78
SECOND BREW --

Brewed at 203˚F this time. Much smoother, mellow taste with no astringency. Flavour remains very subtle but it’s much more enjoyable. Still not as memorable as the 2007 Palace Ripened Pu Er, but much better than my first experience with this tea.

Updated Rating: 80

FIRST BREW --

Rinsed once for 2s. Unfortunately I didn’t read the instructions and brewed this with boiling water. It tasted astringent (not burnt) but the flavour was very light after brewing for 30s. Tasted slightly herbal, not objectionable. This tea smelled better (more mellow, more soothing, less sharp) than the 2007 ripe Pu Er I tried previously, but the taste is nothing special.

Second infusion at 212˚F, 50s tasted horribly bitter and astringent. Probably overbrewed it badly. I will make sure to brew the remainder of my sample at 203˚F.

Initial Rating: 72

Flavors: Herbaceous

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Bio

Amateur tea enthusiast here. I told myself I would start with studying Chinese teas when I first encountered good tea at Song Tea in San Francisco in 2016, and it’s now 2023 and I feel like I’m still just beginning to scratch the surface of Chinese teas.

Maybe someday I will move on to Indian, Japanese, Korean, etc. teas…

For my day job I work in tech as well as write some fiction on the side.

The next step in my tea journey is to start training my nose with an aroma kit to get a more precise handle on floral notes.

My Tea Rating Scale: (adapted from @benmw)
100 : Unforgettable, life-changing tea experience.
95–99: Extraordinary – Beyond impressive.
90–94: Impressive – Deep complexity, extreme clarity, or unexpected discovery of wonderful flavor. Made me reconsider the category. Would always want to drink this if I had the chance.
80–89: Delicious – Nuanced, balanced, clear, and complex layering of flavors. Would probably buy this tea again.
70–79: Very Good – Nuanced flavors, perhaps not as balanced or complex as the next step up, but clear and very enjoyable. Would consider buying again if the price was right.
60–69: Good – Clear flavors, representative of the category, but doesn’t set a standard. Good as an everyday tea. Would not buy unless desperate (e.g. when travelling without access to better tea).
50–59: Average. Would not pay money for this, but would drink if it was provided FOC.
30–49: Below Average. Would not drink this again even if it were free.
0–29: Undrinkable. Could not even finish the cup.

Location

Singapore

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