294 Tasting Notes

91

I cold brewed this one again. I am using the Pur water filter. The difference in my water is night and day. I left this to steep for 3 days in the fridge and the result is a refreshing and very flavorful brew. It is very uplifting and has given me renewed vigor after a surf in the cold Atlantic….

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85

I cannot think of a better tea on a rainy day with the exception of a fine Shu. Smoky and wild. Perfect for lifting your spirits on a dismal day. I know this tea is not for everyone. Those who love it adore it. I brewed it western style and the results are glorious. Happy Holidays To All….

Jim Marks

For a time I was making my own blend of shu, lapsang, Yunnan golden and wuyi. I blame lots and lots of dreary autumn, winter and spring days in New England.

Charles Thomas Draper

I like the sound of your recipe

Jim Marks

It was a good one, if a bit cruel to high end tea to make them commingle.

Charles Thomas Draper

It’s sounds like Verdants Imperial Breakfast.

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84

This tea has a lovely light aroma. It is very uplifting as well. The flavor is a bit thin although I may have had a light hand with the leaves. I am enjoying it. I have to retract my statement about the light hand. As I peered in the Gaiwan it appeared to be just right. So I am going to give this one a deeper steep. The tea has what I would call spirit. The longer steep has improved the quality. It is still mellow. This tea truly has the “feel good” quality. Very drinkable. A good everyday tea. Maybe in a few years it may evolve into a special occasion tea.

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86

I brewed this tonight to continue my sampling of the Mysterious Sheng. I see the previous reviewer hated it. The reviewer in JAS e tea loved it. After drinking the first cup the aroma that lingered in the cup was a lovely mossy pine forest scent that I find to be very nice. However I am not getting these in the flavor. It is giving me that energy that I have got from most of the Sheng that I have had. It steeps quickly and will get strong. I would have to say I am in the middle here. I love the energy it has given me. No doubt. Truly a lovely awakening. As I continue my adventure, I can only say it is a decent brew. Nothing more and nothing less. I am not flying high in the friendly sky with this one….

Stephanie

As always, a lovely, inspiring note! I wish I could feel the “trancendence” and energy that you feel when drinking these beautiful shengs and shus.

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89

This tea has me so relaxed. I know I consumed some 2007 Xingyang earlier. I am into my second steeping and I am absolutely tea drunk. This is the first Sheng to do this. My normal reaction to a Sheng is uplifting. I know it’s raining outside and that does’nt help. The other review of this tea states that " feels like the hands of a masseuse on my forehead". Well I could’nt agree more except I am feeling it in my whole body. This is a strong flavor and it has a wild, spicy aroma. A beautiful golden liquor. I am putting this on my wishlist….

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98

A lovely tea on a rainy day. Or any day for that matter. Geoffrey is right when he said that something is going on at the Xingyang workshop. These are truly amazing teas. The beautiful Shu flavor with a hint of sparkle and life is grand when you sit down and enjoy these Pu’erhs. They are truly creating masterpieces….

Nathaniel Gruber

Agree. I had the privelage of making the 98 for a few friends a couple of nights ago. It’s almost hard to guess that that one is a Shu from the color of the tea liquor because of how sparkling it is. You can tell that this one has some similar attributes and will grow in to something ridiculous with time. And it’s not too bad for drinking now either :)

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97

When I opened the sample bag I could smell the lovely complex aroma. I brewed this in a Gaiwan. It is complex and bold yet it is not bitter. After the first cup I always smell the empty cup to further determine the quality and this has to be one of the most beautiful aromas I have ever had the pleasure to smell. It was truly ethereal. This is a beautiful tea. . The dried leaves are already turning brown and it appears to be more mature than it is. I will say without hesitation this is one of the best Sheng that I have had. The liquor is a golden hue and the flavor is absolutely sublime….

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100

OMG. Wow. This is one of those teas that open everything up. The dry leaf had that ancient aroma that is absolutely mindbending. My first thoughts after a quick steep were that I am going to be in for more than a treat. Very true. The aroma that hit me at first seemed to be of anise if it were locked away for 15 years. This is true of the flavor too. It is giving me those awesome tea chills. It is so full of ancient flavor yet it is very clean and inspiring. Teas like this really open your mind, body and soul. Everything seems more intense. Music, I am listening to The Chieftains " The Bells of Dublin ", an album I have heard a hundred times before and all of a sudden I am hearing it as if it was the first time. Teas like this will take you on a journey. An escape from the humdrum. To another time and another place….

Nathaniel Gruber

Lovely tea :)

Charles Thomas Draper

Still not on the level with ’98 Xingyang

Geoffrey

There’s something extraordinary going on at Xingyang workshop… like fairies and elves live there. I’m sure of it! Imagine the tour… “Here’s a room we use for extended leaf drying, and around back we have the unicorn stables.”

Charles Thomas Draper

@ Geoffrey, That got me laughing. I hate to say you may be right….

TeaBrat

Did you perhaps confuse this with the sheng ? I don’t remember this smelling like anise.

Charles Thomas Draper

No. I got this sweet anise that was locked up for 15 years that took on the flavors of the dark cellar that it was kept in. It was, to me, a sweet old aroma that I just could’nt seem to place other than a licorice-anise. Next time it will probably taste like something different altogether.

TeaBrat

Interesting!

Charles Thomas Draper

PS, I opened up the Sheng just to smell it after my comment last night and I smelled the plums but no licorice. I may brew this today.

Nathaniel Gruber

Yeah, fascinating stuff. I love all of the old pu’ers from Red Blossom. I will agree with Charles in saying that it doesn’t quite live up to the ‘98 Xingyang from Verdant. But Red Blossoms’ do have that “ancient” quality to them which make them so appealing to me. These posts are making me want to make an order to them sometime very soon… :)

P.S. have you guys seen Red Blossoms new website? I like it a lot! Definitely a step up from their old one.

TeaBrat

I liked this better than the xingyang from Verdant but they are very different.

Charles Thomas Draper

Very different. Taste and the buzz.

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92

I am brewing this in my Yixing with generous leaf. It is very energizing. The flavor is powerful and assertive. I received this today along with 4 other Sheng to sample and hopefully be able to get to know this type of Pu’erh. One thing that I must note is that there is an energy to these Sheng. A life force. Not a caffeine energy. The liquor is a dark amber orange. And for whatever reason still, I have a mental block when it come to trying to describe the flavor of Sheng. They truly are in a class by themselves….

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84

This is earthy and strong. I personally like it this way. It truly is an eye opener as well. I love watching it pour out of the Yixing and the liquor is the color of the pot. A dark, dark Reddish brown. On a very cold day here at the Jersey Shore it is warming my body nicely. I have not rinsed any Pu’erhs lately. The second cup is far better than the first with a camphor, forest floor flavor. For the price, this is a very good everyday affordable and enjoyable Pu’erh….

TeaBrat

Asha tea house is building a shop in Berkeley, should be open by February I am told.

Charles Thomas Draper

More high quality tea near you !! I just bought a cake called Yunnan Chitsu Pingcha. I thought it was Pu’er..

Charles Thomas Draper

Correction: it is Pu’er… Made by CNNP. I bought it for $8.99 at the Asian market. It might suck it may not. It may be good in the future. Stay tuned….

TeaBrat

You might end up liking it! Go to New York City, you’ll have a ton of tea

Charles Thomas Draper

I would love to go to Chinatown. I would be like a kid in a candy store

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I am an avid surfer, gardener, golfer and freespirit. I have been a tea drinker forever. Tea has provided me with contentment. I love White, Oolong, Green, Black and Pu’er. I do not care for flavored tea and nor will I comment on it.

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