Eastern Tea Bar

Gongfu!

This sheng definitely caught me off guard a little bit with its fruitiness!! Though most steeps had a slightly more light and vegetal top note and body with some resinous pine sap type notes, nearly all of them finished with an almost syrupy and candy like sweet red fruit note that lingered well into the aftertaste. Though it took me much of the session to place, I finally realized that the sense of nostalgia this fruitiness was giving me was because it was reminding me of the strawberry fruit leather that I used to sometimes get as a snack in my school lunches way back in elementary school. Very cooked down and reduced, but that only drew out the sweetness of the strawberry even more so. It’s definitely one heck of a throwback!!

Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/CvDgiFsuK7s/?img_index=4

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Z2mDHEA90Q

Grandpa Style!

Cold weather is shou weather so yesterday I steeped up this wonderful pu’erh grandpa style. Thick and earthy deliciousness with a fruitier undertone of slightly green but still rich and starchy banana and sweet brown fig jam! I thought the flavours were a bit more dynamic as a gongfu session, but the grandpa style mug that was my afternoon constant is nothing to turn up your nose to!

Tea Photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cap7Pd2u3tn/

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ON0ATVt5G4

Gongfu!

Steeped up this interesting session outdoors in the park. I love sheng from Yiwu, but I’ve not tried a whole lot of shou from the region. I found it quite pleasant and relaxing w/ early steeps have a dense sweetness that reminded me of date cookies, fig jam, and freshly made banana cake intertwined with sweet wet potting soil. As the liquor thinned out the profile ventured further away from those darker fruity baked good notes and more towards greener, just under ripe bananas, cooked apples, and a softer earthiness. Overall, a pretty interesting tea, and a very tasty and easy going session!

Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/CSZWTSjgr4N/

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPrJKUvom1s&ab_channel=mrcisco13