If I had to introduce somebody to the world of puerh, and this person had sheng-y trepidations, Hidden Song would be first pick. It’s friendly, mild and sweet with some throaty astringency and light bitterness. The warmed/rinsed leaf has an aroma of cooked sweet blackberries, an umami that lies along a meaty-beany spectrum, dusty florals and old books, moderate flat smoke. The fruity aroma drops away in the brew, leaving a viscous soup that tastes like sweet yellow bean paste with hints of those dusty florals and old books, both of which later become dominant. Some mild, well integrated lemony sourness on the sides of the tongue also makes a presence. A tea difficult to screw up.
If you’re brand new to puerh, I’d highly suggest this tea. The lower score is only my personal preference.
Flavors: Beany, Blackberry, Dust, Floral, Lemon, Meat, Mineral, Paper, Smoke, Smooth, Sugarcane, Sweet, Umami
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I’ve never seemed to advance beyond the beginner sheng because I drink light teas most of the time (green , white, light oolong). I got into pu-erh a few years ago and got a few cakes but as they aged , I liked them less instead of more. These days I only buy sample sizes of any Pu-erh I like and try to find the ones most like a green tea with lots of fruitiness.
It sounds like you found what works for you :) Crimson Lotus offers a lot of sheng that I think caters to sippers with your preferences. I haven’t found another western-facing vendor yet that sells good quality oolong-type sheng without having to wade through pages and pages… Have you explored Jingmai or Yiwu teas? I’ve found they tend to be soft and sometimes fruity, but I’m still a newb in this vast world of puerh.
I think I did try some of the Yiwu teas a few years ago but nothing appealed to me. Smaller vendors like Crimson Lotus, Mandala, & White2Tea have been my best choices for finding what I like. This year I got the 2018 Sampler pack from Crimson Lotus and there’s quite a few I like in there so far.
I’ve never seemed to advance beyond the beginner sheng because I drink light teas most of the time (green , white, light oolong). I got into pu-erh a few years ago and got a few cakes but as they aged , I liked them less instead of more. These days I only buy sample sizes of any Pu-erh I like and try to find the ones most like a green tea with lots of fruitiness.
It sounds like you found what works for you :) Crimson Lotus offers a lot of sheng that I think caters to sippers with your preferences. I haven’t found another western-facing vendor yet that sells good quality oolong-type sheng without having to wade through pages and pages… Have you explored Jingmai or Yiwu teas? I’ve found they tend to be soft and sometimes fruity, but I’m still a newb in this vast world of puerh.
I think I did try some of the Yiwu teas a few years ago but nothing appealed to me. Smaller vendors like Crimson Lotus, Mandala, & White2Tea have been my best choices for finding what I like. This year I got the 2018 Sampler pack from Crimson Lotus and there’s quite a few I like in there so far.