Last one from the Sheng and Shou TTB. This is the loose leaf version, but I didn’t want to create a new “tea” for this note.

Brewed gongfu-style with a ceramic gaiwan. Used enough leaf to fill half the gaiwan. 10 second rinse. Steeping times: 5, 8, 12, 15, 20, 30, 60, 90, 120.

Despite being an autumn sheng, spring is in the dry leaf, which smells of flowers, notably hyacinths, and a newly mowed lawn. The wet leaf aroma reminds me of leafhopper oolongs. Purely stonefruit after the rinse, and then i becomes richly jam-like.

The liquor is a clear pale gold. Slightly thick texture. Light-bodied. Bright personality. Uplifting yet calming feel. The first couple infusions resemble white tea. Airy feel, tastes of field grass. Beginning with the third infusion, this becomes more sheng-like – sweet grass and asparagus notes appear. Infusions eight and nine are fruitier, very fruity. Plum lingers in the mouth long after the very last sip.

The dry leaf is something to admire. I think this is my first sheng in which the leaves are so long, unbroken and full. They’re also lovely in color and texture.

Preparation
5 g 3 OZ / 88 ML
Dr Jim

I was just thinking that I was hoping to see more reviews coming from the TTB, then when I went to my dashboard I saw this. Cheered me up!

MzPriss

@Dr Jim – I am about to start digging into the ones I took from it and will be posting in the next week

KiwiDelight

Woohoo! Too bad it’s my last one :P

Dr Jim

You should have taken more!

Dr Jim

I shouldn’t throw any stones. I have a lot of trouble writing reviews of pu-erh. Seems like everything tastes of wood or tobacco. I read these reviews of various fruits, but I have real trouble seeing it. I think my palate isn’t refined enough.

mrmopar

You should write Dr Jim. Took me long time but I found practice/drinking it brought me along.

KiwiDelight

I didn’t have enough in my stash to replace what I took, but I’ll have more the next round for sure!

The first time I drank sheng – from Verdant, two years ago – it tasted like bitter dry grass. I was totally turned off. I’ve been reading people’s notes over the past few months and the fruit notes they tasted made me too curious to pass on trying more sheng. The amount I’ve been drinking of late escalated because of the box. I guess my palate evolves rapidly. I’m still getting grass or hay or tobacco (blurgggh) but I’m getting there. I liked shou right away, and I’m slowly coming to like sheng. And I like the qi that comes drinking it. It’s like a clearer “tea tipsy” compared to what shou causes.

Cheri

I’ve done one of the teas I took, and I plan to do more this week. I didn’t want to spend too much more time with the box since it sat there unopened for so long while I was sick. I just jumped in, picked a handful out and sent it on its way.

Dr Jim

That’s pretty much what everyone did. I figured with pu-erh, people use so much for a pot that it made sense to just take one sample. For the next circuit I intend to ask people how that worked out and whether it makes more sense to let people take all they want. The up-side is that the box is just flying around the country. We’ve had 8 people have the box in only 40 days, which has to be some kind of TTB record.

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Comments

Dr Jim

I was just thinking that I was hoping to see more reviews coming from the TTB, then when I went to my dashboard I saw this. Cheered me up!

MzPriss

@Dr Jim – I am about to start digging into the ones I took from it and will be posting in the next week

KiwiDelight

Woohoo! Too bad it’s my last one :P

Dr Jim

You should have taken more!

Dr Jim

I shouldn’t throw any stones. I have a lot of trouble writing reviews of pu-erh. Seems like everything tastes of wood or tobacco. I read these reviews of various fruits, but I have real trouble seeing it. I think my palate isn’t refined enough.

mrmopar

You should write Dr Jim. Took me long time but I found practice/drinking it brought me along.

KiwiDelight

I didn’t have enough in my stash to replace what I took, but I’ll have more the next round for sure!

The first time I drank sheng – from Verdant, two years ago – it tasted like bitter dry grass. I was totally turned off. I’ve been reading people’s notes over the past few months and the fruit notes they tasted made me too curious to pass on trying more sheng. The amount I’ve been drinking of late escalated because of the box. I guess my palate evolves rapidly. I’m still getting grass or hay or tobacco (blurgggh) but I’m getting there. I liked shou right away, and I’m slowly coming to like sheng. And I like the qi that comes drinking it. It’s like a clearer “tea tipsy” compared to what shou causes.

Cheri

I’ve done one of the teas I took, and I plan to do more this week. I didn’t want to spend too much more time with the box since it sat there unopened for so long while I was sick. I just jumped in, picked a handful out and sent it on its way.

Dr Jim

That’s pretty much what everyone did. I figured with pu-erh, people use so much for a pot that it made sense to just take one sample. For the next circuit I intend to ask people how that worked out and whether it makes more sense to let people take all they want. The up-side is that the box is just flying around the country. We’ve had 8 people have the box in only 40 days, which has to be some kind of TTB record.

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Profile

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).

Location

Westchester, NY

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