Shou Mei

‘Samurai’ Traveling Teabox – Tea #16
I thought I might have tried Verdant’s Shou Mei before, but it looks like I haven’t.  I like that both types of white are in the teabox and I really hope others taking part in the teabox will be able to compare the Shou Mei and the Bai Mu Dan for kicks.  I know others have been drinking these for years, but to me it has been a bit of a refresher, as I haven’t had too many fresh white teas lately.  Being able to solidify in my mind what Shou Mei tastes like and what Bai Mu Dan tastes like again.  This one is a little starchier, sweet yet a hint of cream.  The flavor of autumn leaves, while also looking more like autumn leaves.  Less lemon than Bai Mu Dan might have. 
Steep #1  // 2 teaspoons for full mug // 42 minutes after boiling  // 1  minute steep
Steep #2  // 33 minutes after boiling //  2 min
Harvest: 2018

1TB for a tiny yixing pot, steep times varying from 10 seconds to five minutes, water at 100C.

Yes, water at 100C. The farmer said his shou mei leaves could withstand it, so I dared. Steeps range from a gentle, sweet and subtle grass white to a more oolong-like body — complete with cooling sensation on the tongue — to echoes of a gentle black tea. Complex and delicious. I can’t begin t pick out all the flavour notes.

Highly recommend. I only wish I’d remembered I had this tea before now. (It goes lost in my tea stash.)

I can;t wait to try it Western style.

White tea

Definitely recommend this tea! very relaxing and good to drink during any time of day

Tea was amber colored, tastes a little sweet and a little sour. nothing special but I’m not a pro

Impression of first steeping is floral with some sour notes that then dissipate in subsequent steepings. Nice golden honey color.

the flavor is sort of sourness in the first taste part.
but that sourness getting less and less by the times we drink.
in the fourth time, it tastes like the water with a spoon of honey inside.

Spring harvest 2017
Smells: sweet, vanilla
Color: golden yellow
R1) taste- tree bark, blankness
R2) mineral, almond
R3) dandelion

First tea that I’m reviewing here. Very delicate taste, subtle hints of flavor but mostly taste of nothingness. Great color.

This review is for 2013 3 year aged shou mei (white)

Ordered this for two reasons. a) I needed to buy something else to qualify for free shipping and I enjoy white teas, and b) the leaves looked really pretty.

Steep 1: 250 mL, 85 deg C water, 1.5 tsp leaf, 3 minutes
Absolutly delicious! The tea is very flavourful. Notes of sweetness, verrry smooth. No bitterness, astringency, drying effects, or other unpleasant flavours/mouth feels. Everything about it is very pleasant. I would describe the flavour as similar to steamed soybeans and a mouthfeel of genmaicha (without the toasted grain flavour)

Steep 2: 250 mL, 92 deg C water, 1.5 minute
Even sweeter, steamed tea flavour, very flavourful, pleasant and thick mouthfeel with a sweet finish

Steep 3: 250 mL, 70 deg C water, 4 minute
Thick sweet liquor, not grassy or plant-y, but tastes like white tea. In the description for this tea it says the aging tones down the greener flavour, which is accurate IMO. It also describes the flavour as very fruity, I wouldn’t say I taste anything fruity.

I’ve measured out 3.5g of this tea for my ~80ml gaiwan. The leaves are predominantly green with some older brownish leaves thrown in. I spot a few fuzzy silver buds here and there as well. The dry leaf reminds me of a sweet, springy leaf pile with no autumn mustiness. In a warm gaiwan, the leaves smell like deeply savory, salty edamame.

With the first steep, I get overcooked edamame off the gaiwan lid and a spicy medicinal smell from the leaves. The liquor is a clear pale yellow with a green tinge. It’s quite strong in the mouth with a more savory, salty flavor.

The gaiwan lid smells more like fresh sweet greens on the second steep. The liquor is darker and the flavor is beginning to remind me of asparagus. Surprisingly, there’s a substantial sweet aftertaste recalling unripe fruit. The multicolored leaves make for a nice kaleidoscope-like presentation in the gaiwan.

The third (and fourth) steep is similar, but stronger and darker in color. If you’ve ever had soup with leafy greens floating around in it, this steep tastes like those greens. Gai lan or bok choy is a pretty close match. It doesn’t taste like the veggies have been stewed to death – they’re cooked just right. Some earthy bassyness that reminds me of huang pian is developing now. The sweet aftertaste from the previous steep has mostly left.

For steep number 5, I’m bumping up my water temperature to 195. I feel like I’ve seen what this tea has to offer at 180, so bring on the heat. The result is predictable – everything is a little bit stronger and the additional heat has brought out a woody note. Not a bad thing, but not something that I typically enjoy. The tea has decent body but it refuses to thicken up like I hoped it would.

Steep number… eight or so? I forgot about this one and left it about a minute longer than I meant to. A lively citrus (lemon, I think) note has appeared in the last couple of steeps. Pushing this tea doesn’t add any bitterness or astringency. A nice, accidental discovery. That’s got me thinking that this may be a good candidate for grandpa style brewing – I’ll give that a try next time.

This tea is not extremely interesting and that’s reflected in the price. It makes up for its shortcomings with consistency and its ability to shrug off abuse like it’s nothing.