294 Tasting Notes
I read my previous notes and I forgot how great this Sheng is. Jim Marks review yesterday made me want to try this again. This will take you to the next level. I brewed this in my Gaiwan without rinsing. This is a powerhouse. I have already had my share of tea today so I may only do 2 steepings. I am listening to my body. This tea is intense….
I brewed this up basket style with more leaf than I have ever used for this tea. Even though it steeped for who knows how long it was simply fantastick. When you smell this brewing it really has to be one of the best tea scents that I have ever encountered in my journey with this beverage. The flavor matches the aroma perfectly. I am getting a scent and flavor that I would say is similar to a fine bakery. Fresh baked brown bread with a hint of cocoa. An awesome tea….
I bought this tea after watching James Norwood Pratt sit down with Samovar owner Jesse Jacobs and drink this on youtube. The piece is called " Brewing Enlightenment ". They were loving the tea and I figured I could not go wrong. They were right. Called " Clouds and Mist" in China. This is a superb offering. Crisp, clean and very flavorful. I feel you can taste the green of the mountains….
I brewed this in the Gaiwan. It is all that I would look for in a Sheng and more. I received this as a part of a sampler. For whatever reason I had only tasted this once before. This tea is about as good as it gets. I have tasted many Sheng lately and none compare with the exception of the ’93 Red Blossom. I would dare say that given the same amount of aging this would be mind blowing. This is the real deal….
Unfortunately it’s not on Verdants website.
yeah, given it’s age this one is truly unmatched. my favorite. once it has a cool 20 years under its belt, it will be almost unthinkable as to what this one will be like.
Is there any for sale??
It is sold out right now! I am so happy my husband snagged me one of the last bricks. I’m sure David will be on the lookout for more of this, but it’s hard to say if any more exists.
Thanks. Maybe I will contact David….
This stone pressed was a replacement of sorts for a previous stone pressed which also sold out. Given that both were so popular, I am sure he will be looking for a third. But it may take some time.
Hm? Actually, this one was the original stone-pressed. The banzhang was the replacement (also a 2006, from banzhang instead of Hekai..oo, I really need to write my review of that one of these days). I also hope there’s another!
Ah yes, I have it backwards. Upshot being, a third option will be some time in coming, I suspect. (Sadly)
He does not have it but he offered a Hekai 2006 Artisan Revival and a Banzhang 2006 Artisan Revival. Jim, after reading your review yesterday that may be the clear choice.
I found the notion of “wild arbor” too enchanting to resist.
The later steepings did settle down a fair bit.
I am boiling the water now. I have a bit left….
I brewed this in the Gaiwan with the whole sample pack. I love it! Someone please tell me is this what you would consider to be the proper amount of leaf. I know we have rules of thumb. This was so much better this time so I am assuming that for me it was the right amount. It was sooo so good. Black tea heaven. Tea heaven period…. Angel, your thoughts?
A sample pack is about 5 gram. For me, I usually put the whole into the Gaiwan, and it is really tasted so good.
I also received this one as a free sample from Angel…I Just can’t review it yet, as I am still in awe! I think I will do full review only when I get a very large bag of it in my next order. Hope I will manage to survive without it until then…
I think this one is great too – of course you know that! ;-)
And thank you for buying and trying and spreading the good word….
good to know about this one as I had been browsing it online recently. and, I hope you get that second interview… :)
Here’s to a second interview! :))
Thank you again. Actually I have another interview tomorrow with a better opportunity. Stay tuned
After reading Geoffreys response to Amy about the amount of tea one should use in a Gaiwan I figured I would take his advice. So I used more leaf than I normally do and the result was intoxicating. So intoxicating that I only got through 2 steepings. I fell asleep quickly. The flavor was so much more pronounced. So rich and full. I always appreciate when someone gives me advice or someone else so we can all further our experiences with our beloved tea….
yeah I surely need to try it
sO, HOW MUCH TEA SHOULD YOU USE IN A GAIWAN??
Read Geoffreys comment to Amy regarding the Huang Zhi Xiang Phoenix MT. Dangcong.
Hi Charles. Happy to hear this worked well for you! Just a quick additional note, the suggestion I made on Amy’s post for leaf quantity in a gaiwan is what I typically do for strip-style oolongs in particular (such as Wuyi oolongs and Fenghuang oolongs, because they are so bulky and lightweight). I certainly would not use the same quantity of leaf for a ball-rolled oolong like Teiguanyin, or say a tightly curled tea like the ones from Laoshan. The weight to volume ratio for each style of tea can be dramatically different. Like for budset teas (Silver Needle, Golden Buds, or Yabao), which are also bulky and lightweight, I would use the same suggestion I made for strip-oolongs. But for Tieguanyin, or Laoshan teas I put in less, like around 2 heaping teaspoons max. These are really just my preferences though. Hope your enjoyment continues, Charles!
Best wishes with the job prospect!
Off to finish my lunch break now.
Thanks Geoffrey
It is hysterical what happens if you put too much Tieguanyin into a gaiwan after about 3 steepings.
It was not Tieguanyin….
nod I got that. I was responding to Geoffery’s clarification about not using large amounts with teas like a Tieguanyin — the reason being there will soon be no room in the vessel left for water. =)
LOL.
This is todays late morning-afternoon tea. It is not making me as relaxed as the 2 previous tastings. I guess ones mood has some input on what a tea will do. My first reaction was to write that it posessed a Calm Energy. I am trying to assemble a list of Sheng to be purchased in Beeng form. My samples are dwinding and my respect for these teas is growing….
The last of my sample from Upton was cold brewed for 48 hours. It was fruity and delicious. I have to venture into Indian teas. Any suggestions? PS, I upped the score….
Rare Tea Republic – the temis are terrific
Temis?
sounds delicious
akuressa Ceylon lowland black (tao of tea) and Ceylon silver tips (tao of tea)…Assam Molkarbari (staufs), I would suggest Assam Mangalam but the estate’s profile has shift over that last couple years and is harder to find
Thanks
keep drinking more tea. :)
LOL
I read that pu-erh tea has the most flouride and the Tibetans are prone to flouride poisoning from drinking so much of it. that has made me think a bit.
Maybe that’s why they put the rancid yak butter and salt in it….
lol!
I try to keep some perspective on stories like that. You also hear about the rampant, chronic GI problems in Japan because no one get’s any fiber because all they eat is short grain, white rice. But does that mean we should avoid rice, or have less if we eat it “a lot”? Nah. There’s an important difference between “a lot” and “exclusively”. Rural Tibetans are drinking (I suspect anyway) “exclusively” these high fluoride teas. I may drink “a lot” at least compared to Western people, even Western tea drinkers, but there’s a big gap between that and the only beverage you consume all day every day being a source of this problem.
I went through a similar concern for a while with lapsang souchong. They are smoked, traditionally, using pine wood. Even hardwoods can create a lot of carcinogens when they are smoked for things like slow cooking meat, but there’s a reason no one uses soft woods like pine for this purpose. Pine smoke is pretyt much all poison. So, do I really want to be drinking that?
I eventually decided it was wise to take my beloved Black Dragon out of my daily tea pot (I was blending Yunnan gold, wang pu-erh and Black Dragon as a daily pot at work for a long time) but that there’s no reason to avoid it completely.
So yes, if you’re drinking sheng every day, you may want to do research into the potential issues with the specific leaves you have (tea isn’t as consistent across a category as we’d like to think), but I wouldn’t stop drinking it entirely or anything.
Jim your reviews and comments are always thought provoking.
I don’t think anyone should avoid it, just might not be a great idea to drink it all day long every day.
I suspect that would poison the wallet long before the body.
I couldn’t drink any tea all day, every day, because I like to drink differeny\t teas every day usually. It makes tea drinking more interesting for me.