First, let me start with that I am a sucker for aesthetic looks. I love a good tea presentation, and this cake achieved that. The wrapper is something beautiful, and it comes with an intersting cake bag. This is some good ’Shou’manship….hahah. Anyways, onward to the review.
The cake is beautiful! This shining golden disk is nicely compressed of black and gold maocha. This “Golden Needle” is fluffy and dusty with bronze colored powder, so it slightly stains the wrapper around it. The cake emits a smooth scent of earth and almost meaty. I broke a decent sized chunk off and prepared for brewing. I placed this inside my warmed gaiwan and gave it a shake. The tea began to awaken, and I could smell the amazing aromas. This brew carries a very sweet and smooth scent. This was a very nice blend. As a side note, I find it interesting the material that was used in making this cake. The fact that it was practically all golden needle just makes this tea seem luxurious. I digress, I washed the leaves and prepared for brewing. The steeped leaves give off a creamy and meaty aroma. The brew was almost pitch black and full of scents. The brew is incredible! The flavor is heavy and full bodied. The description reads “It doesn’t even feel like tea”, and that would be correct. The liquor is fully encapsulating and fills the mouth powerfully. The flavor is silky and slightly floral. There is a slight wildflower aftertaste that gives a drying effect. The brew remains consistently dark and brews at least 9 times. I was able to take in a mushroom flavor mixed well with Irish cream, brandy, and clay. This brew carries a lot of heavy tones. The qi was only slight, but it was still quite prominent. I was given a uplifted feeling that followed me through out my session. I am most grateful to have plenty of this cake to drink and share. I am usually not a great fan of Shu, but this may change my standpoint…
https://instagram.com/p/8QV6kNTGc5/?taken-by=haveteawilltravel
https://instagram.com/p/8UMbaxTGYk/?taken-by=haveteawilltravel
Flavors: Brandy, Clay, Creamy, Decayed Wood, Flowers, Irish Cream, Mushrooms, Smooth
