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“6g, 95mL hongni shuiping, 2x rinse this tea is good. instant calm when I took first sip. later this qi became sedating/heavy/lethargic. it moved me and I got a body wave of energy, but no...” Read full tasting note
“The first half of this session is beautiful scent and energywise but it descends into a lightly smoky yet somehow rather harsh latter half. Have not paid enough attention to pinpoint whether the...” Read full tasting note
“The first steep acted more as insight to what the tea would eventually become, as opposed to a defining steep. The tea developed flavors like light vegetation, lingering sweetness, and small...” Read full tasting note
This blend has a fair amount of aged material in the mix. The smooth and quiet initial steeps of the tea belie a layered complexity with a focus on sweeter Menghai style character. The intense feel of the tea creeps up on feather foot steps and strikes out of nowhere. The aromas have a range from grapes to sweet honey, with a bit of fresh florals from the younger materials. Not the type of tea you would want to chug at work, better to set aside time for a long session.
6g, 95mL hongni shuiping, 2x rinse
this tea is good.
instant calm when I took first sip. later this qi became sedating/heavy/lethargic. it moved me and I got a body wave of energy, but no goosebumps that usually follows. lingering sweet aftertaste. gently astringent kuwei on long finish after 2-3 cups. VERY aromatic from empty cup on table in front of me. Like a bouquet of flowers on the table. smooth, goes down easily, no catch in throat.
it gets a bit raw on the stomach after a few cups, but I think this is due to the youth of the tea. I think this will age wonderfully and only get thicker/more full/sweeter with time. this is a good quality tea. I wasn’t motivated to buy a cake, but made a note to revisit and see if it develops, so its at least worth keeping an eye on
The first half of this session is beautiful scent and energywise but it descends into a lightly smoky yet somehow rather harsh latter half. Have not paid enough attention to pinpoint whether the gentle but persistent harshness is in the belly or the mouth or throat or all of the above. I can try to remember to do that for my final sesskon. The raw sensation isn’t a dealbreaker but makes this less of an impulse buy despite it being at that sub-$100-for-200g sweet spot. Not sure if others are buying this to age but every time I drink this I get major munchies. So I like this a lot but would want the newer materials in it to mellow out further before subjecting my poor tummy to a whole cake of it.
The first steep acted more as insight to what the tea would eventually become, as opposed to a defining steep. The tea developed flavors like light vegetation, lingering sweetness, and small amounts of bitterness.
Steep 2 brought everything this tea has to the table taste-wise, and body-wise followed quickly after: Both Steal Boats and Meet Halfway is thick-bodied, with an astringent vegetal character that attacks the tongue sides and throat, while a sweet part of the viscous soup – which I can only describe as delightful – attacks the very tip of the tongue, as hints of smoke go down with the swallow. Other steeps deconstructed this one slowly, but I personally think the best of this tea lies after steep 1 and before steep 6, likely between 2 and 4.
Into steep 3, the bitterness began to fluctuate, while the vegetal astringency continued as an established part of the flavor. The sweetness in the linger also began to ramp up past this point. In addition, the head feelings of this tea became extremely present. After finishing steep 2, I found myself with lots of mental energy, but also with a strange head-based disassociation with my surroundings. It can be best summed up simply with the word powerful.
As the steeps progressed, the tea followed a similar path to many other young shengs: the astringency stuck around for a while, the bitter lower half dropped out, and the sweetness prevailed by double-digit steeps. However, this was not a mediocre tea. It isn’t exactly a joy to drink for any one reason, save maybe hard-hitting qi, but is a pleasure to drink for a multitude of humble reasons. This tea carries all of the best attributes that a young sheng with aged material mixed in can carry; no aggressive flavors, full body, an above-mediocre progression, and a moving trip in the head. A tea I wouldn’t save as the last at a party, but one I’d be thrilled to present midway / late in.
Considering the cost to conclude; this cake (200g) is $85. Do you need to spend almost $100 to get a well-balanced cake? No, and it might be overpriced if that’s all it offered. The sort of place that this tea puts the mind in however, hits – if not significantly hits – above its price. I’ve experienced similar mind-moving brews at price points $40 more. Presenting itself as a well-rounded blend, only hitting 100% in head-feel, this cake is a great price. Overall, an incredibly pleasant taste, paired with a surprisingly strong mental side, makes this a great tea to keep around for anytime you can afford it proper attention.
Specs:
7g / 100ml
100c (boiling) water
Steep time = 5x seconds, where x = steep number
