72 Tasting Notes

72
Minerallly – Different – Slowly aged!

The scent and taste is quite different with this more than 10 years aged fellow and this is in fact a very pleasant aspect about it! The taste is very minerally even a bit iron related and medicinal like dried TCM herbs plus autumn foliage like. I had an Shou Mei white tea some time ago which was an aged one from 2006 and this is exactly the vibe

I received from this aged buddy. Instead of the woodsy notes the strongest ones are more the cigar tobacco nuances beside the already named ones. The coloration of the cup is quite bright and light considering the age. Also and maybe because of its dry aging there is still a lot of the fresh green character left which isn’t a bad thing in fact it blends perfectly in with the already aged aspects and creates an own unique deliciously universe within its small cosmos. You might also discover some fruity aspects like very young early harvested pears mostly noticeable skin-wise with a bit of fruit pulp plus a fine bitter note of grape seeds. Herbal-wise there is definitely a good amount of chamomile and Greek mountain tea aka Greek vervain to it. There is also a very mouth & tongue coating feel to it which passes on an aftertaste feel as if you had swallowed down a pill (Paracetamol or something like that)!

Normally I would give this aged Sheng a 4 1/2 because it is a very nice composed piece of pu-erh sonata but still for my personal taste not the profile I would normally search within a pu-erh with an aged History to it. But that’s just my own matter of taste ;)

More Reviews & Photos at https://www.instagram.com/zerozen_artlab/

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

98
Grandma meets Blueberry Muffin!

This may sounds strange but in a certain way it describes quite on point what’s going on within this unique aged fellow – at least some curios aspects of it ;) – Already the scent steaming up of my Nixing pot really hits some different tones as it normally used to do. When I say Grandma it isn’t exactly the scent of old people but more like their

perfume they use – a bit of rose or better placed as Greek rose frankincense plus a hint of the medicinal variation of marshmallows aka althaea officinalis! But generally said there is a certain frankincense tree resin touch to it with a very nice more known thick slightly bitter Agarwood main construct as a base note. Some might find a resemblance within the image of an old European church. The mouth feel is very thick and long lasting with an outstanding sweet echo of blueberry muffin. Those empty cups exhale a nice bouquet of beeswax! Within the later infusions the scent turns more and more into a medicinal sphere with a slightly creamy buttery nuance to it. This fellow really aged in a perfect well balanced way with such a unique profile – a real pleasure! This aged buddy takes you on a quite abundant journey with many infusions to go!

More Reviews & Photos at https://www.instagram.com/zerozen_artlab/

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

86
A very pleasant profile with a little “but”!

Already within its steaming bouquet there is a masterpiece composed in the finest way magic could perform its art. Everything starts with fresh baked steaming dark bread plus a fine layer of Worcestershire sauce on it followed by a thick layer of tobacco and old leather accentuated with a fine touch of roasted atmosphere. But this is just the lowe

r level of this volcano of bubbling deliciousness! Because the most unique part of it is a spicy distinct fusion of mustard and horseradish plus a final finish of dark chocolate!

The actual liquor is very silky soft and creamy with an tartness base note to it. The feel within your throat is quite dry and within your mouth section you definitely are going feel a certain fury sensation going on. Taste-wise which is quite pleasant it develops quite a similar profile as its bouquet was but the importance of their roles between this play had changed! The bitter layer as a base plays definitely a constant main role and this with perfection. Sometimes the balance of bitterness within a Pu could be overwhelming but in this case it reached such a well composed way that is blends in like a charm with all the other aspects and emphasizes those in the best possible way. Starting at this point a fine smokey layer of aged Argarwood builds up the next checkpoint after that a lot of paths along the same route reaches out to the final goal. Strong in the middle we got the tobacco & old leather wrapped with some fallen Autumn leaves while on the sides we got fine nutty notes of walnuts plus camphor and on the other side we got fruity hints of red apple skin with little amount on pulp, dandelion and a final hint within the echo of dark chocolate! Between all that some ghosts whisper their fading names here and there of mustard and horseradish!

The fury covering feel is quite intense in this case! An aged Sheng with a lot of strength(quite strong on the stomach) and power plus a very warming character! The only penalty point for me personally is the lag of longevity within the actual taste! Already within the 5th infusion a lot of its power within the tasting profile is gone! Don’t get me wrong there is still enough power of Qi there but not of the taste itself. I am to be honest a worshiper of taste. If a tea holds its nuances together for a very long time during a tea session I consider it to be perfect as a whole! But this might be only my preference – best you decide for yourself ;)

More Reviews & Photos at https://www.instagram.com/zerozen_artlab/

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

90

First and foremost this tea really aged beautifully with such a nice agarwood (oud note) aged woodsy tobacco cigar leathery note to it! Both within the steaming bouquet as within the actual taste! 1/4 of a slightly minus might be the fact that this fellow is really someone you need to keep a wary eye on because it can easily turn bitter. The textu

re is quite creamy especially in later steepings. Taste-wise like mentioned there is a similar path we are walking on as the aroma was. Starting with a quite smokey base and a subtle hint of smoked ham with herbs the major attractions are definitely the leathery, cigar and oud aka aged agarwood ones plus a fine note of oak moss. It is highly astonishing how green and fresh those nearly 15 year old leaves look like! The aftertaste is quite a sensation of its own and you can feel a certain tingling feel within your cheeks which develops a certain medicinal herbal feel to it. Beside that the actual echo is quite fruity but again more of the skin of especially very young fresh pears with a slightly touch of tangerines to it plus a final nutty layer of hazelnut!

More Reviews & Photos at https://www.instagram.com/zerozen_artlab

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

98
A story creator!

There is a whole story of a dystopian scenery going on in my imagination while drinking this unique aged fellow. There is always a certain similar aspect to wet stored and dried stored aged Shengs somehow. But this goes a different path one that leads us to the end of our modern days where nature takes over again. I imagine with grass, trees and o

ther plants covered streets where nature took back what once was theirs. Asphalt broken off with deep rifts all over the place where nature is breaking through. You can hear birds and other animals everywhere within those streets where only daylight brings some brightness between all this overgrown Buildings, street signs or former traffic lights. On one sight of the street hidden in shadows I discover an old from baroque times abandoned theater. The entrance door is covered with moss and soaked wet. Pushing this door nearly breaks it apart because of its withering condition. Inside you can smell a mixture of old with velvet covered benches row after row some quite good preserved, some overgrown by moss and some just soaked wet. Taking a glimpse at the ceiling a hug chandelier once shiny with all its crystals now covered with vines and other stuff nature spread its tentacles around. A wall on the the left totally collapsed and formed a small water stream leading into the building with some kind of a waterfall at the top of it which ends into a with water filled area which once were parts of the first rows thousands of people sat in watching plays from one area in history to the next. Now those seats and parts of the collapsed stage are sunken under water and only the upper parts here and there are to be seen on the surface of it. Birds build their nests in dark corners or overgrown parts of this majestic hall. You can hear their songs as once people heard complex composed classics within this venerable walls.

There are still those scents of those former glorious times within the atmosphere – of old wooden furniture, dusty camphor scenting curtains, worn out fabrics and watercolor painted stage designs. The atmosphere of countless evening premiers with actors waiting for their entrance while a scent of white make up covering their faces lies in the air. Those aspects are mixed flawlessly into a new natural wet soaked up woodsy moss atmosphere. This is a masterly example of how deep a tea can take you a long on a journey that’s not have been written yet.

More Reviews & Photos at https://www.instagram.com/zerozen_artlab/

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

78

This fellow is quite a strange one not in a bad way but different as expected! The actual bouquet is really nice and thick and just because of this first impression you immediately assume “This must be a long lasting and full thick bodied aged fellow!”

Nah!!! Not really in fact. The taste is very nice but a bit light for this kind of age.

Don’t get me wrong this isn’t a bad aged Sheng otherwise I would have given it a much lower rating than four BUT I am more into the really thick and full bodied ones this one really got a nice structure especially of mushrooms with a fine sourly astringent note to it and a certain touch of a cardboard taste with a final long fruity echo of very young pears and cheery blossom! The strongest infusions were 1-3 (after one rinse = not counted) the others really turned out very light very quick. I also tried to infuse the 7th one over 4 minutes. It was a bit stronger but not as much as some others tend to be. Good thing = there is really no bitterness at all within this fellow! The main attractions are definitely the entry of the wonderful thick aged medicinal aroma followed by those mushrooms nuances as its main act and the final encore of fruity lightly floral notes!

More Reviews & Photos at https://www.instagram.com/zerozen_artlab/

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

60

Not excactly my cup of pu!

This is a personal preference – because it seems I am not that much into wet stored or more humid stored Pu’s – The wet atmosphere isn’t as strong as some others especially from Hongkong tend to be but it is definitely a constant aspect. After 7 steeping I wasn’t in the mood anymore to wait any longer for a change in taste to come. So maybe there

is a change within the steepings after the 10th or so but for me the basement bit moldy structure was not exactly my cup of tea. I am sure there are many lovers for exactly this kind of a profile but for others it is good to know what they get. Definitely not a bad aged Sheng but just for the ones who really like the wet-ish storage! Next time I should read the information a bit more carefully because I totally missed the “wet” part :D

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

96
Simply Amazing!

There is a certain profile within aged Shengs I totally adore and love and this is exactly that kind of profile! Bu Lang is on of my favorite types in general because of its distinct and deep flavors. Drinking this type of sheng really lets my heart melt and my mind dream about mysterious magical ancient libraries filled with old manuscripts and l

eather wrapped books. The taste is deep as its flavor and filled with such a nice balanced aged thickness of those former named leathery aspects but majorly old Chinese wooden furniture, camphor, very distinct oud (agarwood) taste & scent plus fresh tobacco meets a hint mixture of sandalwood and oak-moss. There is a sensation going on after a while within your nose which develops a certain subtle note of bourbon vanilla while breathing in and out. Definitely coming back for more of this excellent aged Sheng!

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

100

One of my favorite aged Shengs!

Aroma: Those very tight parts really stick together like the best performing glue you might be able to find.Imagine old in leather wrapped books, a very unique special and distinct scent which is like a beloved wise teacher.But that’s not even close to name it all – this glorious start is following a wooden old furniture scent plus camphor strong

on front – It somehow also reminds me a bit of the scent of old European churches. Later the sweetness reveals itself in a hint of gingerbread followed by licorice & fine flowery hint of rose perfume.There is also a scent of marshmallow noticeable but not the “roasted over fire ones” – I mean those medicinal ones if you know what i mean.

Taste: There is so much going on starting with such an exquisite wood barrel flair in which very high quality whiskey and red wine was stored – just a good mix between both types of aged woods plus a hint of conifer.A very coating furry creamy texture plus a nutty subtle finish of pistachios and and an even more light accent of peanuts is following.And there is it again the old library leather wrapped book taste plus a fine rain water soaked autumn leaf touch to it!You might also notice a certain hint of bourbon vanilla and chocolate sweetness.All those nuances integrates like a constant flow masterfully one into another like if all those aromas and tasting aspects knew each other so well for so many years that they perfectly complement each other.If you take a much closer look there is also a nice touch of a barbecue grill aspect to be found inside this unbelievable piece of wisdom and knowledge.Do not get me wrong don’t think of it as an actual real barbecue thing but there is a certain very subtle grilled fish on a stick aroma and a hint of smoked ham to it which is in fact massively pleasant! This cake is so hard compressed that even after the 4th infusion its far from loosen up! This aged Sheng really goes on forever!!! Very Cooling at first and massively mouthwatering!

More at: https://www.instagram.com/zerozen_artlab/

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

94

This wonderful sonata creates an image of brown reddish leaves while a campfire is cracking in front of you and an echoing melody of the coming winter breezes around your cheeks and ears. While nature is preparing for a resting phase a deep earthy mushroom soaked by rain spiritual bouquet enlightens your experience and put your mind at ease – it’s

just you and this aged cup of tea!

Already it’s aroma of aged agarwood, sandalwood, oak moss and a thick layer of camphor plus a sweet impact of apple turnover or baked apple creates such a wonderful atmospheric image of late Autumn with a its natural changes and harbingers of the Christmas season. This silky soft bronze liquor immersing you into such a delicious adventure of those already mentioned light smokey late Autumn campfire nuances. What a delight!

There you find the earthiness and fallen leaves aspects of Autumn followed aged Chinese old wooden furniture with the dense touch of camphor to it while this whole constructs gives you a warming feel with a steaming baked apple between your hands but in a more subtle performance. There is definitely a medicinal feel to it which gives you an overall feel of standing in the middle of an old Chinese herbal TCM shop with all its old wooden furniture and scents of nearly everything the surrounding nature can offer while outside a fine wind is whistling through those earthy colored forest canopies. In fact there is so much popping up in my imagination while enjoying this precious aged Sheng – but isn’t it better to discover your own journey? Guess you need to find out! ;)

More Reviews & Photos at https://www.instagram.com/zerozen_artlab/

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

Profile

Bio

Ahoi,

I am a tea taster and tea-blog author from Vienna. Since my early Childhood days I was always drawn to East Asian culture especially China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan. It wasn’t a thing I discovered because of my parents or my environment – it was a thing that started on its own and spread its antennas into nearly every direction what Asian culture could deliver.

I felt in love with their history, movies, Tv-Shows, food, Anime, Videogames, tea culture – nearly everything. 2009 was the first time I visited Japan – it was a feeling of finally being home. Since that time I developed such a passion for tea because tea combines so many aspects I love. Taking photos, writing, Asian culture, the connection to mother nature and its history, the love for craftsmanship (Teaware etc).

Within 2013 I started my teablog called ZeroZen(https://zeroteazen.wordpress.com/) – the first couple of years I only posted content in my mother language German. But within 2016 I discovered Instagram for myself and found the perfect medium for my artistic output which is now completely and exclusive in English ^___~

Location

Vienna

Website

https://www.instagram.com/zer...

Following These People

Moderator Tools

Mark as Spammer