2018 Demon Slayer

I HAVE DRUNK SO MUCH TEA TODAY O_O

This was my first huangpian and it was just ok. Kind of a heavy gut bomb but with good flavor up until it became unpleasantly bitter at about 6 or 7 gongfu steeps. I’d be wary of brewing these leaves grandpa. The taste had a base of green-turning-orange bell pepper mixed with prominent fruity notes of ripe apricot, peach and orange and a brassy dry grass tone. Somewhat floral, a bit of menthol. The tea can be thick but part of that is gritty. There’s a different kind of energy with these leaves that I can’t describe…

I like to think I slew some demons today but I honestly feel like I opened the portal instead. Last Sunday, I asked for a leadership position, in any form, because I have so much energy to devote to such an endeavor. Today, it arrived and not where I thought it would. I was invited to join a new pastoral care team at church that’s in its infancy. Basically, the needs of our community are far greater than originally anticipated. Our small group of people is trying to develop a sustainable infrastructure used to help specific groups of people who are in need during this pandemic. Thinking about how far into the future the pandemic will impact our community and in what ways has really put into perspective a lot of how I have lived my life since becoming an adult and that I no longer want to continue on that path, basically one of a scarcity mindset and of selfishness. I have immense respect for leaders working with the conceptual after an hour-long Zoom meeting today. I feel like my entire worldview has changed in a matter of hours. If all that sounds fuzzy, it’s because I’m still background processing.

And that is what I’m wrestling with after drinking Demon Slayer.

So, Togo, thanks.

And that makes 600.

It took me quite a long time to pick up and brew this one. I have it for half an year at least.

But anyway, quick rinse, 4 grams per 85 ml gaiwan.

That brings menthol aroma. Then some hay.

1st steep, 15 seconds long
Refreshing, mellow, smooth tea. I still notice somehow the menthol notes and hay. Maybe bit floral too.

2nd steep, 30 seconds
Thick. Sweet notes. Maybe little bit similar to jasmine. Little bitterness, certainly not astringency though. Drying in mouth a bit, need slow down the brews. I have tried to loose chunk a bit and it seems I was succesful, it it quite loose now. Nice brew. But hard to describe. Because as it cools down, it gets herbal?

3rd, 30 seconds
Very similar, bit softer, less drying.

4th, 40 seconds
Another smooth, but now with fruit notes! Apricot? Peach? I don’t know. But those orange fruits. Fuzzy, soft, fruits. Quite sweet.

5th, 50 seconds
This one is not bad at all, but somehow without distinctive notes. It is just common sheng. Maybe it is finish line.

6th, 1 minute
It is. Very similar to previous one. Nice, but not distinctive notes. Clean sheng.

Conclusion: Well, it is nice one – but somehow not so great, not so much brews to be made, but at least it is not astringent, or somehow with bad notes. It is just okay – nice brews, but nothing great.

Sipdown

Firstly-Merry Christmas!

Alas, it is time to see the last bit of this in my stash; which is the goal for 2020. Drink as much tea as possible. ;) I feel that I ought to give the tea a proper review…

Dry Leaf: Sweet hay.

Wet Leaf: Peppery, floral, astringent, and bitter (when pushed).

I’m bad at flavor profiles. However, it’s only fair that I made a note for the last session. I originally bought it because I liked the wrapper. I wasn’t necessarily focused on getting this tea (I wanted their 2018 Splendid), however, as these things happen, I got both. I liked that it had some longevity and power to the brew. The tea soup was thick for a sheng (maybe because it’s a huangpian?). I have to note that it’s something where you ought to have food in your system prior to drinking; otherwise, you’ll get a head high of a lifetime, but some stomach pains, too.

Demon Slayer is one of the first huangpian shengs I get to try. If this tea is anything to go by, I should get more of these. The value seems really good. Even though it doesn’t have too many distinctive flavour notes, I found it to be very enjoyable in many respects.

The dry leaves have a floral, sweet smell, while after the rinse I got a strong petrichor and grass aroma. Somehow, it reminds me of Copenhagen, with its wet, green smell. Later on, there are also scents of roast chicken and rust.

The taste is quite sweet, vegetal and astringent overall. There are notes of dry grass, sugarcane, green pepper, bay leaf and coriander seeds. Aftertaste is somewhat metallic, nutty and floral. At certain points it almost reminds me of yancha aftertaste. The mouthfeel is cooling, thick and soft, with a TGY like sickly feeling occasionally.

I got 12 infusions out of it before the taste profile became flat and astringent, which I find pretty good for a tea at this price range. The interesting thing is that it is very loosely pressed, so I expect it to age quite fast.

heavy mouth feel but very light on flavor. It’s like a mix of bitter, citrus, and pepper, but again very light flavor. very relaxing effects

Drank this Grandpa Style off and on throughout the day.

I selected it initially to brew because I was feeling something a bit more vegetal (weird for me, I know!) but didn’t want to go down the green tea sort of path – I also needed something with more “punch” to it to help with staying awake and general alertness really early on a Monday morning…

This was definitely intense as a Grandpa style tea – and maybe not necessarily an experience I would replicate again. Though it did serve that “punch of caffeine” sort of thing that I was craving. Initially bell pepper notes and a peppery black pepper finish. At one point I hit a brewing sweet spot where the taste was accented by bright, sweet lemon and red fruit – but then we ventured deeper into the steeping and the taste evolved into more of a pithy, bitter lemon and aperol kind of taste along with those harsher, forward green notes.

So-so experience flavour wise.