Crimson Lotus Tea

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Recent Tasting Notes

Fantastic shou puer! I got 16 infusions and likely could get more with a yixing pot instead of a gaiwan. This shou runs expensive, but at least you get plenty of reinfusions.

The notes are strong woodsy, mushroom, molasses, hazelnuts, and honey, brewing up very dark. What makes Black Gold incredible is the powerful aroma and thick body.

Full review on Oolong Owl http://oolongowl.com/2010-black-gold-shou-puer-crimson-lotus-tea/

Preparation
1 g 0 OZ / 11 ML
looseTman

Sounds very appealing. CLT BF sale?

Sil

Oooooh

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78

I guess I’m really developing a palate for shengs!

First sip, and I was amazed at how good Hidden Song was. It’s my first real taste of a sheng with vegetal and spice notes. It was a tasty and pleasant surprise!

Other reviewers mentioned that it was smokey a bit. I think it’s there, but very subtle and I wouldn’t have been able to distinguish it if I weren’t looking.

Good tea, I might cake it.

Flavors: Char, Spicy, Stonefruit, Sweet, Vegetal

Preparation
Boiling 0 min, 15 sec 4 g 2 OZ / 70 ML

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Been awhile since I took a photo of these guys, but I will say for what they produce… fantastic tea for the price and very convenient in the way it brews and breaks apart quickly within a gaiwan.

As far as a shou that’s new but doesn’t have that funk to it, this one is good. More punch than the Black Gold, but if you like that bold taste in your mouth of ripe puerh this one works quite well.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BYzC3pVg1y0/?taken-by=liquidproust

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85

I’ve purchased A LOT of pu erh samples recently and been trying them. This is definitely my favorite ripe so far.

It’s sweet and gentle with a nice aftertaste that makes me want more. I’m glad a bought a cake (it was on sale!) and would definitely repurchase.

Flavors: Nutty, Smooth, Sweet

Preparation
Boiling 0 min, 15 sec 5 g 3 OZ / 80 ML

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Great Sheng. I’m still pretty new to pu erh, but I definitely tasted the floral and sweet notes immediately. In later steeps, I think I tasted a bit of green pepper too (which was interesting bc I don’t usually like green pepper).

Flavors: Floral, Green Pepper, Sweet

Preparation
Boiling 0 min, 15 sec 4 g 3 OZ / 75 ML

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Not sure exactly what to say about this tea. I’ve had Jinggu Bang white tea but never sheng before. For starters, I thought with a tea in this price range it’d be safe to drink 10g before work…oops. Good cha qi for the buck. That’s for sure. It’s fairly sweet and thick with nice floral notes, almost locust blossomy. That said, there’s something lacking, like that bright snap one often gets in a young sheng. I just found it sorta flat, like it needed a shot of acidity or something. I was half tempted to raid my homebrewing stuff and spike the leaves with a pinch of citric acid to see if that helped but I had no time for such experiments so after 6 steeps I tossed the leaves into a thermos and did the grandpa style brew which was pretty good. This cha is a little young to make a totally accurate assessment but it does have its virtues but it also leaves me a little flat. I have about 30g that I’m gonna let sit a while longer and revisit it.

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Flavors: Wet Earth, Wet Wood

Preparation
Boiling 0 min, 15 sec 5 g 80 OZ / 2365 ML

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I received two of these balls with a teaware order a few months back. I took one of them on a trip with me during the summer to drink with a friend, but unfortunately that session turned out to be a big disappointment and the tea didn’t really taste like anything besides green and astringent. It could be that the tea didn’t like traveling with me even in a closed ziplock bag. After letting the other one sit in my pumidor for a few months, I finally decided to break it out.

I brewed the tea in a 140ml gaiwan giving it the two suggested 30s rinses before brewing it like I normally would. I gave both rinses a small taste, but the first one was still far too light while the second was too nasty to drink due to the long steep time. Thanks to being a single serving, you mainly get large, intact leaves with less broken leaf you’d get with a cake. Aromatically the tea is pretty much your standard young sheng fare from what I could tell. I did a total of ten steeps, for 8s, 8s, 10s, 15s, 20s, 30s, 45s, 60s, 60s and 60s.

The first infusion was still quite light, but perhaps partially thanks to the long rinses the body was already quite big, I’d say medium+. I’m not quite sure about the taste, it wasn’t really purely mineral nor vegetal. The lasting aftertaste was light, but it was there. Despite being light, the tea comes across as pungent, possessing a backbone that you can sense.

The mouthfeel remained almost as thick in the second steep, with the taste being now more mineraly, but not in a typical way. The tea showed signs of being astringent or bitter upon entering the mouth, but the actual astringency never arrived. The finish on the other hand had hints of vegetal to it. There wasn’t really any sweetness to speak of, but the taste and aroma lingered in the mouth. The underlying sense of pungency from the first steep continued to be present as well.

Only extending the steep time marginally for the third infusion, both the body and flavor were getting lighter. Despite this the mouthfeel was still pretty nice and the aftertaste very long-lasting and stable despite not being particularly strong. The taste continued to be predominantly mineraly, but again not in the most typical way. What you noticed immediately about the next fourth steep was how cooling it was, impressively so. The body continued to be decent and the taste was very clean and still quite mineraly. The brew had a very nice calming effect that was almost meditative. Definitely a standout infusion.

The fifth steep still maintained a decent body. At this point the tea started to hint at astringency, but it was almost nonexistent. I’m not quite sure about the flavor, it lay somewhere between green, mineral and vegetal. Aftertaste was still a thing, albeit weaker now than before. The body got again maybe a bit lighter in the sixth steep, but the mouthfeel remained nice. The flavor was stronger now thanks to the extended brewing time and the mineraly taste was now similar to some mineraly premium Chinese green teas like Long Jing, etc. The tea may have even hinted at some vegetal/mineral sweetness in the finish. This was probably the best infusion of the session. After finishing your cup, the tea did leave a slightly astringent feeling in your mouth. It also had a mildly mood elevating effect similar to green tea but milder.

The seventh infusion was the turning point for this tea. I should have probably extended the brewing time less than I normally would for pu’er, for in addition to getting more body the tea also started tasting less enjoyable to me and being a bit astringent. It wasn’t bad yet, but it started bordering on nasty. For the eighth steeping I extended the brewing time less than I typically would and for infusions nine and ten I kept it at a minute. All of these tasted very similar. They were somewhat drinkable, but all had this quality to them that is a bit off-putting to me, I just call it nastiness. I will say though that all of these infusions even with the truncated steeping times were stronger in flavor than all the prior infusions, which I found quite impressive. I think that this is a good sign for future aging prospects in mind for when the flavors in the late steeps have become more developed.

After my initial disappointment with this tea, this second session really surprised me. It has a long list of good attributes. That being said, for me this was more of an interesting tea to experience than something I’d be interested in drinking regularly. My gut feeling has great confidence that this tea would age well and it would be interesting to revisit it in five or ten years once it has some real age on it. Since my experience with it was so positive, I’m on the fence about whether to give it a Recommended stamp or not, but I try to keep my standards for doing so high, so since I would not purchase more of this tea for myself I’m opting to not do that. However, if you do have any curiosity toward these planets by Crimson Lotus, this is one I recommend trying.

Flavors: Mineral, Vegetal

Preparation
Boiling 0 min, 15 sec 8 g 5 OZ / 140 ML
mrmopar

A tea usually always performs better when it acclimates from the shipping. That pumidor seems to be working as well.

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I usually don’t get excited over shou but omg! The complex flavors in this sweet brew makes me want to compare it to a port (or a Belgian quad as I’m always comparing tea to beer) chocolate covered cherries and marzipan with a woody earthy backdrop. This is the sweetest, thickest tea I’ve ever had. I’m enjoying it with a brunch of roasted butternut squash and duck bacon. Wishing I had a Peking duck to go with it but Chinatown Philadelphia is a 4 hour drive…not much qi from this but the mere flavors of this stuff has caused my brain to release enough dopamine to keep me smiling all afternoon.

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Simple Sheng is a 50g mini beeng by Crimson Lotus Tea that heavily gave off green tasting notes, such as notes of spinach and freshly cut grass. Surprisingly, there was a light floral note behind all of the green tasting notes which helped tie this tea in all together. Simple Sheng is made of high quality material and is exceptionally clean and clear for what you receive. I would highly recommend this tea for someone who is new to sheng puer.

You can read my full review (wiht photos) here…

https://www.theoolongdrunk.com/single-post/2017/10/11/Is-Simple-Sheng-by-Crimson-Lotus-Tea-Really-That-Simple

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85

A very fine tea with earthy sweet notes. The tea brews very clean and clear with a wonderful bouquet.

Flavors: Apple Candy, Earth, Forest Floor, Mushrooms

Preparation
Boiling 0 min, 15 sec 10 g 4 OZ / 130 ML

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85

Smokey, tobacco, sweet fruit (apricots?), smooth. Do not push this one too hard or it will be very astringent. Start with VERY short (3-5 sec) steeps for this first 5 steepings. I used 10 grams in 130 ml Jianshui pot. Next time will only use 7 grams. God solid tea. Easy to drink and enjoy.

Preparation
Boiling 0 min, 15 sec 10 g 130 OZ / 3844 ML

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drank TKG by Crimson Lotus Tea
64 tasting notes
Rasseru

I dont! spill the beans (or tea in this case)

Wocket

The main thing I know is that Crimson Lotus Tea really ought to add an entry for Planet Kunlu. Tremendous tea, that – I had the single ball that was included with the orser and promptly ordered 18 more. Smashing stuff! I don’t like adding teas for a company that usually does it themselves though, I’m not sure of the proper protocol. Copying their own description seems a bit like plagiarizing. Rather recommended in any case!

Rasseru

I just do exactly that. use one of their photos and copy the blurb, its not plagiarizing, its advertising imhoho.

I do like CL teas, we share a similar taste

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86

Had my first taste of the Old Warrior 2000 this afternoon. Clean, fresh earth, mulch, minerals and tree bark. Smooth as silk and a very dark amber brew. This is outstanding and highly recommended.

Preparation
Boiling 0 min, 15 sec 10 g 5 OZ / 150 ML

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First ripe purchased in almost a year! https://www.instagram.com/p/BZ4pBGLgrBG/?taken-by=liquidproust

When you see quality leaf being fermented without the use of shovels and feet, it’s got to be worth trying right?

Well today I went into this tea after it settled for a few days and I really enjoyed it’s subtle notes. The rinse was clear and by time I hit the first brew, there was a nice ruby red tint to the liquid. Brewing this was really fun because it wasn’t harsh on the mouth. From my experiences, this will become a very lovely tea for someone with my sort of taste buds in just a few more years. As someone who enjoys aged sheng, this will approach that taste a lot better than other shou have that I have tried.

Really looking forward to trying this once a month to track it’s ability to drink on cold nights and with certain foods!

Natethesnake

I’ve never been big on shou but I got a sample of this and was quite impressed. I immediately got hungry for Peking duck.

Shine Magical

I have this one too… just broke it up and put it in a crock

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This years is even better than last years. Those who were turned off by the intense bitterness of last years will be glad to know the bitterness is more balanced this year and there is a wonderful wild fruitiness and floral character that changes each steep. I’ve just now tried the wild monk and see a lot of similarities but this is more refined and the qi is awesome. I’ve had a few LBZ teas this summer and the qi of this tea is very similar. My buddy and I split a tong as we were both super impressed.

mrmopar

You got to get your friend on here too!

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83

Dark, woody, shitake mushroom. Smooth and delicious. Glen recommended that I try this one and I got a sample. A full cake of this is in order.

Flavors: Bamboo, Brown Sugar, Hot Hay, Mushrooms, Wet Wood

Preparation
Boiling 0 min, 15 sec 10 g 5 OZ / 150 ML

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92

First off many thanks to Liquid Proust for a sample of this tea. What juicy fruit laden bomb this is. Sweet honeyed notes of Apricot and pears with a bit of smoky oak and a touch of tannic minerals. This one is a real winner.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 0 min, 15 sec 7 g 5 OZ / 150 ML
Rasseru

Yes. I love this stuff

TnDave

Wish that it was still available. I do have a sample of the 2016 Midas touch. Hoping it is similiar. Do all of CLT Jingmai taste like this?

Rasseru

It’s coming back in stock. Email Glenn :)

This is same tree from midas touch but one of them, the midas touch is a blend. Probably what the midas touch will be like in 10 years if stored the same

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82

Got a free sample of 2 planet yiwu dragonballs with an order from CLT. its beautiful to get free samples from some suppliers. Thanks for that!

I used a 150ml Gaiwan with a Dragonball, gave it two rinses and finally opened it up by hands. The aroma was actually awsome! Fruity, floral, sweet and a tiny smokieness in a beautiful balance. I mainly got lime, sour plum and honey on my nose.

This tea keeps going for ever. I felt like doing a dozen flash steeps.
First infusion was about 95degrees, but decided to lower the temperature to 90 degrees for the first few flash steeps. The Soup is thick even after several steeps and actually changes during the session. As mentioned in a review before, I also get the drying sensation on the tongue – which i wouldnt call unpleasant. it rather makes you feel like drinking more of that tea. during the session i kept on smelling the wet leafes and the camphor really came out after the 4th steep – something that i havent known from younger shengs yet. after the session i got the apricot and stone fruits in the mouth. really nice :)!
could steep this tea for ever!

Definitely worth a try!

Flavors: Almond, Apple, Apricot, Camphor, Citrus, Hazelnut, Honey, Mineral, Nutmeg, Stonefruit, Wood

Preparation
8 g 5 OZ / 150 ML

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It has been awhile since I’ve had this one, I think I’m on my 7th or 8th steep now and it’s still going strong.

Nice full bodied, easy drinker. I’m starting to get the tea sweats but that may be because it’s 28℃ here today. I can’t wait until we get back into the cool fall temperatures and I can sit outside and enjoy my shou

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