Max Weldam Send Message

Very young but surprisingly easy sheng. Getting some grassy and zucchini notes and a light sweetness. Not loads of huigan. Exciting to see how this ages.

Received this as a sample a while ago, and since I’m not too often in the mood for shou I took me a while to try. I’ve had the Little O from W2T which I really liked, so thinking citrusfruit+shou fits me I enter this session with positive expectations.

After reading the first two rinses should be tossed I did so thoughtlessly, I regret that a little since I wonder how strong the manderin would’ve been in these steeps. Adjacent to others I am not getting loads of actual manderin flavors through steep 3~7. There is a certain bright note that carries the shou blend though, followed with a minty breath through the nose which is very pleasant. Smell of the Gaiwan is consistently manderin with a background of general shou woodness.

The tea is very calming and easy to drink with a nice pick-me-up from the manderin. I wouldn’t place an order specifically for these but I might add them in my next cart since they’re a nice thing to have in the cupboard for these moments that you’re craving something else.

I got about 12 steeps of it before it got too boring and flat for me.

Astounding aroma of baked sweets and loads of other things I can’t put my finger on. Taste is smooth with hints of lavender and caramel carried by sweet sourdough that fills my cheeks. Aftertaste starts slightly soapy but transforms to sweet. Smell of the empty cup and cha hai are very sweet and complex. Smell of the wet leafs is intruiging and keeps pulling me back without telling me exactly what’s in there.

I like these coins for having decent material quality and they are so convenient for away from house brewing (which I do once or twice a week). This tea bites quite a bit if brewed strong. I like to be heavy on the leaf as always, so I keep brewing short, loads of 5~10 second infusions and around the 5th infusion I start increasing time to 30 and more. This way brings out some nice apricot sweetness and some spinach dry umami flavors which work well together. From the beginning to the very end this tea had a remarkable body, very thick and viscous, loved that about it. I wouldn’t buy a large cake of this tea, although it is well priced. But these small ones are a staple in my cupboard for away from home.

Wow! This has to be my favorite white tea to date! Like drinking a malted milkshake. Sweet and lovely with incredible depth of the roast and bamboo. Finding loads of raisins in rum (called boerenjongens here in the Netherlands being a old fashioned delicacy) with some astringency that gives a complete cup. Mouthfeel is full and viscous. It last me around 8 infusions before it tapered of fast.

This tea quickly became my daily drinker when craving some hong cha.

Very comforting and easy drinking tea. Although when focusing on the taste it has some great fruit and chocolate flavors. It leaves a nice sweetness in the mouth lasting an hour or so. I can get it to last 8 or 9 infusions pushing it pretty long in power steeps for the last couple ones. Little to no astringency, and whatever bitterness is in there transforms to a lasting sweetness.

Still exploring the wonderful world of pu and learning to put what I taste in words so please be gentle on my notes.

I’m using 7 grams of leaf in a 80ml gaiwan with boiling water.

Smell of the dry leaf is musty and average, not as musty as a ripe tea but definitely different than a young sheng.
Wet leaf has more of a tobacco hint, wet wood and a little ash from last night’s cigarette. It is inviting though and not an off-putting smell.
Empty cup and cha hai smell a little vegetal on top.

Taste of the first 3 infusions was quite dry and astringent and not open for loads of other flavours. The following infusions gain more depth giving some raisins and dried dates. Mouthfeel stays rather thin and clean. Some white grape flesh comes through around infusion 6 and 7. Astringency is now pleasing and nice and adds good depth to the tea. Currently steeping for about 40-50 seconds and I’m getting nice corn sweetness and sweet peas throughout the cup. I’m pushing the leafs a little and start getting some raspberry sweet notes. I have to say that I am not noticing smoke flavour in the cup which some others have commented. Steeping the tea for 3 minutes now around the 10th steep (I lost track) and some stone fruits have come into the mix, whilst the tea strength is definitely tapering off quite fast the remaining flavours are like lemonade. After a final powersteep of 10 minutes I call it quits. Cha qui is nothing out of the ordinary with some numbing of the teeth and a little tingle throughout the body, but definitely pleasant.

For a semi-aged sheng I like this tea a lot. And I’m currently seeing if I should buy 1 cake or more to drink more often, but I’m definitely adding this to the collection.