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Drank the last of this one the other day and actually got a measure on the amount of water I used, which is not typical. I used the last four remaining grams from my order and added 53 ml of water for the first steep.

One of the things about the first steep with Japanese greens is that the leaves always absorb SO much water that you get back much less than you put in. I probably got around 20 or 30 ml of liquor to actually drink from this steep.

The leaves were expanded with the water they’d absorbed in the next steep, so I only had room for 29 ml of water, though I probably got most of that back. All in all, I’m glad I decided to measure this with the last of these leaves, as it gives me a better idea of what kind of ratio gives me the flavor concentration I look for instead of relying on the size of the vessel to do that for me.

Seems GM has been all the rage lately and I was wondering what I was missing out on, but Steph was kind enough to send me a sample in our swap!

As I’ve stated, I don’t drink shou nearly as often as sheng, so my palate for shou is less developed (not that my palate for sheng is much further along). That being said, I do feel that this was one of the more distinct and defined-tasting ripe puerh teas that I’ve tried.

I used the entire 8g sample, gave it a wash and started with quick steeps, as usual. Nice dark brew with a shifting blend of earth and coffee flavors in the body, with an almost metallic mineral characteristic and a creamy mouthfeel. The aroma that it leaves behind in the cup is mineral and salty, and once I get over that little surprise, the qi comes in.

All throughout this session, with the above flavors, aromas and sensations vying for my attention, I felt myself very surprised overall. This was definitely a unique and engaging session!

Felt I’d finally given the puerh from my Tealife HK order some time to air out and acclimate, so it was time to start tasting.

Did 7g of this one, quick wash and flash steep. The liquor started out fairly amber in color, with a bit of a mushroomy taste, but light and clean overall. The texture was smooth and a bit airy.

Busy times at work interrupted my session, so I returned to this tea two days later and was met with a redder liquor, similar aroma with more of a piney flavor. It also had a bit of a grapefruit-like bitterness and some enjoyable sweetness.

Very enjoyable, and a very valuable tasting experience for me!

Finally gave this shou a try earlier this week, but I didn’t note it with enough detail, unfortunately.

7g in the gaiwan for a rinse, and the first steep yielded a slick, smooth, reddish liquor with a light sweetness. The color deepened over subsequent steeps, during which the flavor also became sweeter. I found it pretty clean and easy to drink overall, but I need another session with this, for sure.

Finished up the rest of one of these samples on Monday so I wouldn’t need to worry about storing the open package. Sweet chestnut and beany, just like the first time. I think it’s worth a try!

So this was the one tea I started Sunday, as I also had leaves from a couple other teas I continued with from the day before. This was the 2005 Menghai area wild material raw brick from Curated Puerh Box 0003. I used 8g, quick wash and a bit of a rest before getting going with the session.

At around 12 years old, this sheng produced a golden liquor and a soft, sweet aroma. It was smooth and oily in the mouth and sweet on the tongue, with just a bit of dustiness that revealed itself as it gradually opened up.

This was an easy one to enjoy and I will enjoy further exploring its subtleties in a future session!

We got a sample of this from Stone Leaf Tea House and I, apparently, first sampled it back in January but forgot to note it here. Drank it again this past Saturday evening, however, so I have gotten a fresh take on it.

The mushroomy aroma of this one had been calling to me for a while. Perhaps it was trying to call me back since I’d already had it! This was already broken up into pretty good serving sizes in the bag, so I just took out one of the last two remaining chunks, tossed it in the gaiwan and rinsed. It broke apart pretty easily and the first steep yielded a nice, dark liquor.

I didn’t get super distinct flavors out of it, but I wasn’t paying as much attention to it as I could have. It was rich, creamy and smooth in the mouth, though. Very inviting and easy to drink. I didn’t finish my session up, so I continued with the same leaves the next day, and the brew remained creamy and smooth with a distinct sweetness that I’m not sure I picked up on the day before. Perhaps this is a shou that benefits from a good rest after rinsing or sometime mid-session.

After seeing that people were buying these cakes like mad, decided to give this one another evaluation on Saturday so I could decide on whether I’d want more of it or not. I had really, really enjoyed the mansa material that I had tried prior to this tea, and this proved to be another winner in my book.

I didn’t get too in depth with my notes (was too busy enjoying the tea, clearly…oh…and trying to be a good student), but my second session with this tea yielded a smooth, slick, stone fruity liquor that left a syrupy aroma clinging to the cup. I steeped it out throughout that day and into the next, and I also finished up the leaves from my first session during the weekend.

In the end, I did decide to cake this.

This was the “hush hush” tea from Curated Puerh Box 0004 so I’m not going to list it. I’ll just say it was a Taiwan stored 2006 sheng. I did 7g of this in a 100ml gaiwan on Saturday, and I was so not ready for the wonderful experience it was about to pull me into. I drink tea on homework day to keep me fueled, but this kept trying to claim my entire focus!

These tea leaves have a very slightly smoky aroma that I found very comforting. The liquor steeped out to an amber color and was thick, viscous and mouth-coating from the very first steep. The flavor had a light smokiness to it up front, along with a bit of camphor and light fruitiness that gradually pushed its way in.

The thing about this tea that really draw my attention was its depth. Something about it pulled me in, and I didn’t want to make it let me go. As I continued with the session, a bit of fluffy airiness developed in the texture, bringing with it a nice sweetness, both up front and in the form of huigan.

After several steeps over a few hours, the leaves had a warm, comforting, foresty aroma. I steeped them a few more times the next day to enjoy that a little while longer. Fantastic all around!

Drank some of this on Friday just to wind down but I still ended up staying up way too late. I think I probably didn’t do a good job sealing this back up after opening it, as I think the flavor faded a bit. Then again, I think I also leafed a bit lighter than I usually do. Just need to make sure I keep it properly sealed up and leaf liberally.