2008 Haichao Chenxiang

I really like the flavor of this shu. It smells kind of nutty to me and the flavor reminds me slightly of yerba mate.

Thanks to a very good tea friend I was able to try this tea from the White2Tea club. This tea is good, end of statement. It has a lot of flavor and very little fermentation flavor. I am really considering joining the White2Tea club. This tea was naturally just a little bit sweet. It was the best shou I have drank this week anyway. I gave this tea eight steeps and would have given it more but I have a caffeine limit and eight steeps in a 170ml teapot is a lot of tea even in the afternoon.

I steeped this tea eight times in a 170ml Yixing teapot with 10g leaf and boiling water. I gave it a 10 second rinse and let the leaves rest for ten minutes. I steeped it for 5 sec, 5 sec, 7 sec, 10 sec, 15 sec, 20 sec, 25 sec, and 30 sec. The tea was not finished at eight, it would certainly have gone twelve steeps.

I decided to do a shou session with my new teapot, and picked this one out of the pile. It was the first shou I found.

Good beginner tea, but nothing outstanding. It didn’t last long.

http://instagram.com/p/zXunXXgyS9/

A nice starter ripe pu’er! It had a nice clear tea with a comfort feel with flavors of malt and chocolate. The only thing I didn’t like about this one was I didn’t get that many infusions, it got light within 8 steeps for me.

Full review on Oolong Owl http://oolongowl.com/january-white2tea-club/ along with the other January White2Tea club teas!

This is for the mini-cake of the same name, which was included in the January edition of the tea club.
7G + 4oz or so yixing (rinse) X 15/30/45/60 sec, etc…

Wood…that’s the first note here, deep woodwinds come to mind, & some low strings. This has a pleasing darkness to it, like a rich well aged compost, that you can’t help running your fingers through & smelling before you mix it into your garden. I’ve had a rough day, & it is immediately grounding & satisfying, welcoming me home. There’s a darkness & slight bitterness to it like a cup of coffee, or a square of unsweetened high quality dark chocolate.

This tea doesn’t have any unpleasant qualities, however there is a slight metallic taste, at least to my tastebuds. It’s in the background, with a silvery quality to it, as if a bright sounding flute tried to join the soothing ensemble that I have created in my mind, & I’m not sure how I feel about it’s presence.

Imagine yourself in the cool dark by a lake, surrounded by trees, feeling soothed & at peace. Then you notice a neon light, flashing through the trees. It’s not quite what you had in mind, but you do your best to ignore it. Anyway, that faded after a couple of steeps, and now my ensemble of mellow sounds is playing more softly, and includes a loaf of nutty whole grain bread, a hint of clay, & well oiled & aged leather.

And I’m getting a pleasant buzz, so my day is much improved. :)

This is a pleasant enough shou. The predominant flavor is definitely wood with perhaps a little leather flavor. This tea really is very smooth. Almost too smooth for my liking as there is very little that really stands out in this tea, but maybe that should be expected for the low price, which is really exceptional at just $12 a cake. I have had better luck brewing western style which produces a more flavorful cup. Because of the low price I have also enjoyed messing around with cold brewing it after a couple quick rinses which resulted in a pretty interesting iced tea. To give you an idea of how hard it is to get flavor out of this I steeped 7 grams in 24 oz. water for 48 hours to produce a flavorful enough iced tea. It was a fun experiment.

In the end I don’t think I will buy this again, but I surely do not regret the purchase. As the website says, this may be a great starter tea for those new to puer but i feel I am perhaps past this point in my puer tasting journey.

A pleasant shu, I guess, as shu’s go. Although it has the obligatory boot-leather smell & taste, there is also a sweetness and lightness that is not unappealing. The website is correct when it says that “The taste is clean, smooth, and light.”

First infusion – 3 g. per 6 oz water, 90 deg., 2:00 min.

Second infusion – 3 g. per 6 oz. water, 90 deg., 4:00 min.

Third infusion – 3 g. per 6 oz. water, 90 deg., 7:00 min.

Fourth infusion – 3 g. per 6 oz. water, 90 deg., 10:00+ min.