2816 Tasting Notes
It’s a sipdown… after lunch treat.
I am definitely noticing the mustiness and mesquite aroma of this one today. I can’t remember how I steeped this last time but it seems stronger than I remember (today I did a few short infusions in the gaiwan). This really smells great and is taking the chill right out of my afternoon (it’s windy here). Farewell – 2005 Twin Elephants Shu…. see my previous notes for more details.
Preparation
These folks were at the SF International Tea Fair yesterday so I knew I’d have to stop by. I got a very good introduction to their teas including stories and pictures of where my tea came from right now to the actual trees…
They were serving up samples of this shu so I decided to purchase a cake after trying it. ($33). I was told that “third grade” applies to the size of the leaf used and wasn’t meant to imply that this was a third rate tea.
We steeped some of it up this morning. I may have not been generous enough with the leaf. Since there were two of us I decided to steep this in a teapot and forgo my usual gaiwan method. The first steep we did for 60 seconds and the second for 2 minutes.
This yielded a clear, reddish brown brew that is not as dark as some I’ve tried. I am enjoying it. It’s clean with a nice savory/woodsy/mushroom aroma that is very soothing and somewhat mild. The flavor is very earthy with a bit of nutty flavor like butter pecans. It has a clean and sweet aftertaste I am enjoying so much. This is supposed to develop a date flavor as it ages but I don’t know if I will be able to let it age before I end up drinking it… lol
Overall, very good. If you’d like to try a lighter shu without any smoky, fishy or musty aromas I’d give this one a try for sure.
On other notes I’ve discovered I can use a cheese knife to pry apart my bricks and cakes so at least I won’t be needing to purchase a special puerh knife. :)
Preparation
But…but…but! The doodads are half the fun! LOL! This sounds delicious. I am going to be drooling over a lot of new companies thanks to your puerh reviews. So lucky you got to go! :)
@ashmanra – lol. I’m kind of glad I did not get a new knife since that means I can spend more on tea. :) I’ve definitely been getting into the puerh thing lately. Once you get into more variety with your tastings it’s surprising how different they can be from each other.
My pu’er pick is basically a flathead screwdriver with a pretty handle. I’ve also used a fork, which works in a pinch. Glad you found something that works! Hope you never get a brick so tightly compressed that you have to used the serrated edge of that blade. Glad you’re getting more into this! It’s an inexhaustible new frontier of flavor- always changing and challenging.
It’s fun getting into it but also kind of expensive. :) I will remember the screwdriver if I’m ever in a pinch!
Wow – this is delicious. Overnight it seems like I’ve become a Menghai factory tea convert!
This little cake is 100 grams and comes in a cute red box, well what more could you ask for?
I broke off a small piece and did two short steeps in the gaiwan for around 30 seconds to make the cup of tea I am drinking now. This has a slight “forest floor” aroma but it just really smooth, creamy, slightly sweet and with a bit of fruity aftertaste. Smells a bit musty, but IMO no weird “off” flavors like barnyard, fishy, etc. But I always rinse my puerh in boiling water before the first steep.
Definitely a tasty little shu. I wish I had more time to linger over this one but I have to get myself ready for the SF International Tea Festival today!!!
Preparation
This stuff is intense!
After steeping I noticed my senses were immediately flooded with this floral aroma so I was either in for a treat or something scary…ha!
I steeped this at the recommended 4 minutes at around 190 (my temp may have been slightly higher). This tea yield a light, sweetish liquor with lots of honeysuckle and an almost “baked” quality that just reminds me a bit of cookies. Lily of the valley – I am not sure what that smells like but this is for sure heavy on the floral. I can sense the kaffir lime out there as well but I probably would not have picked up on that if it wasn’t on the description. :)
This is a tea that just makes me want to sit with it and focus on it, so it’s pretty relaxing and meditative as well.
Either way this is a fabulous oolong, if you’re a darjeeling lover. I’m not picking up on any astringency either, just a smooth and rich mouthfeel. Very unique and tasty. Yum! An awesome way to wake up. I might need to get some more but it is very pricey. :)
Preparation
I like genmaicha but I’m not sure about this tea. The first time I tried steeping it it was all cheesecake flavor and I didn’t like it at all but I don’t think I used water that was hot enough.
Tonight I steeped it in a gaiwan and I like it better this way, the cherry flavor is coming up and mixing well with the nuttiness of the rice but now I am not getting any cheesecake. Weird. I feel like if I can find the perfect method to brew this it might be ultimately more enjoyable for me but for now it’s just kind of elusive.
Preparation
I had higher hopes for this one… I admit Tulsi is an acquired “herby” taste but I do like it, as well as roses and chamomile. I think what ruins this for me is definitely the stevia, the aftertaste is waaaay too sweet for me and I can’t get us to it. So I will drink this for the stress busting properties I know it has, but it will be more like medicine than a pleasurable experience. Oh well.
Preparation
Recently I got myself a gift set from Le Palais des Thes and I was very excited when it arrived. It comes in a box with a full color book and aluminum tins of their different flavored teas. I was initially a little bit miffed after realizing I was only going to get two mugs of tea out of each sample, but that’s ok. I will definitely recycle or reuse these tins for something else, spices perhaps…
I don’t always like vanilla tea because the vanilla can get very artificial tasting but this is very nice and subtle. The green tea is a flavored sencha which I’m really enjoying. I might have steeped this a little long but it seems to be fine. It’s a very smooth taste with a bit of vegetal and also some lingering nuttiness. A bit of astringency in the finish as I was expecting. I don’t know if I will purchase a large size but it definitely is one of the nicer flavored greens I’ve tried. I like the fact that the flavoring is very mild & it blends well with the tea.
20 minutes later: this sencha is not sitting too well with my stomach, perhaps oversteeping was a bad idea. :(
Preparation
Another sheng sample from Puershop.com. :)
I gave this one a quick rinse and steeped it for about 45 seconds in an infuser mug, it’s light yellow and is mildly smoky and woodsy with a sweet aftertaste. This is a nice mellow sheng which is certainly ready to drink now. It doesn’t have a lot of complexity, I assume that might evolve over time as this is only 3 years old. I liked it though, it’s quite ready to drink now if you wanted to….
