Pulling this out tonight. I just remembered how hard these little tuos are compressed. I unwrapped it and put it in the breaking tray and attacked it with the big needle.
I managed to get 11 grams out, a little more than I usually brew , and got the gaiwan out.
I gave the tea a rinse that actually showed some color to it and went brewing.
I steeped about 5 seconds 3 times and went in a big cup.
The tea brews up with some hints of smoke and some greeness in the aroma. The brew is a nice surprise in the color department. It is a nice amber like a dark style honey. There may be a touch of cloudy in the brew but sometimes the tea has to settle a bit after pressing.
Sips on this give some smoke and some of the tobacco that many young shengs have.
The tea is active and getting to a thick state. It hits mainly the front tip and middle if the tongue. It has a full hit of the bitter that causes a minutes pucker and goes softer and making you salivate a bit.
Over all this is a good example of a well aged middle year sheng. Not being wet as some are with the mustiness but not super sharp like a dry stored product. Looking on the store site and this was stored loose which I am sure has helped it age a bit quicker than teas from this year.
Flavors: Bitter, Green, Smoke, Tobacco
Preparation
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Comments
Do you think this is better than the 2011 Dayi Mensong? Just wondered…
@tea123 The Dayi has more sweetness but I like the kick of bitter and the mouthfeel of this one. This one has that good well stored semi-aged experience.
Ok, I will keep it in my basket.
@tea123 I wished you lived stateside. It would have been easy to get you a bit of this to brew.
sounds pretty good!
I did not like this the first time I tried it. I seemed a tad too astringent even with flash steeps. It was also dusty, almost muddy. But I think I did not air it out properly.
@Death Sips, I always try and air new teas out in the pumidor at least 2 weeks before I get into them. I still have some 2015 stuff I need to get notes on.
Do you think this is better than the 2011 Dayi Mensong? Just wondered…
@tea123 The Dayi has more sweetness but I like the kick of bitter and the mouthfeel of this one. This one has that good well stored semi-aged experience.
Ok, I will keep it in my basket.
@tea123 I wished you lived stateside. It would have been easy to get you a bit of this to brew.
sounds pretty good!
I did not like this the first time I tried it. I seemed a tad too astringent even with flash steeps. It was also dusty, almost muddy. But I think I did not air it out properly.
@Death Sips, I always try and air new teas out in the pumidor at least 2 weeks before I get into them. I still have some 2015 stuff I need to get notes on.