After letting the dry leaves sit inside a prewarmed gaiwan for a minute, it definitely smells of Sheng… leather, wood, earth and a faint aroma of flowers and sap.
The first infusion is sweet and smooth, with notes of sandalwood and a hint of honeysuckle. The taste and aroma also remind me of summer trees in the rain. It has a silky texture, and while there are hints of dryness in the woody finish, and little sparks of white pepper flavor, there’s also a good amount of lingering sweetness, and a taste of golden raisins.
By the second infusion, the wood note is coming through much more, and the peppery note in the finish, while overall it is less sweet.
I won’t go much more deeply into this review except to say that if you’ve had good young sheng, this is good young sheng, and it has all the tastes and aromas you’d expect from your typical sheng, so that’s that. I have no idea what the asking price is, so it may be a good deal, but the flavor profile’s not one that is particularly memorable to me, so I’ll probably pass on ordering some.
Flavors: Dried Fruit, Drying, Flowers, Pepper, Sap, Sweet, Wood
