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drank Mengku Silver Buds 2012 Spring by Tea Urchin
1548 tasting notes

Soft, sweet aroma. Tastes begin moderately sweet with honeyed apricot and hay tones, modest orchid bouquet, almost juicy with salivation. Light bitterness and astringency in the first handful of steeps fade away and hints of butter, wood and caramel come in. A pleasant returning sweetness emerges midway. Orange, brothy liquor is cooling in the mouth and body and produces a satisfying swallow — a bit of heaviness to the body. The tea maintains its moderately sweet quality for over 12 steeps before hinting at its final fade.

The energy is non-interfering… unless drank in the evening. I found myself awake at 4am after a 7pm session but I wasn’t mad about it since the wakefulness was smooth and collected. This tea seems like a good one to start in the morning at your desk and drink throughout the day, given its smooth stimulation and longevity. For the price, I’d say it’s a nice sheng with some age on it, currently selling for $0.19/g.

My housemate had a cup of it last night in the early steeps and commented on how smooth it was. She’s a tea drinker but had never tried pu before.

Flavors: Apricot, Butter, Caramel, Hay, Honey, Orchid, Smooth, Sweet, Wood

Preparation
Boiling 6 g 3 OZ / 100 ML
3 comments
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gmathis
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Mmmm…hay and honey instead of ice and sludge…sounds lovely! (Spring IS coming, right?)

So Keta
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Oh this sounds delicious. I’m a sucker for anything with apricot notes.

derk
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gmathis, the nice thing about tea is it’s a relief from the icy sludge and daily drudge. Have any spring-themed teas in queue to wake you up a little?

So Keta: the apricot is more like a general tone not a precise note. It’s a pretty cheap sheng and worth a shot if you don’t mind paying for shipping from China.

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Comments

gmathis
Delete

Mmmm…hay and honey instead of ice and sludge…sounds lovely! (Spring IS coming, right?)

So Keta
Delete

Oh this sounds delicious. I’m a sucker for anything with apricot notes.

derk
Delete

gmathis, the nice thing about tea is it’s a relief from the icy sludge and daily drudge. Have any spring-themed teas in queue to wake you up a little?

So Keta: the apricot is more like a general tone not a precise note. It’s a pretty cheap sheng and worth a shot if you don’t mind paying for shipping from China.

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Bio

This place, like the rest of the internet, is dead and overrun with bots. And thus I step away.

Eventual tea farmer. If you are a tea grower, want to grow your own plants or are simply curious, please follow me so we can chat.

I most enjoy loose-leaf, unflavored teas and tisanes. Teabags have their place. Some of my favorite teas have a profound effect on mind and body rather than having a specific flavor profile. Terpene fiend.

Favorite teas generally come from China (all provinces), Taiwan, India (Nilgiri and Manipur). Frequently enjoyed though less sipped are teas from Georgia, Japan, Nepal and Darjeeling. While I’m not actively on the hunt, a goal of mine is to try tea from every country that makes it available to the North American market. This is to gain a vague understanding of how Camellia sinensis performs in different climates. I realize that borders are arbitrary and some countries are huge with many climates and tea-growing regions.

I’m convinced European countries make the best herbal teas.

Personal Rating Scale:

100-90: A tea I can lose myself into. Something about it makes me slow down and appreciate not only the tea but all of life or a moment in time. If it’s a bagged or herbal tea, it’s of standout quality in comparison to similar items.

89-80: Fits my profile well enough to buy again.

79-70: Not a preferred tea. I might buy more or try a different harvest. Would gladly have a cup if offered.

69-60: Not necessarily a bad tea but one that I won’t buy again. Would have a cup if offered.

59-1: Lacking several elements, strangely clunky, possess off flavors/aroma/texture or something about it makes me not want to finish.

Unrated: Haven’t made up my mind or some other reason. If it’s pu’er, I likely think it needs more age.

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California, USA

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