2004 Ye Sheng Cha And Sun Dried Wild Buds

Can’t help myself, but it’s great and highly uncommon.

I prepared this tea gongfu, close to 5 grams / 125 ml; which is quite watery, but I didn’t wanted to use all the remaining amount I had. The rest (I guess around 3 grams) I will brew western.

I did several steeps, wasn’t counting them at all, just adding a few (usually 5) seconds. I got a several great steeps, though the taste of sawdust is a bit weird, but liked by me. Pine. Forest floors. Grassy. Smooth. Quite thick as well.

Several steeps were a bit vegetal. Not troublesome at all though! Unusual flavour profile for sheng and I liked it; though it is a bit far from “typical” cup of sheng. I will miss it one day. mrmopar I see you still own it. I wonder what would you think about it; as it’s 17 years old! And you tried it 6 years ago.

I keep seeing people describing this tea as vegetal and piny. Strangely, I cannot sense any of that. Instead I get strong fruity, citric notes.

9 grams in 120ml and leaving water to cool off a minute or two before pouring. Short steeps gradually increasing. The thick syrup of this tea tricks me that if I go too hot or too long I will get a very sour drink. It’s because the first steeps taste like lemonade. Or more like lemon tea. Not the lemon tea you get from the tea bags at the supermarket, but the drink you get when you boil a lemon whole in water. The aftertaste of the early steeps are also very zesty and a bit floral. I also taste white grapes but then the tea is leaving you with a strong dry throat sensation. You’re not getting away easily from this tea. If you oversteep, it bites. If you run away, the dryness drags you back.

Whatever you might feel about this tea, it will definitely leave you with a strong impression. Everytime I return to it I get anxious and tend to stay away from it. Not my daily drinker but a curiosity that I’d like to have around.

After the 5th steep I reheat the water and this time I’m using pouring off the boiling point and keep the steeps for over 25 seconds. The liquor is as viscous as ever, the color and texture reminding me of grape must. It’s less sour and more sweet, with a bit of bitterness creeping in. Instead of lemon, I get grapes, pears and apricots. The lingering dry throat sensation is growing stronger now. I’m stopping after 12-14 steeps since the tea became too bitter without much else.

a great tea! i am not doing a full review on this tea as its not good enough IMHO as i cannot taste the mao cha easily. i mostly taste the buds… although, it does taste great and smells great too, (leaves/buds and brewed tea.) i will share the other half with one of my close friends.

I needed a sheng this morning. Bad insomnia last night and only got 4 hours of sleep. So I found this one that I hadn’t even tried yet. I started drinking on the 4th infusion. I’m not worried about wasting tea. I have so much of it and pu-erh always tastes better to me anyway after 4 or 5 infusions.

This tea doesn’t taste like any sheng I’ve had. Wow, is it ever different. It brews up almost a dark golden colour. How do I describe the taste? It doesn’t have the sweetness or apricot notes I love in some shengs. It does have a faint sweetness but also coupled by a bitter edge. Definitely pine notes. That is the most prominent thing about this tea. Strong pine notes. I’m also picking up hay in the background.

I can’t decide if I like this tea or not. I definitely don’t hate it, I may add more to this note as I have a few more infusions. It’s giving me a good energy lift this morning.

I bought this on a whim after reading the description of it. Even better it was over 10 years old so the age was excellent for the price. I plunked down and got 100 grams on my latest order. Big chunks came in the bag. You could pull the tea off in layers from these chunks.
I got 10 grams out to use and quickly rinsed it.
First brew, the color is very light akin to a white tea more than a puerh. The aroma has just a whisper of a grassy note. Bracing myself as the description says not every one will like this. Very vegetal and a pine sap taste to it. Anyone ever cutting wood has had those pine chips hit you this is almost what the taste is.
Taking a sip and letting stay in the mouth before swallowing it exudes a vibrancy that is not belied by its color. I believe it amps up some more with some thickness and saltiness added to it. I believe over steeped this would become very strong and bitter. I believe it could turn out strong and turpentine akin to a Lao Mane tea.
The cake chunks were very interesting looking almost like a tea flower cake if you have ever seen one.
Interesting some sheng notes and I would say mainly puerh drinkers would find this to their liking.