Chun Ming Jia Ji Tuo Cha

This is a very good sheng. No astringency but it still retains some camphor and a little “bite” The first infusion was kind of weak, I guess I didn’t allow proper time for the leaves to re-hydrate. The later steeps are really nice and have the sweetness of an aged sheng. It gives many infusions before turning to just colored water.

This is the cheapest Sheng-pu’er I’ve seen anywhere. Tuocha itself had a stingy, sweet aroma remindin me of mint. Leaves look quite good, pu’er looks like what it should be. Leaves are quite large, and for most part whole. It tastes like it smells, sweet, slightly stingy mint. Piece of tuocha broke up almost immediately when I added water, so I was quite careful with this tea. With a short steep this tea was quite enjoyable, a bit boring but much more than I was expecting for. I tried to steep a little longer, but bitterness scared me away quickly, I didn’t take more than three brewings. I should try to drink this again, and get over my disgust for bitterness, I feel there might be more in this cake than I initially thought.

I bought ten of these for a particular reason, I am planning to experiment with aging. I’m gonna hide one of these in a really humid cottage, one in somewhere dry, one in a normal shelf… Maybe I put one in a spiceshelf for a year.
Then, after 5-10 years I’ll have a pu’ertasting, and the effects of aging can be tested (?). Of course, this isn’t a high quality sheng, but I didn’t dare to sacrifice anything good for this.

I have this once so far using 7g in same yixing pot as the Fu Lu Yuan Bing Cha, and hotter water and longer infusions.
also, 3 of the 7 grams were very broken leaf.
I brewed the fu lu yuan at home by the fire place and this one at work- so environmental factors favor the former.

I need to experiment a few more times to properly review this tea.
Right now, it seems like a much less complex, generally lower quality version of the Fu Lu Yuan. Same orange colored infusions.
bottom line: If you are looking for an affordable everyday sheng, I recommend spending another few bucks, as well as precious shipping weight on the lovely Fu Lu Yuan.