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KiwiDelight drank 1989 Suncha Blend by Butiki Teas

371 tasting notes

From the Sheng and Shou TTB.

Brewed gongfu style in a ceramic gaiwan. 5 second rinse. Steeping times: 15, 30, 45, 60, 120.

If you need something to drink in 10 degree and snowy weather, this is one to have. The dry leaf smells of sod and loam, and wet leaf aroma of smoke, raisins, and freshly baked bread. The liquor changes throughout the session, beginning with tangy and smoke taste, a thin texture, and a slightly cloudy appearance. The second infusion, still tangy and cloudy, is creamy and tastes of pine, no longer smoky. The third – the height of the session – has become completely clear, the texture even creamier. The tang is replaced by a rich sweetness. The fourth and fifth infusions have deciduous wood notes.

This tea provides visual and tactile imagery and well as gustatory and olfactory: a cabin in the woods, a fireplace, a pan of homemade bread just out of the oven.

Preparation

Boiling 4 g 3 OZ / 88 ML

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Stephanie
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lovely description!

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Stephanie
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lovely description!

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Bio

I began drinking tea because its complexity fascinated me. I love learning about its history, its manufacturing processes, and its place in various cultures.

Japanese greens were my first love and gateway into the world.

My favorite teas are leafhopper oolongs, pu’erh (shou and sheng), and masala chai. My favorite herbal tisanes are spear/peppermint, lavender and chrysanthemum.

I’m currently exploring pu’erh, and any Chinese and Taiwanese teas in general. I’m not much into flavored teas, unlike when I first started. The only teas I truly dislike are fruity tisanes and the ones that have too much fruit. I do like hisbiscus, especially iced.

I like to write nature essays. I’m a birdwatcher as well as a tea enthusiast. The kiwi is one of my favorite birds. I also like Tolkien, Ancient Egypt, and exercising.

IMPORTANT NOTE, PLEASE READ: After two and a half years of having an account here, I will no longer will provide numerical ratings as an addition to the review because the American school system has skewed my thoughts on numbers out of a hundred and the colors throw me off. Curses! My words are more than sufficient. If I really like what I have, I will “recommend”, and if I don’t, “not recommended”.

Key for past ratings:

96-100 I adore absolutely everything about it. A permanent addition to my stash.

90-95 Superb quality and extremely enjoyable, but not something I’d necessarily like to have in my stash (might have to do with personal tastes, depending on what I say in the tasting note).

80-89 Delicious! Pleased with the overall quality.

70-79 Simply, I like it. There are qualities that I find good, but there also are things that aren’t, hence a lower rating that I would have otherwise like to put.

60-69 Overall “meh”. Not necessarily bad, but not necessarily good.

0-59 No.

If there is no rating: I don’t feel experienced enough to rate the tea, or said tea just goes beyond rating (in a positive way).