155 Tasting Notes

85

The adorable CameronB sent me this along with a couple of other Jin Jun Meis and I thank her very much. I really like this one. In fact, it might be my favorite JJM thus far. Maybe it’s the heavy roast, but this is really deep and complex.

It has an almost burned sugar caramel flavor but is also deeply fruity. Like dried fruit, maybe prunes? But the good taste of prunes. It’s deep and dark but has an interesting floral thing wafting through it. Either floral or cilantro. It’s early and I’m recovering from Wild Child sheng, so don’t mind me.

I like this very much and I like CameronB very much too and not just for sending me this.

TheTeaFairy

Mmm, sounds yummy!

Cameron B.

You’re adorable! :D

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

82

I have no idea what I was thinking having this wild ass sheng first thing in the morning. I succumbed to peer pressure (consisting of no actual pressure) and joined Sarsy in morning sheng. I usually prefer to ease more gently into my mornings with a nice black or some Special Dark. But there you are. I shenged.

I call this bad boy Wild Child. It is a wild hollering baby and I love it. It’s punchy for sure. Very very punchy.

After borrowing a jackhammer, I put 6 gr in the weexing, used 200 water and combined numerous steeps in one mug alá Sarsy. It brews up dark orange so it kind of warns you what’s coming.

Is it a little rough around the edges? Oh yeah. But it has something that I LOVE very much in a tea. It has an intense grapey-muscatel flavor that gives me a happy. It’s fairly bitter but not off-puttingly bitter with an aftertaste that appeals to me mightily. I just really really like the way it tastes. I have a real affinity for the purple thing y’all. There is not much smoke to speak of and I have to say I prefer separate steeps for this as it does mellow out in later steeps. In the combo method you have the bitter all the way through.

Wild Child wants to make sure I’m paying paying attention so it slaps my head around a time or two and I get an immediate wave of head bang. Not much body feel for me – this is all in the head.

I really like this sheng. Lots of people won’t. It is $6 for a 100 gram brick and I think that is a screaming deal for this tea. I’m thinking after it calms down in a few years, I will will thank myself for buying 6 of them. In the meantime, I will drink it cause I like it.

Couple of songs for this bad boy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxZbOZDineQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=def3ob2h-1s

Flavors: Muscatel

TheTeaFairy

Some slapping and head banging early in the morning….you are a Wild Child dearest ;-)

Cameron B.

WEEXING! :D

boychik

Last time I saw it was one 6-pack avail. Did you get the last one? I got only one but didn’t try yet. I liked 2005 version a lot but must warn you wet storage is noticeable

Arster

any temperature tips on purple sheng? Just got a variable temp kettle and want to put it to use, aside for wanting to get the tastiest results. I have many purple, ye sheng and purple bud cakes as well as this brick.

MzPriss

I used water at 200

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

86

Sheng party with the Teaplets. I put 6 grams in the wee shengxing and hit it with 200 degree water with one rinse which was fairly nondescript, though with a bit of tingle (I almost always taste my rinse). After a 10 minute or so rest and hen onto 15s/20s/30s/45s/1m/130m/2min steeps.

The soup is apricot colored and the first steep gives me a nice tingle and a very, very slight bitterness, even though Sarsy made this face: O.O

Slightly more bitter on the third steep but not a bad bitter. A little fruit starting to come through here, a little bit of bread. The aroma is a really nice honeyed bread smell that I’m enjoying very much.

It’s getting a little more bitter for me, especially at the back but that might be because I forgot about that steep.

I’m getting a nice relaxation, and a little head buzz, but nothing too hard. It’s nice rather than challenging. The 30 second steep is really nice and balanced – tasty.

I’m continuing to enjoy this. I think it’s really decent to drink now and I bet in two years it will be really, really good. I think it’s a great deal for the price.

SarsyPie

LOL I did make that face!

MzPriss

I just made it on LTF’s comment

SarsyPie

I’m enjoying the way you are fitting it into every convo LOL

TheTeaFairy

Lol, O.O love!!!

And yo, shengxing!

SarsyPie

I love my shengxing. It makes me so happy. The patina is getting really lovely!

MzPriss

Yeah mine is getting used a lot. Sigh, wish Leafy was here…

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

94

The guest of honor for a spontaneous late afternoon shou party. This was my first time for this one. I don’t have my shouxing seasoned yet so I did this in the gaiwan.

The first steep was nice and balanced. There is leather here but not overwhelming leather, just nice and earthy.

So far my favorite steep is the 3rd. It mellows into sweetness with a camphor tingle at the end.

I’m well into this but I have to say the body feel is immediate. First a little wisp of full body relaxation and then I relaxed into a lovely puddle. The head hum is deep and steady and yummy. My legs are a little rubbery and I’m leaning back and listening to this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QX3UEGFrINI over and over while I go father into this yummyiness

This is a delicious, smooth shou. I’m glad I have it. Another winner Hobbit! Now I’m gonna go lay down and listen some more and enjoy this.

TheTeaFairy

The song is a good one missy ;-) can’t wait to try this. Rubbery legs.

SarsyPie

Awesome review, as always!!! I may try this one tomorrow :)

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

83

First, thanks to the precious CameronB for sending this and several other Jinjunmeis my way. The only other JJM I’ve had was from Yezi and I"m glad to be able to compare them. The dry leaves are really pretty. Lots of golden little eyebrows mixed with darker brown.

I steeped a couple of teaspoons in 12 oz of 200 degree water for my usual 4 minutes. Frequently I start out on a new tea at 3 like “they” usually want you to, but I always end up at my personal default 4 anyway and I woke up late this morning so I just skipped ahead.

The brewed tea has a sweet honey note and the first sip confirms that. The sweetness is very present, much like a concentrated fruit (like a fruit roll-up maybe?) with the tiniest and I mean TINY bit of creosote in the background, which is not unpleasant at all and gives the tea some bottom.

This is an earthy, thickly sweet tea and I’m enjoying it very much. I’m actually enjoying it even more as it cools a little. Quite nice. Thanks again Cameron

Cameron B.

You’re welcome, babe! :P

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

97

I was very surprised to get a Mandala box that I didn’t remember ordering. When I opened it, I found a note from Garret saying it was a surprise from my Teaplet Sarsonator and that my other Teaplet, the Lovely Tea Fairy was getting one too. At that point, this had not been released on the Mandala site and it made me cry. Sarsy went to a LOT of trouble working with Garret to make this amazing surprise happen and I heart them both a LOT.

Today we finally all three have our supply of this and we are having a Teaplet sheng party. And Holy Crap. This is so incredibly delicious.

I put 5 grams in the wee shengxing and away I went. The rinse was divine. The liquor is pale and golden and a premiere of coming attractions.

This is so fruity and smooth. It tastes like apricot jam with exactly zero astringency or bitterness. No smoke to be found either. There is that catch at the back of my throat that tells me I’m shengin’

I got a lovely and immediate full body creeping warmth and relaxation. I can’t EVEN believe this is a baby sheng. I love baby shengs, but this one tastes like it has a little age on it. It keeps getting better as I go through the steeps.

LTF remarked that it reminds her of my favorite (until now??) Mandala sheng, Wild Mountain Green and I agree in that there is a load of fruit, in this case apricot and a load of smooth and it makes for a gorgeously happy relaxed tea drunk.

THANK YOU MY DARLING SARSY!!!! And also Garret for making it happen!

It makes me feel all reverb-y y’all: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4_5593-skQ

Flavors: Apricot

Cameron B.

Yum, I love apricots! I may have to try this one. :)

MzPriss

Oh Cam- YES you do!!! I will send some your way

SarsyPie

Shengxing is the cutest term ever!!!! Totally stealing that :p

I’m really happy that you liked this. On one level, I know that Garret knows what he’s doing. On the other hand, I was still nervous because I hadn’t tasted it myself. Hooray for super secret shengs!!!!

Stephanie

How sweet! This sheng sounds amazing you guys :D

TheTeaFairy

I so love sharing tea sessions with my lovely TEAplets!!! And Shengxing is totally adorable!!

MzPriss

It’s my smallest yixing so I sometimes call it my weexing

SarsyPie

I’m tea drunk and I like it!

Cameron B.

Lol… Weexing is the cutest term ever.

boychik

it sounds delicious:) i need this in my life

MzPriss

You do.

looseTman

Sounds Awesome! Congats Sarsonator!

Christina / BooksandTea

Man, I really want to try all of Mandala’s pu’erhs (even though I’m still a little bit afraid of shu). Did Garret announce when that sheng sale was going to happen?

Sil

oh man. i need to try this one

Garret

We are loving this tea here in the shop. I’m so pleased that you are digging it, too. I am gonna try like mad to get more of it. The supply was pretty limited, but I’m on it. This is selling fast and I don’t want to run out. Not to mention, I want some for my own stash!

Garret

The Sarsonator is tea drunk and I like it, like it, yes I do!

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

95

Ahhh SNAILY my love. Helping me face work re-entry. Maybe I will just drink GO and Snaily and CA all day today. That might make it hard to be grumpy.

TheTeaFairy

It will help for sure :-)

Veronica

It is difficult to be grumpy when drinking such awesome teas. :)

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

100

Alas my vacation is over and I have to go back to work today :( I’m fortifying myself with my favorite cup of yummy vanilla fudgy comfort. I have a bed full of dogs and this tea and it’s gonna be hard to get up and get ready this morning. Maybe if I keep drinking this….

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

97

Sweet honey bready with a wee cooling breeze. DANG I love this tea.

TheTeaFairy

Mmmmm! The jabber wocks missy :-)

MzPriss

Yes ma’am it really does.

mj

I had this the other day and wondered why I had been neglecting it so badly. It’s fantastic!!

Hillel

This is one of the most remarkable teas I’ve ever had. I’m almost afraid to drink it too much for fear that I won’t get around to others. Well, not really, but this would have a prominent place in the rotation. Even my wife (hard-core coffee drinker that she is) wants to make this the “house tea.”

mj

That’s so cute that you two have a “house tea”!

Whispering Pines Tea Company

:-) I’m so glad everyone loves this one! :D hehe

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

99

Sweet chocolate cherry goodness is making me so happy this morning. Many other notes on this. Right now I’m just nomming it.

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

Profile

Bio

Black/red Chinese teas, pu-erh and oolong hold the keys to my heart.

I don’t care much for flavored teas, especially the fruity varieties. My exceptions are chai and Earl Grey, and apparently now vanilla. Not much love for lapsang souchong either.

I sit squarely on fence with green and white teas.

If I end up in hell, my punishment will be to drink rooibos.

Following These People

Moderator Tools

Mark as Spammer