6g of leaves in a 100ml gaiwan.
5 second rinse followed by a 5 minute rest
Stepping time started at 10 seconds and added 5 to 10 seconds per steep depending on previous cups strength.
This puerh is very different than any sheng I’ve had before and is delicious. Wet leaves smells like tart peach skins and dry grass clippings. First steepings are definitely floral and fruity on top of the typical sheng flavors. Orchid, plum, peach, hay and wood. It’s nuts.
Decent body and strength. Little astrengency or bitterness though I haven’t tried pushing it harder. The oolong like fruityness and florals begin to fade at around the 4th steep but remain noticeable throughout. Typically lasts for 6 to 8 steeps for me before needing 2 minutes, then I toss it.
This is almost an sheng puerh/ oolong crossover situation in the flavor and smell. It’s like a fresh sheng had a baby with a dan cong. Sometimes I can’t decide if I want an oolong or a sheng puerh. Now I don’t have to.
I treated it an 85 only because it’s an outlier to the typical sheng profile, but for my personal tastes, it’s easily in the mid 90s.
Flavors: Grassy, Hay, Hibiscus, Orchid, Peach
Update 9-7-24: This tea has settled in nicely after a couple months in my standard mylar bag with a 65% Boveda humidity pack per cake setup. This young sheng also has a fairly strong head cha qi and a full bodied flavor. I purchased a second cake to store when I had another discount cade.