pu-erh of the day. Sheng or Shou

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Hey guys! This is the best thread on here still.

I updated my site, hugely! Check us out and I will be sending out free samples again soon in the next month so just sign up for the newsletter where we will send quarterly news on harvests, ect.

You guys are awesome to share with…I wish we could all pour tea together in one room one day.

Blessings and check us out: http://mistypeakteas.com/ and signup at the bottom.

:)

Wouldn’t that be fun? I read this thread a lot. I am still hesitant to dive into pu, but I’m sure it won’t be long.

Sammerz314 said

Hey Nicolas! Just had your 2005 Harvest the other day =) Very nice tea!

Marzipan. Let it be my treat to send you a sample. You may find that you really enjoy Puer.

Some of my hesitation comes from not knowing exactly how to handle it. How to break it off, how to break it up/whether to break it up, how long to steep, etc. I have it on my to do list to spend some time watching YouTube to learn more. I don’t know why I find it so intimidating.

Javan said

Love those Misty Peak Teas! I was chatting with a wine importer the other day, and we got to discussing tea, and I recommended Misty Peak to him for pu-erh. You should take Nicolas up on his offer, Marzipan. Absolutely lovely teas.

mrmopar said

Marzipan there is a whole bunch of us here to help in any way.

apt said

can’t wait for the samples! would you be willing to send the aged tea samples for review?

Hey there Marzipan,

I am happy to be on the phone with you and walk through each step with you, and there are a lot of really nice people here that would be happy to do the same. This is more than just a tea, it is a lifestyle changer. It is a special tea indeed.

Please feel free to take me up on the offer as you please, but do not feel pressured until you are ready.

Thanks, I followed you.

Hey “apt”

Happy to try to put something special together for you.

SarsyPie said

Hey there! Please also keep me in mind when samples are available. I’d love to try your teas. :)

Hey Sarsonator,

Thank you so much for the message. Please signup to our newsletter on www.MistyPeakTeas.com and we will send you an email in the next month or so when the free samples come up :)

Great to share.

apt said

misty peak: follow me back! i’d love to chat.

boychik said

Im so happy that i picked a cake on your legendary sale. thank you. I signed up for the newsletter.

Hey Sam!

Great to hear buddy. Have you tried the 1998 yet?

The 1998 from the same family and the same farm is a treat, probably something unlike anything else out there. haha, so excited for you to try that one my friend.

Sammerz314 said

Hey Nicolas,

Not the 1998. I had the 2005 and really enjoyed it. Very clean and nice mouthfeel. I smelled the 1998 and it smells nice. I think I will steep it on the weekend.

Hey Sam,

Thats great man, what a treat you are in for this weekend. Entirely up to you, but I recommend pouring it with/for some tea friends. It is a tea that only comes around once in a long while.

Also, I updated the site, www.MistyPeakTeas.com. Just an fyi :)

Blessings

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Rich select said

Double dipped and double sipped today. Started out with a sheng. 2012 Yunnan Sourcing “Qiu Yun” Wild Arbor Pu’erh of Yi Wu. A lovely easy to drink young sheng. Very little bitterness. Flowery and sweet. I’m not sure if it will age well, but it is a great drink now for sure.

Next, tried my first Crimson Lotus tea. 2011 CPTR “Paka” 200g Mini Bing Cake. It is a rich and fairly smooth ripe. Very tasty, and reminds me a bit of a mix between Special Dark and a Dayi ripe in terms of its flavor profile. It’s staying power is a little on the lighter side, but it makes up for it by being delicious. High kick factor. Liking Crimson Lotus so far!

Cwyn said

Interesting notes! I think my Qiu Yun is an autumn, need to check.

Rich select said

Yup, it is an autumn tea, just not named that way.

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Frolic select said

I don’t know if this the right place to ask this but I really want to know more about sheng teas. I know I really don’t like shou but I’ve expanded my bias to all Pu-erh’s which really isn’t fair.

Any recommendations or thoughts?

mrmopar said

Ask away. The Misty Peaks above a great quality hand grown and harvested. Any small production is better than most big factories although some factory stuff is still pretty good.
I just followed you so you can view my cupboard or message me if I can help.

If you want a couple of sheng samples I could swap with ya or something Frolic :)

awilsondc said

This is a great place to ask! Anything specifically you’d like to know? I find shengs to have a much broader scope of flavor possibilities compared to shou. You’ll get more grassier, floral notes, more bitterness and astringency. You’ll get more complexity in flavor profile, notice a vast difference with aged shengs (10+ years) and get less of the rich, dark, earthy tones you’ll find in shou. I’d recommend Wild Monk from shopmandalatea.com as it is an excellent sheng and most people seem to love it, myself included!

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JC said

Bulang Beauty Spring 2013.

I borrowed (stole?) Cwyn’s analogy on young sheng for my notes lol. I feel like this is a very good Sheng blend, but it is a blend. Some portions of the cake are more well rounded than others, the huangpian does its job and offers a very pleasant drink… but once it wears off I can’t stand the lack of body, complexity and the added metallic/mineral notes of young Sheng.

I’d recommend giving this one a try, specially if you like very young sheng. And even if you don’t like young sheng I’d try this one, though be warned later steeps taste really young.

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Rich select said
2006 Kunlu Mountain Tribute Tea Shou by Crimson Lotus Tea

Trying another Crimson Lotus ripe today. This is another winner. It is interesting and a little different. It is earthy and sweet, some hints of chocolate, no harshness though I wouldn’t call it super smooth, and brews a deep brown. What I find most interesting is that it has a palpable thickness, almost a grittiness. It’s a nice drink. A bit expensive at $60 currently, but you can buy a sample to see if you are interested.

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Are people cold-brewing raw Puer these days?

Just curious.

JC said

I tried one, it was bitter. Never went back to it. I’ve seen old Chinese guys sun brewing though.

SarsyPie said

Oddly, I have cold brewed everything except pu’erh. I’ll have to give that a try :)

I shall give it a try :)

Cwyn said

I can see cold brewing used leaves, but I usually would prefer to cold brew a nice green or yellow tea. Since puerh can have dust or dirt, mildew from storage, I would want to hit it with a couple of boiling water rinses first.

Yeah, I have heard it is nice…I have not yet tried it either.

Happy to hear what happens if anyone ends up trying it.
apt said

i can’t imagine raw puerh cold brewed tasting good. ripe, I can understand (although I dislike ripe)

Yang-chu said

“Cold brew” is this what the rest of us call “sun tea?”

Sammerz314 said

I’ve made cold tea several times – usually with used aged sheng leaves. I brew the tea hot, let it cool down and then refrigerate it. I’ve had little success with actually steeping in cold water.

SarsyPie said

I haven’t cold brewed pu’erhs, but with any other tea, I start with room temp water, put the tea in, then put the container in the ’fridge overnight. I consider sun tea to be something separate :)

Yang-chu said

Thanks for that update. I hear Coors is “cold brewed.” Anyway, I’ve never heard of this, so I’m really going to have to give this a try. I have a Banzhang that I think might be good.
I’ve added dried long gan to some ripe blends pu’ers and then had it served up cold. Well this suggestion has got me thinking of the possibilities. Thanks for the variation.

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Cwyn said

2002 Bulang raw sample provided by White2Tea. I don’t see this one on the site. Generally I have steered clear of Bulang region, mainly because the leaf is very strong and bitter, and most Bulang I’ve seen are younger vintage. A bit of smoke in the cup, first cup was a pink-brown color. Dry stored, leaves are chopped and stiff. A cranky old man of a tea but one of the tastier things I’ve had in awhile. Still a good bit of astringency but it is the kind of dry you get knocking back a bourbon martini, and boy do I need that tonight!

JC said

You may really like Bulang Beauty from Tea Urchin then. It is pretty mellow specially for the age.

mrmopar said

I am going to crack a 2009 from them later tonight.

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Rich select said
Bulang Shan Imperial Grade 2008 Shou/Ripe Puerh by Crimson Lotus Tea

Trying my third Shou from Crimson Lotus today. This is one of the best shou’s I’ve ever had. It is very deep and rich, a little earthy, very hearty, and quite smooth. A touch of astringency and sweetness balance the flavor. It lasts and lasts. It has a high kick factor. A great coffee substitute! It has all of the qualities I like in a Shou, and it’s harvested from trees from the Bulang region so I’m not too worried about chemicals. It’s currently $30 for a 250g brick, so it’s not terribly expensive. I’d highly recommend giving it a try! I am gaining a lot of respect for Crimson Lotus. They have excellent taste in ripes. You can watch a little video about them and this tea here:

http://crimsonlotustea.com/products/2008-bulang-imperial-grade-shou-ripe-puerh

Javan said

I quite agree about the Bulang Imperial Grade. It is quite delicious and a good value.

awilsondc said

I haven’t heard of Crimson Lotus before, but looks like they have a good site… might have to give them a try some time. Thanks for the review!

mrmopar said

These are good people at Crimson Lotus.

jschergen said

That is a fair and decent tea. I’d also recommend the Kunlushan Ripe Pu’erh as well. Both teas are good, but I probably prefer the Kunlu.

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Yang-chu said

2009 (sheng) Phoenix Tea Company: Nan-jian Phoenix Six Great Tea Mountains Wild Tea Reaching Reverence— I’ve had this one since April and like many of ‘em hadn’t really thought it was worth mentioning, rather deciding to wait a bit. I immediately put a bunch of it in my zi-sha caddy and decided to wait, testing every month or so. It’s always smelled great, possessing a fruity aroma and hints of burnt tobacco in the background. It was just too astringent. The weather has been v. warm so the cakes are getting a good cook these days. Last month I noticed less astringency, the jungle fruitiness, like tutti-fruity is quite evident and the taste just lingers and lingers in the mouth. That tobacco taste comes in at the back of the mouth. It may like to steep longer or at a higher temp. The liquor is brassy gold, nice and clear. The astringency is still there lending body and tasting satisfaction. No hit of bitterness. Sweet like the Phoenix tuo but more complex flavours.

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SarsyPie said

I got my first ever Yunnan Sourcing order today and drank the 2011 “Nan Po Zhai” Ancient Arbor Raw first. It’s delicious! I hope all the YS items I got will be this amazing!

JC said

Nice! The great thing about YS is that Scott has some many that you can choose, some can be hit or miss depending on your preferences, but if you Scott for recommendations he’ll give you some for sure. And you also have steepster ;)

Yang-chu said

Congrats. That’s where I started out. They’ve got some stuff that’s really a socks-knocker.

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