Joshua Smith

Artisan Revival Stone-Pressed Banzhang '06 Sheng Pu'er from Verdant Tea

Joshua Smith drank Artisan Revival Stone-Pressed Banzhang '06 Sheng Pu'er by Verdant Tea

Alright, this is the first time I’ve had a sheng since Jim Marks made that post a while ago about using less leaves when brewing sheng. I decided to try it out, and the results are amazing! The first infusion is so much sweeter than I remember, and the bitter foretaste is not present at all! While I wouldn’t describe the taste as “buttery” I can certainly taste the walnut, albeit much smoother and refined than most actual walnuts. I’m certainly bumping the rating up a few point, since this is much better than I remember.

2012-07-01 10:46:02 -0400

205 °F / 96 °C

3 min 0 sec

I Like This

9 likes

10 comments

People who liked this

Comments

Amy oh 2012-07-01 12:48:38 -0400

Interesting
so what was your water to leaf ratio?

Joshua Smith 2012-07-01 13:45:17 -0400

Hm…Large. I’d say something like 1.5 oz : 1 g. I’m not very exact when making tea, especially when it comes to puerh.

Bonnie 2012-07-01 19:02:56 -0400

so glad you persist!

Joshua Smith 2012-07-01 21:33:18 -0400

Even when this tea was astringent, I still enjoyed it. This just means I’ll be drinking it more regularly.

Jim Marks 2012-07-01 22:48:02 -0400

So glad it worked.

Charles Thomas Draper 2012-07-02 11:00:15 -0400

I may have wasted some precious Sheng….

Joshua Smith 2012-07-02 19:36:49 -0400

@Jim Marks – I am too!

@Charles Thomas Draper – Sheng is tricky. I’ve wasted a good amount myself before Jim Mark’s post, but in the grand scheme of things, which is better: A bit more Sheng or some good advice?

Bonnie 2012-07-02 20:13:49 -0400

I’ve always been stingy with my Sheng and satisfied with the results. Probably because I tend to lose track of time now and then. You gentlemen are always a joy to read! What would I do without your collective Pu’er wisdom!

Bonnie 2012-07-02 20:16:40 -0400

Oops. not to forget Amy who is wise about Pu’er and mistress of dargeelings especially (which at this stage is still a huge mystery to me)!

Joshua Smith 2012-07-03 07:29:06 -0400

Ha ha, puerh swisdom…I’m far from being able to claim I have any of that! I’m just applying the wisdom of others, it doesn’t really count. Now, Sencha is a different story…

Profile

Bio

I am a university student, studying Computer Science, who found that I really enjoy a nice cup of tea. I finally got into loose-leaf tea in August of 2011. I am currently in the process of expanding my horizons, and have found that I have a particular fondness for Oolongs in general, and Wuyi Yanchas in particular. The unique mineral taste is very appealing to me, as well as a nice Sencha. More recently, I’ve developed a taste for Sheng puerh, white tea, and black teas. The only things I’ve tried that I didn’t like was Shu puerh, but that might have been because it was quite young. Regardless, I’ve been slowly expanding my horizons, so if you have any recommendations, please feel free to send me a PM.

I’m working at a tech internship right now, so my free time is a bit limited. Expect infrequent notes for the rest of the summer.

Just for the heck of it, my other interests include classical musics (Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Verdi, Debussy, Shostakovitch, Rachmaninoff, Liszt, and Wagner, to name a few composers). I also have a fondness for a bit more modern music, like The Beatles, all Jazz (by all, I really do mean all), Gorillaz (I love Demon Days), and a couple of Indie artists you will never run across unless you play a lot of semi obscure Indie games. Also, I love cats. When I can afford to have a pet (and when I live on my own…), I want to get an Abyssinian. That, or a Korat (but this is unlikely). Or an Egyptian Mau. I’ll narrow it down at some point…