Early Spring 2014 "Sun-Dried Buds" Wild Pu-erh tea varietal

Clear and colorless, this tea has a dusty aroma. There is a lot of flavor for such a colorless tea, particularly in the finish. The taste is light and floral, with a viscous feel in the mouth. It is unlike any other tea I have drunk.

I’ve begun what may be an annual event: I’m trying to have one cup of every tea that I own. I do this in part to avoid spending money on tea, but also to remind myself of some teas that I’ve lost track of in one of my tea boxes. This is such a tea; it is unique, and I am really enjoying it, but haven’t had any for months.

From the (Mostly) UTTB

Oh my.

The dry tea is really pretty. It’s little buds. I wanted to try it when I saw it through the packaging, before I flipped it over to see what it was.

I went looking for directions and only found suggestions here on steepster, nothing on the Yunnan Sourcing page. Since I’m trying to get through as many teas as possible today, I went with the more western approach, 180° for 2 minutes to start.

My first sip: sweet. Very sweet. Delicious. Amazing.

I am blown away.

I keep sipping. It’s still sweet. It reminds me of cream, the flavor not the feel. It’s like sweet cream. It’s a touch floral, but not really flowery at all. It’s really light.

I offered a taste of this to my husband and he said, “It doesn’t suck.” That’s how he says something is good. And then he actually said, “I like that one. It’s good. I’d drink it.”

It’s so good.

I was going to only do one steeping of each tea, but this one is getting another one.

I’m keeping some of this one so that I can try a true gongfu style with this tea.

And I’m adding it to my wish list. If I were buying tea, I think I’d order this one right away.

Wow, this is something really special and unique. It’s like… fresh cut hay and dried wildflowers, I think. Very strong in both aroma and flavor, and impossibly sweet. Smooth and thick in the mouth, and did i mention sweet? Fresh and crisp yes, but if fresh floral green teas taste like spring, this tastes more like a warm breezy afternoon in mid-summer. Very lovely and powerful.

Update:

I did four more steepings: 3’, 4’, 5’, and over 10’, such that the water temp was around 180-190F, with the exception of the last steeping where I decided to try boiling. I barely detected a degradation in flavor through all of the steepings. My guess is this tea would have yielded many more steepings, especially had I done it gongfu style—starting at 20 seconds and adding 20sec for each additional steeping.

This is an amazing tea, and I plan on showcasing it tonight with those in my men’s group. When I experience a tea like this my immediate desire is to share its pleasures with others. Unfortunately, my wife doesn’t like it. Phooey on her! :p