SilasSteep Send Message

Brewed up about 5-6 grams in a 100ml gaiwan at about 210f. I gave one 5-10 sec rinse. First steep was light as expected after a quick 5 sec brew. Some slight Xiaguan smokiness as to be expected but not too strong and quite nice and is only really present on the first couple of steeps. It gives way to a really nice floral sweet and slight “hay” flavor. It has a nice sweet and floral smell with the light “petroleum” like smell that a lot of raws have. I tried this tea about 3 months ago and thought it was too smoky and didn’t like it that much. I brewed it this time in a 100ml gaiwan versus the about 150ml gaiwan that I used on the first try. I am not sure if the vessel size or letting it sit for a few months or the combo transformed this tea into something that I really enjoyed. It had some of the same flavor profiles as a 2014 Wild Arbor raw that I tried from Scott at YS. It had some of the same darker, purple leaves and a similar floral-ness. So I would assume that these are some of the wild arbor traits. Overall I had a really nice session with this tea and would recommend. It gave me about 10-13 steeps but I hardly ever really count. It gave enough for me to enjoy.

I brewed up about 6 grams in a 100ml gaiwan. Two rinses at about 10 seconds on first and a bit less on the second. The first steep smells and tastes like an earthy tree bark with dark chocolate. The bark tastes like a Pau D’arco bark tea, if you have ever had that (its not for drinking for flavor…medicinal properties) I think the earthy bark taste is the fermentation flavor tho not fishy at all. The second and third steeps starts to move more into the honey sweet/tobacco back end with less of the earthy bark taste. The smell of the wet leaf now has a fruity/cherry sweet smell that I enjoy. Third steep onward the tea opens up to reveal what its all about. This is a damn good ripe. A nice chocolatey sweet back end with a great cha qi. I think with some aging this tea could be even better, possibly even amazing! I would recommend this one for sure. A great ripe that will get better…cant wait! No fishy fermentation flavor and quite sweet at a young age..what more can you ask of this tea.

I brewed 2.5-3g of leaf western style in about a 250ish ml cup with a basket strainer for 3min at 195f. Blacks don’t seem to give as many infusions so setting up the tea tray and gongfu set seems a bit overkill for only a couple of good infusions but has been known to happen on occasion especially with a new tea. (Gotta get that aroma kicked up!) I really like this tea and am a fan of “Golden Monkey” in general. I like the bread-like malty and slight roasted flavors and even the bit of sweetness (albeit very mild) on the back end. Has a nice wake me up kick as well. I’m not sure if its time to get the mineral build up out of my electric tea kettle or its the tea but I do detect a bit of slight mineral/yancha rockiness in the aftertaste towards the end of the cup. Over all its a good “Golden Monkey” and I would say grab some….Scott has it cheap!

I brewed 7g in a 100ml gaiwan at 205f. I gave two customary rinses and steeped the 1st infusion for about 10 seconds. This tea has a good thick mouthfeel. The wet leaf has a very nice honey/caramel smell that I really enjoy. In later infusions it has some fruity/cherry aromas come through. As for the taste it is a nice smooth ripe with some sweetness but I didnt get tons of it. I feel if i would have used about 6g instead of 7g that the sweetness could have come through more. It had a nice ripe taste and it tastes as though this tea isn’t highly fermented. A nice coffee like astringency (from being heavier on leaf) with a lot of honey/caramel sweet on the nose and some in the mouth. This would make a great everyday ripe but I have the notion that this tea will benefit from some more age and become even more sweet and aromatic. I would recommend this one for sure.

A pretty good little cake. I brewed up about 6g in a 100ml gaiwan at 205-210f. I gave one rinse then started with a 5 second steep at 205f then decided to move up to 210f as the tea is pretty mellow. The wet leaf has a really nice smell of flowers and woodsy rain. There isn’t much sweetness to mention as the tea is mostly floral. There is a very slight hint of smoke but very light and is mostly on the nose. There are some nice purple leaves in this tea. All in all this is a pretty good young sheng that doesn’t have a lot of bitterness. Not that sweet or smoky but a very floral tea. Pretty aromatic nice tea.

I brewed up 1 mini toucha in a 100ml gaiwan at 210f. I gave two rinses about 10 sec each to really open it up. There is absolutely no pile funk on these little guys. The first steep at about 15 seconds gave a nice mouthfeel and honey sweetness. This is a great little everyday ripe. I like the 2011 Mengku Ripe Mini Touchas a lot and these hold there own as well. A nice thick mouthfeel with a honey sweet smell and taste make these little guys well worth a buy (get a couple of handfuls). They are affordable little gems. Scott has yet to disappoint with the YS pressings that I have tired and this tea is no different. Some dislike mini touchas but up to this point I have not had the same experience. I would maybe recommend brewing in a 70ml gaiwan or something in that range for a stronger brew as these are about 5g touchas. Toss one in the gaiwan or cup and enjoy. Quick, easy and tasty…..and cheap!

I brewed up about 5 1/2 to 6 grams in a 100ml gaiwan at 210f. I started this off at about 205 but due to the light nature of this tea I bumped it up to 210. This is my first encounter with a humid stored sheng but I detected no “mustiness” etc. and other reviews reflect the same sentiment. This has a very interesting nose. In the beginning, the wet leaf smells of apricot/fruit and a medicinal quality/antique store. This is a really smooth tea almost too smooth for me but maybe I should abuse it a little bit more and see how it gives. It starts off thin and with a nice fruity and floral taste with a bit of the medicinal quality. After pushing it a bit and getting into the heart of the steeps (about number 4) this tea started to show itself. A nice sweet taste with lots of floral tones in the nose and taste. At about steep 4 a really nice returning sweetness starts to come into play on the back of the tongue. A very nice sweet/floral sheng with some age. I like this tea and plan to revisit it again soon. For me the only thing to get a bit more acquainted with would be the medicinal taste. Its not off-putting in any way but definitely different for me. Not sure if its because of the humid storage or just the area/leaf/processing although I have heard of this taste in many different shengs. All in all I would recommend this tea. It is very smooth and sweet. Don’t be afraid to push it a bit. Lastly I shall speak on my favorite quality of this tea: The Qi. This tea is so calming that I actually feel a bit stoned from it. So that said, it makes a great calming cup for when you want to relax. Enjoy.

I brewed 5 grams in a 100ml gaiwan at 210f. I gave the customary two rinses then started with a 10 second steep. The material is pretty small so the tea gives very quickly. This one is a surprisingly good ripe. I expected much less for the price. It has a very nice sweetness on the nose and in flavor. Wet leaf smells of sweet tobacco and ripe banana peel with a bit of cherry/fruit sweet and very slight hay. The first couple of steeps were full flavored and very nice. It has a nice ripe aftertaste that I akin to a slight coffee astringency albeit very light. A nice toasty end. It kinda started to give out around steep number 4 but being of small leaf not a big surprise. I would definitely recommend this little brick for an everyday budget drinker. Sweet and nice qi. Tasty ripe for sure.

I brewed about 4 grams in a 100ml gaiwan (tho I usually like my blacks western style) at 195f. I started with 10 seconds on first steep then moved up to 15 seconds for the next few. I was expecting more traditional fujian black flavors with this one than I got. It started of with an expected malty flavor with a hint of a hard to describe back end…maybe hearty/meatiness and touch of bitter. After the second steep it became apparent that this tea was not gonna be what I expected. A VERY floral astringency started to take over…much like a darjeeling tea. I’m not sure if I like this or dislike this at the moment as I do like to taste different flavors. This tea kept giving up to7 steeps though I decided to bow out there. The best way I could describe the flavor is if a Golden Monkey mated with a Darjeeling. To me those are the exact flavors…as if I mixed the two teas into the gaiwan. I have read some reviews on here saying the older offerings are chocolatey and are better as well as that this tea may be better with some age. Not one to sit on my black teas I think I’ll pepper this one into my black sessions til it disappears. All in all its not a bad tea but doesn’t really make me think of a Fujian black.