The number one tea, beating out tens of thousands of other teas worldwide, ranked by us experts here at Steepster, at least at some point. So, this is my third sheng ever. Is it going to give me a spiritual experience? Change my life? Make me a better person? I mean, it’s number one, after all, meaning it beats out rare teas that cost thousands of dollars. It had better be something special. Plus! It’s in this handy little ball shape, an innovation so groundbreaking that the company views it as intellectual property. Patent-pending, you guys!
Anyway, I’m even putting aside the douchebro marketing tactics for a second. You see, Misty Peaks would like me to give out its adorable little balls to all my friends who are “not a size zero” in order to fat-shame them into buying expensive teas. Because it believes all us women over a size zero are not f***able or something, and we had better do something about it!
Steeps 1 and 2, 5 seconds each: Astringent, vegetal. Blech. Disappointing because the wet leaves smell sweet and molassesy. No spiritual epiphanies yet. I like this better than a mushroom-y tea, but it’s far too vegetal for me to enjoy so far. I will withhold a number rating until I have a few more steeps, just to see if it gets any better. Why? Because I am fair, even to shitty companies that I don’t like.
Steeps 3 and 4 , 7 seconds each: Astringent, no new developments. I’m not even drinking all of it — tasting and then pouring the steeps out.
Steeps 5 and 6: And… Yep, still not tasting anything that redeems this for me. Good thing I can live without it, because I never want to purchase from this company again.
As this was going down, I kept thinking the flavor reminded me of something, but I couldn’t figure out what. Then it came to me while I was pondering the unpleasant sour aftertaste: It tastes like acid reflux. Mmmm!
I guess sheng quite this young is just not for me.
Flavors: Astringent, Bitter, Sour, Vegetal
Preparation
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I have this one in the cake and really liked it but I prefer some of the young shengs that are more like green. It depends on what you like and want in a sheng. I can’t blame you for not purchasing again. As much as I liked their tea, the way they have behaved is unexceptable. MPT is crossed off my list too.
I think it was just too sour for me.
I brew my young shengs at lower temps, so I am tempted to brew it at boiling to see if I get the Bile taste, I know that in the past when I boiled sheng I found it bitter and kinda gross.
Hm… Interesting. What temperature do you usually use? I guess I kinda…figured boiling was the safest thing to do with something other than yogurt that has live bacteria in it. It’s really not an issue?
Try lower temps, I like the bitterness that turns into bittersweet and sweet notes later. But a lot of Shengs are better at 205F, and even at 195F for reduced bitterness and astringency.
I normally do sheng at 190-195f.
I also brew all the young shengs at lower temperatures 80-90C. They are all too bitter at higher temperatures.
Okay good to know, so more green tea type brewing parameters? And this is all strictly…well, safe?
In drinking hundreds of teas over the last year it seems that the better the tea the better it will perform with boiling water. If a tea is brewing harsh try lowering steep times or pulling some leaves out. When the tea starts to tire add them back in. That all said, even the best you shengs will never be all smooth and sweetness when young, they need time to shed their bitter and floral characteristics. For me most sheng won’t even begin to hit its stride for 6 – 10 years depends on the individual tea and storage
I have this one in the cake and really liked it but I prefer some of the young shengs that are more like green. It depends on what you like and want in a sheng. I can’t blame you for not purchasing again. As much as I liked their tea, the way they have behaved is unexceptable. MPT is crossed off my list too.
I think it was just too sour for me.
I brew my young shengs at lower temps, so I am tempted to brew it at boiling to see if I get the Bile taste, I know that in the past when I boiled sheng I found it bitter and kinda gross.
Hm… Interesting. What temperature do you usually use? I guess I kinda…figured boiling was the safest thing to do with something other than yogurt that has live bacteria in it. It’s really not an issue?
Try lower temps, I like the bitterness that turns into bittersweet and sweet notes later. But a lot of Shengs are better at 205F, and even at 195F for reduced bitterness and astringency.
I normally do sheng at 190-195f.
I also brew all the young shengs at lower temperatures 80-90C. They are all too bitter at higher temperatures.
Okay good to know, so more green tea type brewing parameters? And this is all strictly…well, safe?
In drinking hundreds of teas over the last year it seems that the better the tea the better it will perform with boiling water. If a tea is brewing harsh try lowering steep times or pulling some leaves out. When the tea starts to tire add them back in. That all said, even the best you shengs will never be all smooth and sweetness when young, they need time to shed their bitter and floral characteristics. For me most sheng won’t even begin to hit its stride for 6 – 10 years depends on the individual tea and storage