especially spearmint), pine, juniper, and eucalyptus. I am not a fan of strong rosemary or sage in tea.

Favorite Companies:
3 Leaf
Bird & Blend
Dammann Frères
Harney & Sons
Kyoto Obubu Tea Farms
Lupicia
Old Barrel Tea Co
Simpson & Vail
Taiwan Tea Crafts
TeaVivre

Tea Rating Scale:
90-100: Outstanding! Permanent cupboard resident
80-89: Great – a possible staple
70-79: Good, but I wouldn’t buy it
60-69: It’s decent
50-59: Meh… I may or may not have finished the cup
40-49: Ick. Couldn’t finish it.
00-39: Repulsive, I spat it out

I will sometimes refrain from rating a tea if I feel I’m too biased due to my personal dislikes, or if I suspect the sample has been compromised by age or scent contamination.

Cupboard Spreadsheet:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ZEuKf1-ppR-VXajO4vV39zU1N3zjFJteEPAynqD2yl0/edit?usp=sharing

Location

Austin, Texas

Website

https://www.instagram.com/tea...

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