41 Tasting Notes
7.8 g / 130 ml / 212 F / 1 wash
Steeps: 15 / 10 / 15 / 15 / 30 / 45 / 60
First steep was astringent and lacked depth of flavor. In retrospect this tea could benefit from two rinses.
The next two steeps yielded a dark, coffee-colored liquid. Astringency was diminishing and flavors were integrating such that no one thing stood out, which was enjoyable. Nice earthy aroma with no off-smells. These were my favorite steeps.
Steeps 4 and 5 were lighter in color, a reddish-brown. Astringency is gone, aroma diminishing, flavor becoming more delicate, but still enjoyable.
Steeps 6 and 7 are now a reddish-amber, aroma is faint but still slightly earthy. Flavor is very light like a green tea.
I consider this to be a decent value every day drinking tea when you don’t want to have to pay as much attention as you would a fine Pu-Erh. Caffeine level is moderate, so I could drink this after dinner and not be too wound up to go to bed three or four hours later.
Next time I would do two washes and stop drinking after the fourth steep. It might be interesting to see how this matures in another 5 years.
You mention doing two rinses. I have read that some Chinese Pu-urh drinkers do as many as three. So, doing a second rinse here would help mitigate the astringency?
Sorry for the delay; was AFS (away from Steepster). I don’t believe that astringency is generally reduced by additional rinses. In the case of this shu, the extra rinse helps the tea open up in preparation for a better first steep. The astringency in this particular tea diminished as the steeps went on, but that won’t always be the case with all pu-erh.
Got it. Thanks TeaExplorer!