103/365
Been drinking a lot of shou lately, after a gap of…don’t know how long! I used to be pretty scared of pu’erh in general, but it’s slowly become something I look forward to. I quite like it at work, because it’s interesting (and convenient) to resteep over the course of a day, and spend some time getting to know a particular tea. It’s also a pleasing distraction from my job (which I currently dislike intensely), and strong enough to keep my headaches at bay.
From the first sip, it’s evident that this isn’t a typical shou – at least in some respects. It doesn’t have any of those super-prominent dirt/decay flavours which seem to be par for the course with shou (although I have come to enjoy that, to a certain extent). Instead, there’s a gentle earthiness and a deep, sweet creaminess. It’s not often I describe pu’erh as sweet, but this one absolutely is. It would make a pretty good introduction to shou for someone who’s uncertain – I only wish my first taste had been as encouraging! It’s probably fair to say that there is a background muddiness, but it’s pretty subdued and in no way pungent. I think this is going to be a good one – nicely on the side of gentle to round off the week.
