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drank 2005 Changtai Yun Pu Zhi Dian / Top of the Clouds by Crimson Lotus Tea
1650 tasting notes

Honestly, I can’t smell anything or taste much right now. It’s actually a great time to focus on the general impression of a puerh and the way it feels in my mouth and body rather than my default mode which is to get lost in tastes.

Despite my schnoz not working well, I am able to pick up on aged puerh smell and forest floor in the rinsed leaf along with yeasty and bready qualities. The liquor has an oily thickness to it that when combined with a general tartness and minerality gives the impression of a lighter-bodied tea. Seems like it might taste of tobacco. The initial infusions feel great going down my throat and leave a thin and cooling camphor coating. There is also a bit of throat drying early on along with slight bitterness that does grow stronger but it is complementary. A light returning sweetness presents, seems date-like but combines with the back of the tongue bitterness to give a bittersweet lingering. I do notice some roughness and numbing of the tongue.

The energy is notable for me in the regard that it gives me a general sense of well being and positivity and it makes me dance. I much prefer this feeling to heady teas since I’m always thinking anyway.

On that note:
Album pairing: Paul Simon - Graceland, found in my housemate’s record collection
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGEz7fwcmlY&list=PLgD_2-Ds0_gpHnMOnyYpuVCdAJ_9Olkv&index=1

This is a solid aged sheng, one I could see keeping as a daily drinker.
Preparation
Boiling 7 g 4 OZ / 110 ML
6 comments
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Martin Bednář
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Get well soon!

derk
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Thanks, it’s a mild cold

Leafhopper
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Hope you feel better!

mrmopar
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Indeed, get over that cold.

gmathis
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I remember hearing the Graceland album for the first time and being totally blown away by the crazy wonderful mix-match of instrumentation :)

derk
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Thanks y’all. Hopefully today was the worst of it. Dang was I grumpy!

gmathis: It was the first time I listened to Graceland. I didn’t expect the album that contained “You Can Call Me Al” to have that range of instrumentation and influences!

Regarding this tea, I’m still working on the teapot from yesterday after a short rinse to wake up the leaves again. The liquor is still oily but the texture has morphed from thick into what a lot of reviews mention as fluffy/marshmallowy. What I can taste does fall in line with a marshmallow sweetness, nutty. I think I’m currently somewhere around 10 long steeps. The flow of this teapot is slow, around 12-15 seconds but I enjoy what pours from it :)

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Comments

Martin Bednář
Delete

Get well soon!

derk
Delete

Thanks, it’s a mild cold

Leafhopper
Delete

Hope you feel better!

mrmopar
Delete

Indeed, get over that cold.

gmathis
Delete

I remember hearing the Graceland album for the first time and being totally blown away by the crazy wonderful mix-match of instrumentation :)

derk
Delete

Thanks y’all. Hopefully today was the worst of it. Dang was I grumpy!

gmathis: It was the first time I listened to Graceland. I didn’t expect the album that contained “You Can Call Me Al” to have that range of instrumentation and influences!

Regarding this tea, I’m still working on the teapot from yesterday after a short rinse to wake up the leaves again. The liquor is still oily but the texture has morphed from thick into what a lot of reviews mention as fluffy/marshmallowy. What I can taste does fall in line with a marshmallow sweetness, nutty. I think I’m currently somewhere around 10 long steeps. The flow of this teapot is slow, around 12-15 seconds but I enjoy what pours from it :)

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This place, like the rest of the internet, is dead and overrun with bots. Yet I persist.

Eventual tea farmer. If you are a tea grower, want to grow your own plants or are simply curious, please follow me so we can chat.

I most enjoy loose-leaf, unflavored teas and tisanes. Teabags have their place. Some of my favorite teas have a profound effect on mind and body rather than having a specific flavor profile.

Favorite teas generally come from China (all provinces), Taiwan, India (Nilgiri and Manipur). Frequently enjoyed though less sipped are teas from Georgia, Japan, and Nepal. While I’m not actively on the hunt, a goal of mine is to try tea from every country that makes it available to the North American market. This is to gain a vague understanding of how Camellia sinensis performs in different climates. I realize that borders are arbitrary and some countries are huge with many climates and tea-growing regions.

I’m convinced European countries make the best herbal teas.

Personal Rating Scale:

100-90: A tea I can lose myself into. Something about it makes me slow down and appreciate not only the tea but all of life or a moment in time. If it’s a bagged or herbal tea, it’s of standout quality in comparison to similar items.

89-80: Fits my profile well enough to buy again.

79-70: Not a preferred tea. I might buy more or try a different harvest. Would gladly have a cup if offered.

69-60: Not necessarily a bad tea but one that I won’t buy again. Would have a cup if offered.

59-1: Lacking several elements, strangely clunky, possesses off flavor/aroma/texture or something about it makes me not want to finish.

Unrated: Haven’t made up my mind or some other reason. If it’s puerh, I likely think it needs more age.

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Sonoma County, California, USA

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