2006 Kunlu Mountain Tribute Tea Shou

I’ve been challenged! So here is my first review… So I had high expectations of this tea before it was available again, Mr. Veck on the Steepster Chatroom would occasionally wax on about his fond memories of this tea and how he wished he had more than a single serving left, because it was such an enjoyable Shou. So when it was around again… I bought one to split with him as a surprise, later to find out he got one himself! Long story short, this tea came with expectations and some improbable buying. I wouldn’t have normally picked up a Shou in this price range.

This is good! There is that sense of depth one gets from CLT Bulang Gushu Shou, but coupled with wood rather than sweetness. This is one shou I actually prefer with shorter steeps. It is balanced in the same way the Dayi 2011 Centennial Shou is, and definitely near that quality, but perhaps a little earthier. It still has some of the dirty notes associated with shou.. but if you are a shou drinker a cup wouldn’t be quite complete without that hint of dirt.

This tea is something Lord of the Ring’s Ents would drink. It gives me a great sense of calm, it’s very earthy in the most elegant of ways. It brews forever and ever and ever… I am still drinking the gaiwan leaves I started last night. Flash brew shou definitely goes further. I feel like since this one has a lot more to it than sweetness that the flash steep brings out more of it’s elegant characteristics than turning it into motor oil (like I do with my beloved Bulang Gushu- druid lattes ftw) and also makes it last a lot longer. While this might be an expensive shou per gram, the flash steeping makes it last about twice as long as most of my ripes.

Point being: I’m glad we both have a cake Veck, and we need more Kunlu Online Tea Parties! Also Glen, you must find more of this!

If you’d like a more complete review, Teadb has a video review on this one where they meet with Glen and his lovely wife to drink it.

This is a mighty fine shou. A nice dark amber color. The brew is nice and creamy with the sweetness of caramel. I could keep drinking more of this. I got at least 10 steeps out of it (I never remember to count).

Thank you Mr Mopar for this sample. Overall, this tea was quite good, but not spectacular. It had a nice depth of flavor but was not as good as the best Menghai Tea Factory teas. It was up there in quality though and I might buy it when I eventually put in an order with Crimson Lotus Tea. That being said there were some sweet notes and some chocolate notes to this tea. There was no off flavor or noticeable bitterness or astringency.

I brewed this five times in a 220ml gaiwan over several hours. I used 8.6g leaf and boiling water. I gave it one short rinse. I steeped it for 15 sec, 15 sec, 15 sec, 20 sec, and 30 sec. It held its strength well and would have taken at least 4 more steepings but I have to be up tomorrow and don’t want the caffeine.

Trying another Crimson Lotus ripe today. This is another winner. It is interesting and a little different. It is earthy and sweet, some hints of chocolate, no harshness though I wouldn’t call it super smooth, and brews a deep brown. What I find most interesting is that it has a palpable thickness, almost a grittiness. It’s a nice drink. A bit expensive at $60 currently, but you can buy a sample to see if you are interested.