Spring 2015 Jingmai Midas Touch; Sheng

Tea type
Pu'erh Tea
Ingredients
Pu Erh Tea
Flavors
Dirt, Dry Grass, Hay, Vegetal, Citrus, Fruity, Pepper, Smooth, Sweet, Warm Grass, Apricot
Sold in
Bulk, Loose Leaf
Caffeine
Medium
Certification
Not available
Edit tea info Last updated by Crimson Lotus Tea
Average preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 0 min, 15 sec 6 g 4 oz / 111 ml

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11 Tasting Notes View all

  • “I am dedicating my 300th note to this lovely young sheng. I had two gongfu sessions with a ceramic gaiwan, but this review is based on the third session with my Jian Shui pot. Did a 10 second...” Read full tasting note
  • “Admittedly, I am far from a pu head. I normally drink green teas and light oolongs. Cannot stomach black tea and the few times I’ve tasted puerh I spit it out because it tasted like dirt to...” Read full tasting note
    78
  • “Pu’erh TTB 2015 Tea #8 I can’t even… This is the first tea I have on my Christmas list (yes it’s about that time to prepare it) Absolutely mind blown by the freshness of this pu’erh. It reminds me...” Read full tasting note
  • “Many thanks to Glenn and Lamu for the chance to sample this amazing sheng! After twice rinsing the 7 grams of leaf I was struck with an aroma like balsamic vinegar and sweet steamed spinach. In the...” Read full tasting note

From Crimson Lotus Tea

The old growth tea forests of Jingmai ( pronounced ‘jing my’ ) are nothing short of idyllic. These ancient forests border Burma and hide smuggler trade routes still in use today. The biodiversity of the region and the nearly untainted old world methods and rituals of tea cultivation and harvesting make this area unique among world tea production. Large tea trees planted before Columbus discovered the Americas are commonplace.

This year we had the pleasure of meeting a tea farmer in Jingmai called "The Bulang Prince". He’s quite a unique character. He is young and highly educated for a tea farmer. He is passionately dedicated to perfecting his craft and has spent time traveling and learning from other tea farmers in Yunnan. He is a rare breed. He worked with roasting masters in Bingdao to polish his skills.

His ‘royal’ hands were responsible for roasting this tea. The material is good to begin with, but in his hands we felt it became something extra special. We decided to call this one "Midas Touch" because we feel he has the skill to turn his leaf into gold.

This tea is strong despite the young age. It has the beginnings of the honey aroma Jingmai is known for. This tea brews both gentle and strong at the same time. It can surprise you. Stick this on a shelf for 10 years and you will have a truly amazing tea!

•Prefecture: Simao
•Village: Mangjing / Manghong
•Tree Age: ~600 years old
•Elevation: 1300+m
•Wood Fired
•Hand Rolled
•Indoor Sun Dried

Brewing Instructions

Add 6-8 ounces of boiling water to 5-7 grams of leaf. Rinse once for 3 seconds. Steep quickly for 6 seconds. This tea is generous and can be resteeped many times. Add 10-15 seconds each re-steep.

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11 Tasting Notes

371 tasting notes

I am dedicating my 300th note to this lovely young sheng.

I had two gongfu sessions with a ceramic gaiwan, but this review is based on the third session with my Jian Shui pot. Did a 10 second rinse. Steeping times: 5 seconds, 5, 8, 10, 12, 15, 18, 25, 35, 50, 70, 90, 90, 120, 150, 180; 5 minutes, 7, 10.

The dry leaf has a powerful aroma – very buttery and sweetly vegetal. The wet leaf aroma evolves the more I steep the leaf, beginning with the same buttery note, slowly becoming sweeter and sweeter, ending with pure apricot.

The soup is light yellow, incredibly clear right off the bat, and medium-bodied. I confess that I didn’t eat much the day of this session, but this would prove that Midas Touch was not harsh on the stomach. It’s easy-going. (ymmv, actually)

The first infusion is light with a slightly bitter grassy note and a silky texture. Between the second and tenth infusions – the bitterness now completely gone (so fast, wow!) -, the grassy, vegetal notes gradually wane as peaches and apricots ever so slightly become stronger, first making their appearances in the aftertaste. At this point, I lowered the water temperature to 190. Huge difference. Pure fruit begins with the eleventh infusion. While no longer silky, the texture is wonderfully smooth.

Of the several 2015 shengs I’ve tried from CLT, this is the most flavorful. It is packed with energetic mouthfeel. I drank nine infusions in only THIRTY MINUTES. I simply kept going without even realizing and had to force myself to take a long break. I drank all 19 infusions between 1 and 5 o’clock. You would think I’d be well over-caffeinated, but as I wrote before, Midas Touch is easy-going for a young sheng so intense in flavor.

I would highly recommend it, but it’s all sold out. This is what I get for only purchasing a sample and then waiting several months before having a fantastic session………

https://www.instagram.com/p/BBK_aeZwNnu/

https://www.instagram.com/p/BBLSqhiQNiU/

Preparation
Boiling 6 g 3 OZ / 88 ML
Crimson Lotus Tea

Here’s to another 300 reviews; Cheers!

KiwiDelight

Thank you! :D

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78
676 tasting notes

Admittedly, I am far from a pu head. I normally drink green teas and light oolongs. Cannot stomach black tea and the few times I’ve tasted puerh I spit it out because it tasted like dirt to me.

So it was with great trepidation that I tried this sample received in a recent swap. I have to say this one was actually quite nice. It tastes like a strong white tea with prominent hay, grass, and marine undertones. The earthiness is there but it isn’t off putting nor offensive and starts mellowing at the 3rd infusion. The seaweed taste also fades away at this point to make way for light vegetal notes and a hint of pleasant bitterness. The earthiness tamed down by the fourth infusion which was most enjoyable one yet. I wondered if perhaps I was starting to acquire a taste for puerh? Fifth infusion was a lighter, green tea-ish flavor and the final two steeps tasted metallic.

I got a little hopped up after drinking it (in a good way), so this is a good one if you’re looking for caffeine. Overall, this was a great introduction to sheng for a beginner like me. While I doubt I’ll turn into a puerh aficionado any time soon, it’s opened up my tea experience and made me more willing to try other puerhs in the future.

Thanks to Stephanie for a great sample!

Flavors: Dirt, Dry Grass, Hay, Vegetal

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 0 min, 15 sec 2 g 3 OZ / 100 ML
Liquid Proust

This, damned sold out, sheng is one of my favorites due to how similar it is to a Japanese sencha regarding pure taste with a sweet aftertaste throughout the lightness of the liquid.

Crimson Lotus Tea

Thanks for the review. The world of puerh is quite vast. I’m certain there are more experiences you will find pleasurable if you keep looking.

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1113 tasting notes

Pu’erh TTB 2015 Tea #8

I can’t even…
This is the first tea I have on my Christmas list (yes it’s about that time to prepare it)

Absolutely mind blown by the freshness of this pu’erh. It reminds me of Japanese tea in a way. Smooth with a hint of sweetness associated with the vegetable tones. Clearly this is a top notch pu’erh and I’m not looking at price until after it’s purchased

Liquid Proust

..l..
and it’s sold out…

Ubacat

Mmmm Adding to my wishlist. Maybe they will have a Black Friday sale.

Ubacat

Nope. Sold out.

Liquid Proust

This is literally the ‘softest’ sheng I’ve had. I drink a lot of Japanese tea so make the comment I did, I stand by it. This is one seriously well prepared and cared for tea leaf.

Rich

This was one of my favorites from the 2015 season. Their Whispering Sunshine is even softer and is very good!

Crimson Lotus Tea

If you liked Midas Touch then Planet Jingmai is worth considering. We still have stock of that. It’s from trees planted only a couple mountains away. Planet Jingmai is really good material. Don’t let the form factor fool you. I think I like it more than Midas Touch.

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21 tasting notes

Many thanks to Glenn and Lamu for the chance to sample this amazing sheng!

After twice rinsing the 7 grams of leaf I was struck with an aroma like balsamic vinegar and sweet steamed spinach. In the full bodied and mouth-drying soup I tasted the peppery start mentioned by others, as well as sweet edamame, with a little bitterness that faded with each steep. The energy was very pleasing and noticeable. If only I had more!

Preparation
7 tsp 6 OZ / 177 ML

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95
1271 tasting notes

Love this pu’er! It was nice and fruity with peaches, apricot, cream, and edamame notes. The balance of thick texture, bitter and dryness made me very happy. I got 13 infusions.

I drank this together with CTL’s 2014 Planet Jingmai Sheng

Full review on Oolong Owl http://oolongowl.com/crimson-lotus-tea-20142015-jingmai-sheng-comparison-tea-review/

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 0 min, 15 sec

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92
526 tasting notes

I love a good Jingmai! This is a spectacular brew. The leaves are easily compressed, long, and so fragrant. This cake has the traditional Jingmai characteristics. The leaves are dark and resinous and carry a strong tangy and almost citrus scent. I placed a chunk in warmed yixing and shook em up. The aroma from my brewing vessel was sweet and fruity. I washed the leaves once and prepared to brew. The steeped leaves are soft, vibrant, and sweet. I love Jingmai for its full flavor. This has a complex balance of succulent and potent. This brew is hard, yet it finishes smooth and soft. The initial sip starts with a slight pepper taste, and it finishes with a strong green tea mixed with honey suckle. My yixing yielded a bronze soup for many steeping sessions. However, there was only a very faint huigan. The qi from this tea is a rising effect. I almost didn’t notice it. I can feel a background effect that boosts me. I was given motivation to complete my task, and the relaxation to focus on precision. This was a nice golden brew. This is something special, and I will invite others to try it.

https://instagram.com/p/6XampEzGXO/?taken-by=haveteawilltravel

Flavors: Citrus, Fruity, Pepper, Smooth, Sweet, Warm Grass

Preparation
Boiling 0 min, 15 sec 7 g 3 OZ / 100 ML
teatortoise

What an intriguing tea! Have only tested one notably peppery tea. It was a nice Darjeeling oolong.

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91
1113 tasting notes

Wowzers, thanks very much for the sample Kieblera5 aka KIEBS!

This tea was an ALL DAY tea for me. I drank on it for 8 hours straight. The first few steeps it tasted like a cross between a green and a sheng. Very buttered sweet green veggies for me, and then it opened up and became fruity complex sheng flavor, and just ended up honey sweet gold by the end. Very much a FEEL GOOD tea. Felt so pleasant and happy all day drinking it. A little buzzed but not crazy tea drunk. Very VERY nice!

Crimson Lotus Tea

This one really makes me feel good as well! <3

boychik

exactly Happy Tea !!!

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92
289 tasting notes

Wow. This is the best young sheng I’ve tasted to date, though I am still fairly new to pu. I’m extremely impressed. The first steeping was thick and viscous, which is something I find very appealing and often lacking in shengs. The flavor was both very easy going, like “Whispering Sunshine”, but it also had a touch more bitterness and was more bold and aggressive. I think those are good signs, especially for aging. The flavor has pollen in the background, and honey sweetness in the foreground. It is very tasty. The steeps were very thick for the first five or so. I got quite stimulated and a bit tea drunk for about an hour. The next five were a little more bitter, still fruity, and of course less thick. I really love this tea, it is of very high quality. It’s not cheap, but I think it stacks up very well against teas of this price range. My strategy for sheng buying these days is to spend more per tea on fewer teas that are of high caliber. This fits the bill! Thanks for producing an awesome tea, Crimson Lotus!

boychik

love this tea. i bought a cake. i wish i could buy more than one.

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94
199 tasting notes

Okay, I’m officially in love with jingmai. Unlike the other reviews posted, I didn’t find any bitterness in this tea. It’s a delicious and sweet tea, laced with complexity and overall satisfaction. This held up well to multiple steeps. It’s a great drinker right now, but I’m sure will be just as good or even better with a little aging. Hands down the best young sheng that I’ve had. I’ll take more of this any day or night. Glen, can we talk about tong pricing? :P

Crimson Lotus Tea

We can talk. :-)

boychik

I wish I could be a Tong People.

Stephanie

I wish I could be a whole cake people

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93
1758 tasting notes

Thank you Crimson Lotus Tea for this sample. This was very tasty. I am more of a shou drinker but I enjoyed this a lot. It was slightly bitter in the early steeps, took about three to four steeps for the bitterness to go away. There was no hint of smoke that I noticed. It developed a flavor of apricots just like the best young sheng does. I gave this tea ten steeps and I’m sure I could have gotten four or five more steeps out of the tea at least, but ten was my caffeine limit for today.

I brewed the entire sample, about 7g in a 100ml teapot with 200 degree water. I gave it a 10 second rinse and a 10 minute rest. I steeped it for 5 sec, 5 sec, 7 sec, 10 sec, 15 sec, 20 sec, 25 sec, 30 sec, 45 sec, and 1 min.

Flavors: Apricot

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 0 min, 15 sec 7 g 3 OZ / 100 ML
Crimson Lotus Tea

I appreciate your methodical note taking. Thank you for posting this review!

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