beerandbeancurd Send Message

Yum. I don’t have much to add to all the wonderful flavor notes here, but I enjoyed this gong fu session much-much. I am beginning to feel cozily familiar with the young-to-middle-aged sheng taste of (vaguely) apricot/astringency/hay. There are shengs that hum more and less beautifully in that range, in the way “oolong taste” can leave me waiting at the bus stop or vibrate me right into a heap of pleasure. This is Vibrational Sheng Taste.

Of course: I say vibrational and then go and admit that I didn’t ackshually get much vibey qi outta the thing. Okay by me, though — the flavor profile and steeps-for-days kept me pretty darn happy.

I do kind of wonder what this is, right? I find W2T’s marketing incredibly visually and emotionally appealing, but then equally frustrating from an educational and knowledge-building perspective: What regions and factories do I find delicious? Well, uh…

/points at sexy-lip bing

/shrugs

derk. thank you once again for your generous sharing. <3

I got it in my head that I wanted to revisit a tea I’d just had a bagged sample of, so I ordered a few from TTS.

This is astringent green oolong with artificial coconut flavoring. The oolong tastes cheap and subpar — reminds me of the stuff I got from Upton’s. Blech.

Consider my curiosity sated… don’t need to revisit this shop, I don’t think (the wild green puerh is what I’d really ordered for — satisfying enough, but I don’t need to restock it).

Tough-brewing buggers. They’re tight, so require some coaxing… too much coaxing and they get bitter. I got a handful of “good” steeps, but didn’t feel there was a lot of payoff. There are hints of my favorite notes — charcoal, florals, wood — which present themselves so much more fully and easily and beautifully in other teas. I know Dancong is finicky, though, so I’ll update if I have any more success with the rest of the coins.

Heavy-handed gong fu in ceramic. Easy to drink, with some citrus notes and tannins that keep things poppy. Like a nice bright black tea with just a hint of fruity floral if you really go looking for it, and a hint of… eh, it’s not even age or funk, just a whisper of ferment, like kombucha-level. Cheap and fun to explore.

I am chasing a 2004 imitation recipe from CNNP with this one-year-older, authentic chunk of 7542 Menghai today. I’m finding a lot of value in comparison-sipping in my little 60ml gaiwans as I educate myself on sheng.

This is worlds more interesting than the imitation. Extremely clean storage with no funk; camphor-cooling, effervescence, smoke, pine, some smoothing fruit sweetness as steeps progress. Strangely refreshing. More attic than basement… that’s the first time I’ve used that phrase, but I quite like it as quick refence for aged-woody vs damp-stony.

It looks like there was still some bitterness hanging around in this little guy a few years ago, based on Steepster notes, but I am getting juuust enough to underpin and support the rest of the profile beautifully — seems like most of the bitter has transformed to start pumping terpenes out. I feel pretty lucky to have gotten to experience this icon at the 20-year mark.

I have a precious 3g left for future indulgence. My lips are tingling.

Thank you so very much, derk.

High praise from EoT for this 7542 imitation cake by CNNP, but I drank it just prior to a sample of 2003 7542 Menghai (via derk, via mrmopar), and they are quite different. Of course storage is a factor, too — this one having come from Guangzhou.

I would agree with EoT’s “comfortable to drink” assessment. It is largely basement camphor, with some initial cooling in the back of the throat that moves into the top of the mouth as steeps progress. I am nearing steep-out and didn’t take detailed notes, so I’ll probably be back around on this one. I didn’t enjoy it as much as the presumably-authentic 7542 from Menghai, to be sure — it’s much less complex and doesn’t taste as clean — but will be happy enough to revisit it in the future.

I think shou is fine, but I am pretty well convinced after this last handful of dark-n-broodies from LP that I’m just not a huge fan. It’s probably time I content myself to think of it as a digestive/refresher/late-night chill buddy, which is fine.

Anyway, there is something vaguely floral in this one. The digested corpses of flowers past? Hehe. Who knows if I’d pick that up if I wasn’t comparison-sipping next to the LaoBanZhang loose (also from LP). Very smooth, no paper taste here.

Reddish coffee colored. Something a little reminiscent of walnuts. Bit of a papery note, which develops into some bitterness as steeps play out. Meh.