I was given a 10g sample of this in a sample pack I ordered from Beautiful Taiwan Tea (of which I am very much enjoying).
This was unlike any ripe I’ve had before which isn’t saying much as I’ve only had a handful to this point. Usually I find ripe puerh to be dark, heavy, earthy. I’ve come to expect this. But this tea was very light handed in all those respects.
I did about 5g in my Gaiwan (which can hold about 3.5 oz). I did a flash rinse and the liquor came off as very light. The leaves had a smell that was vaguely earthy but nothing like I had come to expect.
First steep was boiling at 12 seconds. The liquor came out with a golden hue and the scent on it and the leaves were light in terms of puerh. The liquor tasted smooth with a slightly florals and earthy more. What both my wife and I noticed was the numbing sensation in our lips and tongue.
This continues through the next 3 steeps. I had to take a break for lunch and shoveling snow. When I came back to this to finish my session, I steeped it in boiling water for 30 seconds. Watery. Dumped it and tried again at 2 minutes. Mostly watery. I fear my break killed it. No worries, I have enough for one more session!
Overall this was a great and unique experience for me with a shou. I didn’t know they could be so light.
