The Research Alliance Special Commission '06 Stone Pressed Sheng

This is the 2nd of the Reserve Club offerings that I’m trying. I’m really glad I joined! Thank you to David & Verdant Tea for making this possible!

My immediate feeling was 5G?? I have done some Shengs at 5 grams & the initial steepings were pretty harsh! I reminded myself that they were newer Shengs, & this one is 6 years old, so hopefully it has mellowed.

So many times when I smell & taste these things, it is hauntingly familiar, just on the edge of my mind, not quite accessible to my brain.
Here, the dry smell is like that. Slowly, my mind settles on a nutty, slightly sweet aroma.

The first couple of steepings are not harsh at all! It’s a very mellow, slightly fruity & floral tasting golden brew. I’m thinking stone fruit, but it’s a fruit I can’t quite identify. As I go through the steepings, the color evolves to a beautiful apricot orange, & interesting flavors emerge: yellow summer squash, almond, & a bit of carmelized… something…something savory & green…
A nice mellow savory tea.

A rather complex taste and unlike other shengs I tried, nice and sweet.

I tried comparing the smell of the leaves to other shengs I have and where they are dominant, this one is gentle. Probably this is what “maturity” means for a sheng.

Strange thing though – while certainly interesting, I still don’t particularly like shengs, this included :) Either it’s our water or I am just not compatible.