818 Tasting Notes
From the Sheng and Shou TTB.
I didn’t really like this one, to tell you the truth. The flavors just didn’t hit me right. It’s definitely smoky, but I got a lot of bitterness, and nothing redeemable in later steeps. Good that I got to try it before buying a whole cake, because this one was on my wishlist! Now I know!
This tea was included in the May monthly box. It is really different than any other black teas I’ve tried. There are potato and bread notes, but it has a spiciness that I’ve never found in any black tea before. Really interesting! I think there a bit of smoke as well, similar to a raw puerh smoke. It’s extremely affordable, so if you make an order, I’d recommend trying this one out!
From the Sheng and Shou TTB.
This was a pretty fantastic tea. The leaf is twisted like rope braids and the flavor is grilled smoky, buttery, smooth and just yummy! It’s too bad it comes from aliexpress, as I’m wary of ordering from that site. If it was from one of my usual shops, I would definitely pick some up.
Picked up some of this with my last order (which was spurred by the return of Art of Darkness!) This has beautiful leaves and tastes like sweet potato drizzled with honey. So yummy! It’s probably the first potato black tea that really tastes sweet potato-like to me…maybe because it’s sweet!
I had some friends over last weekend who were open to trying puerh for the first time, so I served them some of this tea. It was really fun serving them tea gongfu style. I used my Juan shui pot and my cute 1 oz. cups that I don’t normally use for myself. I realized when serving them why you want those tongs…that way you don’t handle everyone’s cup around the lip. I also realized why the presentation vessel and a tea towel are useful. I guess I might be looking into a proper serving set! Fortunately I have a sharing pitcher. :)
When they started to try the tea, one noticed a fishy smell! I never get that, but I know people who do, so that was awesome! That person also decided they liked it though after a few steepings, as it got sweeter. Aha! Then my husband, who never drinks hot tea, smelled it and said it smelled like mushrooms! Yes! I loved sharing it with them! Maybe someday I’ll have to open a tea bar. ;)
Ya know, this tea is alright, but nothing stands out. Usually there’s a quality or a flavor note that causes me to remember a tea. I tried this the first time when I was comparing my new Juan shui clay pot with a gaiwan and it just tasted like sheng, nothing remarkable. I had it again yesterday with the same result. Perhaps my palate isn’t refined enough, but I seem to get more enjoyment out of other sheng, so maybe it’s just this tea. I guess it won’t hurt it to hang out in my cupboard for awhile, and then I’ll try again. Maybe some age will help it along. Weird, because they say such promising things about this tea, like, “we want to be able to offer this tea at least once a year.” Oh well. :/
I’ve had this tea three times now. It is tasty. There’s cocoa, but it’s not dominant, more subtle. There’s also some fruity notes, like cherry or plum. It’s incredibly smooth. I really enjoy it but have a hard time describing the notes. Maybe my tastebuds are messed up due to allergies. Anyway, I can safely say it’s good. Go get some! ;)
Whispering Pines just put out a limited batch of this new tea, and it’s already out of stock! I absolutely love his puerh and the last puerh blend he did with mushrooms, Mirkwood, was one of my faves! So, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this one!
This puerh is flavored with cocoa and black cardamom. I’m not sure I’ve ever had black cardamom, although green is common in chai. I looked it up and Wikipedia said it has a smoky character, like camphor. Okay, that could definitely go well with puerh, since puerh can have camphor notes too.
I brewed it up western after shaking the bag vigorously, as recommended. It brewed up very dark. :) Verdict? I love it! It’s like drinking a dark chocolate bar that has cardamom in it. Thick, rich, and flavorful! Mmmm! I also steeped it a second time and it was almost as good as the first steeping. So good!
TheTeaFairy told me that it tasted like peppermint patties to her, and I can definitely see that. The black cardamom has a character that can be taken as minty…probably the camphor note.
Needless to say, I put myself on the notification list for when it’s back in stock. ;)
I had this tea this morning in anticipation of another whispering pines order and it was more fabulous than I remember. It was both sweet and savory, complex, and just plain delectable. Maybe I just had the perfect amount of leaf this time (5g). I dunno! All I know is that it was great!
I’m surprised. If the sample was crumbled it probably got bitter.
Ya, it was probably crumbs of the cake, so maybe it was just my sample.