66 Tasting Notes
I have this once so far using 7g in same yixing pot as the Fu Lu Yuan Bing Cha, and hotter water and longer infusions.
also, 3 of the 7 grams were very broken leaf.
I brewed the fu lu yuan at home by the fire place and this one at work- so environmental factors favor the former.
I need to experiment a few more times to properly review this tea.
Right now, it seems like a much less complex, generally lower quality version of the Fu Lu Yuan. Same orange colored infusions.
bottom line: If you are looking for an affordable everyday sheng, I recommend spending another few bucks, as well as precious shipping weight on the lovely Fu Lu Yuan.
Shipment of 10 sheng varieties just came in from royalpuer.
Lovely fresh fragrance of the dried leaves convinced me to start with this one. They did a great job at breaking up the cake. I received nice chunks with only a few grams of broken leaf.
dropped 7g in yixing pot.
smell of weal leaves after rinse: predominantly smokey flavor.
1st infusion tastes rather clear and somewhat mild. good thickness of tea liquid.
3rd or 4th infusion. I let it brew for 20-30 seconds. this was by far the best infusion, with thick, sweet, remarkably silky golden tea liquid that was a joy to gulp down. a few seconds after finishing the cup, a pleasant sweet flavor returned to the palate.
5th infusion- brewed for approx 1 min. some salty notes detected. sweetness and thickness declining yet still prominent. subtle orange fruit quality overall.
bottom line: a great value at approx $5 for 100g, tasting as good or better than other shengs that go for 2-4 times the price.
Well rounded with no astringency, dryness, or rough edges whatsoever.
Its not as strongly flavored or aromatic than the better sheng’s I have tried, but certainly complex and yummy enough to happily regarded as a good move to have gotten a nice stock of this one.
Its certainly much, much more flavorful and interesting that a benchmark 2009 vintage mengahi 7542. I have yet to sample the 2007 7542 for a fair comparison.
brewing recommendations: using plenty of leaf and long brewing times seems to bring out the best of this tea. it can handle long infusions easily.
will try even longer times in future to bring out more flavor.
A subtle, elegant black. Refined flavor. My favorite thing about this tea is the flash of orchid-like aroma that arises, seemingly out of nowhere, a few seconds after taking a sip.
Even when brewed strong, it does not get too black or weight the palate down with heavy taste.
Excellent price for the quality.
Preparation
I just tried this one again using approx 5 grams in competition tasting set.
This time it was a rather unremarkable tea. It did not have the freshness and clarity that it did last night.
I dont know if this is due to brewing parameters or to different leaves. After all, its a blended cake.
EDIT: just did another session using about 4-5 g in competition tasting set. The flavor is mild. I am starting to distinguish the ‘menghai flavor’ after tasting about 4 of their shengs. the 7542 at this age has hints of an almost ripe fruit to it.
Highlight of this tea is the exceptionally clean, clear, fresh flavor and mouthfeel along with a hydrating, thirst quenching quality.
I’ve been looking forwards to discovering what this classic ‘benchmark’ pu- er cake is all about. Its still very young at only 3 years. will be interesting to compare with an older vintage in the future.
Brewed 3 grams in a yixing pot.
Flavor is surprisingly mild. no bitterness or astringency at the strength that I brewed it.
lots of clarity in the brew, as if it has less ‘tea sediment particles’ dissolved in the water than other teas.
Invokes a clear, fresh, slightly cooling, wholesome feeling in body and mind.
Most likely due to its young age, It does not have as strong or nuanced a flavor as many pu-er’s that I have had recently. Yet something about it makes me keep coming back for more. It seem to have that ‘umami’ flavor, and a nice, yet faint exhale sensation.
Preparation
I just tried a tiny sneak-preview of this, putting about 0.5 gram of leaf in a small amount of boiling water.
Although I have yet to try a proper brew, I can already tell that this tea is excellent! Easily one of the best black teas I have ever tried.
Strong, obvious dan cong honey-flower fragrance, and…
much better flavor and mouthfeel than dan cong oolongs that I’ve tried!
This is much more flavorful, full bodied and smooth in the mouth.
Will be ordering a larger amount of this one to share with friends!
Preparation
excellent tea. Strong, masculine character.
when brewed with care, distinct, complex aroma reminiscent of savory herbs with a touch of wet tobacco and a wonderful nutty aspect.
Can be smokey in the first infusions. less so after sitting broken up in a jar for a few weeks and brewed in yixing pot.
Long lasting, pleasant flavor lingers in the mouth. Fresh, expansive mouthfeel.
This the oldest sheng I have tried so far. It is also one of my favorites, due its strong, savory-herbs flavor and aroma. $16 for 100g of a 10 year old sheng with strong flavor seems like a decent value. I will be reordering this one.
Overall the flavor is a bit mild, yet the first 2 infusions often have decent flavor strength.
Brewing about 3 grams of this one in a competition tasting set right now.
Wet leaves after the wash have a wonderful damp forest smell.
Yummy semi-aged flavor with sour fruit notes.
Floral elements in the aroma. Fresh mouth feel.
Only slightly smoky on first infusions.
Note that the leaves were aged in mao cha form for 5 years before pressing. This is apparently a great way to speed up the aging process.
Overall seems like a good value currently at $4.50 for 100 grams.
Its nice to be able to buy a a whole cake at only 100 grams.
the sour fruity notes and floral aroma was present in some sessions with this tea and not quite in others. weather this is due to differences in the leaves themselves, or to brewing factors is shard to tell. It appears that brewing with more leaf / too long initial steeping times results in less distinguishable flavors and aromas.
Excuisite, well rounded Dan Cong.
Brews a damn good cup of tea. Using traditionally short infusion times, it yields a subtle-flavored, sublimely fragrant brew.
Long lasting, multi faceted fragrance of what you would imagine
fairy tale grade floral honey to smell like.
I generally drink unsweetened tea. However, I tried this one with a little agave nectar with great results. Agave is gentle on the flavor while adding body to the tea. It brings out the flavors well, enhancing the nectar-like aspect of this oolong.
savory , romesary, conifer/pinesap, with hinths of a subtle mossy forest quality. lingering sweetness.
This tea filled my body with a wholesome, balanced, healthy forest feeling.
I tried this one in gwaiwan with 3, 6, and 4 grams.
at 6 grams, once the leaves opened up (around 4th infusion) it yielde potent aged flavor and lasted for seemingly endless infusions.
For my taste, 4 grams seems to be the optimal amount for this tea in a standard sized gaiwan.
