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Smokey in the first two steeps but it quickly faded. After that it’s unfading, gentle sweetness that lasts steep after steep. The mouth feel really embodies what it means for a tea to be “sticky.” When I drink it, I have the mouth feel of kinda of chewing on a sticky boba (from milk tea). The sweetness is not like honey or stone fruits but more like sugarcane and sticky rice.

I like this tea.

Got this sample during Black Friday.

First steep was smokey and tobacco heavy. I did not like it. This is my second aged raw, and there’s a similarity to the other one (Top of the Clouds from Crimson Lotus) but instead of the juicy stone fruit taste, I only got the smokey part.

The next steeps got sweeter and sweeter. Not taste of camphor like young raws. The sweetness changes as well. I wasn’t paying enough attention at first, but it progresses to a more sour sweetness. What’s amazing, though, is how many steeps I got out of this. It took more than double the amount of water that I usually use for raw. I don’t keep track of steep count, so I’m not sure what number I’m on, but I’m currently heating more water for my next steep (previous steep being 20 min)!
Damn, I’m still new to pu erh (especially aged), but I might actually cake this next black friday.

My first aged sheng.

Didn’t know what to expect. The leaves definitely looked more similar to ripe pu than the young sheng I’ve had.

Rinsed for about 5 seconds, then did first steep of 5 seconds, and increased by 5-10 seconds after that.

Wow. The imagery of biting into a slightly overly ripe peach pops into my head whenever I take a sip.

I wonder if most/all aged raw are like this. Impressive.

Tried this again today. First steep was only 10 seconds, second was 15, third was 20. It was overwhelmingly smokey and ashy. I couldn’t stomach it. Now I feel kind of nauseated.

I can see that someone who likes smoke would probably like this. But, personally, I LOATHE the smell of smoke/tobacco.

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.

Out of all the samples I’ve been trying recently, this is the one that made me want to buy a bing NOW.

First impression was just pleasantly sweet. I could also taste plum and cane sugar. There’s absolutely no astringency.

I’m not surprised that the 2015 version is sold out, and I plan on buying the cakes for both 2016 and 2017.

A review for the 2016 version mentioned that it lacks depth, which I can kind of see. The taste doesn’t noticeably change from steep to steep, but as of now it’s one of my favorite shengs.

A sample of the bronze level was included in my order, and I’m so glad it was included!

The immediate taste was floral with a bitter aftertaste. The description on Bitter Leaf’s website was incredibly accurate. Although the bitterness was strong in the initial steeps, it went away after 3-4 steeps while the sweetness stayed.

I’m still new in the pu erh world, but this is one of the samples that I’ve tried that I’d consider binging it if BLT has a sale (the other being W2T’s Poundcake). Another reviewer here commented that the gold level is much smoother and better in general, so I’d be curious to try that as well.

A side note: the leaves expanded to the point that it kind of blocked the sprout of my tiny clay pot. It hasn’t happened with other raw pu erh, so maybe Plum Beauty has bigger leaf? I’m not sure, but it was slightly inconvenient/annoying.

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.

Had this tea for the second time today.

First time was grandpa style. It was amazing, but I wanted to try it gongfu style before making my final verdict.

This tea is amazing. I tasted the typical buttery notes of green oolong, but I also detected coconut flavors for the first time in my tea drinking journey.

I see that it’s already sold out on the website. Good thing I bought it in bulk!