I was feeling like a new new experience today, as I’ve been drinking a lot of the 2015 harvest shengs lately. Pull out this mystery fermented tea from Japan, had forgot about it until I added some of my teas to the steepster cupboard the other day. I don’t drink a lot of shu, but I could not resist putting this in the cart when I saw it..
Immediately clear that this is something else. Dry aroma is a unique combination of .. dried bark, earthy/mushroom notes with a stingy nose. 90ml gaiwan and give it a ~15 second rinse plus a little rest. Product page recommends 4-5 minutes brew, seems a little excessive… but let’s trust it and go with 4 minutes.
.. Wow, amazing sour citrus aroma! The liquor is much lighter than expected, nothing like a shu at all, more like a sheng with a few years of age; clear bright orange/brown-ish. The taste is very pleasant, sour citrus with stonefruit and umami/salty quality with slight astringency. Light fermentation, but not at all unpleasant, no “funk”.
3 steeps so far; it’s lost potency but otherwise not a lot of change. My first impression is that it’s not very dynamic, but that doesn’t make it any less interesting. Absolutely worth trying.
Flavors: Citrus, Pleasantly Sour, Stonefruit, Umami
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Have you tried the Thailand dark tea yet?
I’ve had various teas from Thailand, but nothing up this alley, what specifically are you referring to? Something like this?
http://steepster.com/teas/what-cha/68733-thailand-2011-shan-raw-dark-tea
Yes that’s the one. Very dark and earthy.
Have you tried the Thailand dark tea yet?
I’ve had various teas from Thailand, but nothing up this alley, what specifically are you referring to? Something like this?
http://steepster.com/teas/what-cha/68733-thailand-2011-shan-raw-dark-tea
Yes that’s the one. Very dark and earthy.