Had an urge for something lighter this afternoon, and got a bit of a surprise with this sheng pu-erh. After wrestling it from the tightly packed bamboo shoot, I gave it a quick rinse, then steeped it for 2-minutes at about 205-degrees.
We weren’t sure what to expect from a “bamboo scented” tea, so it didn’t exceed or come up short in any way. The liquor is a beautiful hue of golden amber with a somewhat vegetal aroma. The flavor, however, is very smoky. Unlike other sheng we’ve sampled, there was no hunting for the flavor to hit or reveal itself. Campfire, smoke, wood. Pleasant, but distinct.
If you like Lapsang Souchong, you’ll probably love this tea.
Flavors: Campfire, Dark Wood, Smoke, Smoked, Vegetal
I am a coward with sheng. I start them off at low temps, maybe 175F, until I am sure they won’t try to murder me.