I opened up this never before opened sample packet today. Following my ten steep protocol in the gaiwan after a rinse.
In the packet, the tea has a spicy, wet leaf smell. It steeps very dark on the first steep, like black coffee — when held to the light it has some red to it, like cabernet.
The tea has a very rich aroma even after a short steep that has a cocoa note as well as the earthy, shroomy note I often seem to get these days. Since this says it is from Yunnan, I very much was hoping I’d get that Yunnan thing that I got in my last pu erh from that region, but not so. The flavor on the first steep is a bit more leather than anything else. I had hoped for cocoa.
By the fourth steep something darkly sweet starts to come out, like a molasses note. The tea is still standing up after seven steeps, which takes a turn back to leathery, though the liquor is starting to become lighter in color. The tea has a smoothness to it that complements its richness.
I kept going through ten and the leaves were still producing, though they were in a gradual fade after the sixth steep. Still, they didn’t fade so much as to make the additional steeps not worthwhile. The later steeps were lighter, smoother, and had their own different but tasty character.
I’m far from a shu expert, but this one is just kind of regular to me — nothing terribly special about it, though it is flavorful and not fishy or otherwise objectionable. It’s better than some I’ve had but it isn’t something that makes me go “wow.” Rating accordingly.
Flavors: Autumn Leaf Pile, Cocoa, Leather, Molasses, Mushrooms, Spicy, Wet Earth
