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I bought a tuo of this a few years ago, and liked it enough to buy a full sleeve. I swear I thought I posted a review of it here, but now it seems gone. The tea is still available on the Yunnan Sourcing US website, albeit now at a higher price. My working tuo has been 3 yrs in a jelly-jar with a breathable filter paper cover in my dark tea cabinet at ambient, 55-60 %RH, while the sleeve is sealed with a 60 %RH humidity pack. The large leaves in the tuo were so tightly compressed that it crumbled off as I tried to pry some out. Today I brewed 5g of leaf in 100 ml boiling alpine spring water, starting for 1 min, for each of 8 sequential infusions, going 2.5 min for the 8th. I use a stainless steel strainer and a set of porcelain espresso cups for convenience. (My goal was to achieve the same tint in each liquor, which is difficult to observe in a ceramic teapot or decorative cups.)

The tea was potent, lightly astringent, moderately bitter, very smoky still (it’s now 20 yr old!). Good tea flavor on the tongue and mouth, with notes of hardwood smoke, camphor, cardamom, and an aroma of freshly-fallen autumn leaves. Although it’s been dry-aged both abroad and here in my midwestern cupboard, there was a tinge of “humidity”. All 8 infusions had the same flavors and aromas and strength, so I might as well have brewed it western-style. Perhaps I used too much leaf, so I’ll reduce it to 1 g next time and post a followup note in the comments.

At the suggestion of Steepster user Derk, I’ve brewed this Georgia 1847 Classic Black tea with a spiking of Spanish saffron threads from a reputable supplier. Derk reported that she used “a few” saffron threads. Indeed, the resulting infusion was sweeter and more rounded in flavor, with a surprise! .

I carefully weighed 1.0 g of loose leaf tea and used a pinch of saffron threads (I count 16 threads) and infused three successive 100 ml cups of alpine spring water at the boiling point. 1st infusion 60 sec. 2nd infusion 90 sec. 3rd infusion 3 min. Each brew that resulted was a deep yellow-brown liquid, and the aroma was just of tea. The flavor was fuller, rounded and quite nice! As the first infusion cooled, I discovered a buttery aftertaste on the back roof of my mouth with each sip that was terrific! No more does the tea seem like toasted-grass water, but now a more complex, aromatic beverage, worthy of a separate review so it can be rated higher. The second infusion was the same shade, but softer in flavor, and without the buttery surprise. The third infusion was a deeper yellow shade, but no stronger in flavor.

Overall, the tea is nicely changed, but at the price of using up saffron. What I would really like to try is spiking with pandan leaves (Pandanus amaryllifolius) which is said to contain the same substance that gives basmati rice its characteristic aroma. I have not yet obtained pandan leaves but will now seek them out. Thanks Derk for the saffron suggestion!

I bought this 100g mini cake of shou in May of 2018, at a bargain price, brewing a bit of it every couple years and storing the broken-up cake in a jelly-jar with a porous filter paper cover, in the dark of my tea cabinet, at 50-60 %RH. The tea arrived in an unmarked paper wrapper and was discontinued by Tealyra several years ago. However, the cake appearance and the taste & aroma of the tea is so similar to a Yunnan Sourcing product that I believe they may be the same. See: http://steepster.com/teas/yunnan-sourcing/47144-2013-yunnan-sourcing-ripe-pu-erh-and-snow-chrysanthemum-tea-mini-cak . It appears to still be available from YS, as of Aug 2024, still rather inexpensive. Over the years the orange-color of the chrysanthemum petals has darkened quite a bit. Note these are just chrysanthemum petals mixed into the chopped tea, and it is not a “blooming” tea.

Brewed western style, the soup from 5g tea in 16 oz. boiling alpine spring water was rich, smooth, fragrant, and enjoyable. And I, too, also get the impression of dill pickles (not vinegary, just the taste & smell of dill.). I don’t know if it is intentional or if some dill inadvertently got into the mix. Dill is a large weedy plant and if the tea was mechanically harvested, it could have been picked up. It is what it is. Some folks add other herbs like sage or clove or saffron to their tea, so I won’t consider the surprise dill as a defect. No fishy or wet-pile compost flavors, no astringency. Very strong, this would give many gongfu infusions if that is your method, and a few good brews even western style. I like it as a unique shou pu-erh, and will continue enjoying it!

I’m trying this now 3 years since my last tasting note on it. In that time it has sat in my dark tea cupboard in a jelly-jar with a filter paper (breathable) cover, at 55-60 %RH. Brewed 6g western style in a 16oz teapot with mesh strainer using boiling alpine spring water. Still has some bite and freshness to it, but the bbq smokiness is essentially gone. No defects of note, and now on my 3rd infusion which is still enjoyable, if a bit weak/watery. I’ll report again in another couple years.

So, I received this tea as part of a group order organized by Martin Bednar about a year and a half ago, in late pandemic times. I did end up with COVID-19 three times (so far) and for a long while was not trusting my senses of taste and smell. Hence lack of review until now!

I was excited to support the resurgence of tea cultivation in Eastern Europe, and am pleased to see that at least some tea gardens are doing well (see https://www.fao.org/support-to-investment/news/detail/en/c/1682769/ ). I’m not sure whether the 1847 group is still active or not, as their facebook page seems quiescent. I appreciated the few photographs they sent along with the tea, and do feel a connection.

Today I have continued brewing leaves from my jar of Georgian Tea 1847 Classic Black. 2 tsp per pint (16 oz) boiling alpine spring water, Western style. I do not detect any notes of the assamica varietal in taste or aroma, so I’m assuming this is straight C. sinensis var. sinensis. The tea is strong black tea, but not at all astringent. The brewed aroma was pleasant, if unremarkable. The flavor profile is good, and grabs one from the first sip, without any sweetness or noticeable defects. The long-lasting finish is enjoyable and left a nice lingering flavor on my tongue, motivating me to brew another pot of it! Because of the neutrality of the taste, this type might be suited for blending with floral or berry. Citrus might overpower it, unless used very judiciously. Still, this is a good quality tea, having a unique story, and I would recommend it if it can be found.

As an aside, I loved the photos of their tea shop and museum that have been posted to Google Maps and, if the shop survives, I’d love to visit it some day!

Pretty good ripe. The cake is on the loose side and it brews up fast and dark. Yup, that tangerine flavor sings right through it. Not sure how I ended up with three cakes of this, but it makes a good gift. Just a tad bit “humid” on the nose in the first brew (after a quick wash) but it doesn’t linger or return. Got 8+ steepings out of it before moving on, but I could have pushed another 4 brews from it. The leaves are a pretty big chop, too. Worth giving a try!

Not bad, but nothing special either. I’ve sipped on this shou now and then for a year, and it’s remained steady. Fast infusing, to a dark, rich liquor, smooth & creamy without that fishy taste or “humid” odor. As others have noted, the melon is tightly compressed, but it does break up once you get into it, and since the tea itself has been fairly well chopped before pressing, you don’t need to worry about damaging the leaves. I rinsed 5g (1/4th melon) under hot running tap water for 15 sec in a stainless mesh infuser, then steeped in 7 oz boiling alpine spring water for 30 sec. Re-steeped 8 more times, gradually lengthening to 4 min on #8. Enjoyable, but would be better suited as a base for something flavored. I’ve got 4 more melons that I’ll sip on and gift away over the next years, but won’t buy more.

I got a 25 g of this in a 2022 pu’erh snob’s sampling box from YS, and find I quite like it. For a semi-aged raw cake at a modest price, I consider it to be quite a value. Tobacco, leather, rich tea, with a hint of bite that has mellowed out. No fishiness or smoke to speak of, and an overall mild attitude and pleasant aroma. I also got a strong hit of chestnut after a few steepings. 5 g per 7 oz boiling spring water. Crystal clear amber liquor from large intact leaves. And YS will literally GIVE you a cake of it with a substantial order, making it an infinite value! I may just pay the $78 to get a cake by itself now that I find I like it so much!