Yong De Mao Cha

Another one that I’ve had prior joining Steepster and forgot to ever log. This is a good quality tea that delivers as it should for its age. It is floral a bitter with hints of sweetness under the floral tones. It is a young Sheng so it becomes really astringent and bitter as you continue steeping. I guess if you are willing to age it I can become a great one, for now its and Ok tea.

When it comes to pu-erh teas I am pretty much open to trying anything especially when they are this cheap (11.00 for 1/4 lb). This is a loose leaf sheng which was evidently sun dried. Somehow I love drinking shengs at night whereas shus I like in the morning…

I was a bit nervous after reading the previous review that described it as bitter and bracing – does not sound like a good sign! I steeped about 1 tsp of the leaf in the gaiwan with boiling water for 60 seconds and then for a second steep at 30 seconds, this was plenty.

This is intense, it’s a very lemony almost sour tea with slight asparagus notes. Yes it is floral smelling but the flavor is not that flowery at all. I definitely get “bracing” here in addition to it being very zesty and great for the digestion. Wow, a surprising and nice adventure as well as uplifting! I think I will need to get some more at this price. Proceed with caution though, with oversteeping this would become a real bitter nightmare!!!

This is one of my all-time favorite teas. It has a clear, high, pure, pleasantly bitter taste that could be described as “bracing”. Sort of like the tea equivalent of listening to the oboe. This is one of those teas with which I can go into an addiction phase.