81

I was given a 10g sample of this in a sample pack I ordered from Beautiful Taiwan Tea (of which I am very much enjoying).

This was unlike any ripe I’ve had before which isn’t saying much as I’ve only had a handful to this point. Usually I find ripe puerh to be dark, heavy, earthy. I’ve come to expect this. But this tea was very light handed in all those respects.

I did about 5g in my Gaiwan (which can hold about 3.5 oz). I did a flash rinse and the liquor came off as very light. The leaves had a smell that was vaguely earthy but nothing like I had come to expect.

First steep was boiling at 12 seconds. The liquor came out with a golden hue and the scent on it and the leaves were light in terms of puerh. The liquor tasted smooth with a slightly florals and earthy more. What both my wife and I noticed was the numbing sensation in our lips and tongue.

This continues through the next 3 steeps. I had to take a break for lunch and shoveling snow. When I came back to this to finish my session, I steeped it in boiling water for 30 seconds. Watery. Dumped it and tried again at 2 minutes. Mostly watery. I fear my break killed it. No worries, I have enough for one more session!

Overall this was a great and unique experience for me with a shou. I didn’t know they could be so light.

Preparation
Boiling 0 min, 15 sec 5 g 3 OZ / 100 ML

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Bio

Michigander, Husband, father of three, lover of tea, books, nature, gardening, and passion. Stay at home dad currently. Previously a preschool teacher.

I have now completed some tea swaps and I am so totally up for swapping! What a cool way to connect with fellow tea lovers and try some new teas. My tea cupboard on here is woefully out of date though.

Black tea has been my go to tea for some time. Oolongs are good too but mainly roasty oolongs. I’m finding that there are some green and white teas (mostly Moonlight Whites) that impress me lately which they never used to do. I am getting into and developing a taste for Pu-erh. I have tried raw and my Ulcerative Colitis just can’t handle the roughness of it. So I stick to ripe Puerh. I am recently drinking more herbal tea or Rooibos especially STRONG ginger blends. I’m not too picky.

Some of my favorite places from which to purchase tea are Whispering Pines Tea Co, Verdant, A Quarter to Tea, Beautiful Taiwan Tea Co, Bitterleaf Tea, and Yunnan Sourcing.

Rating system:
90-100: Some of the best I’ve ever had. I’d be a fool not to keep it stocked as often as possible
80-89: A damn good tea. Not to be missed
70-79: A good tea but lacks the wow factor. More than likely a simple tea that could be an every day option
60-69: Eh. This is okay. Not swill by any means but fairly underwhelming.
50-59: Not really doing it for me. I’ll finish it but please don’t bring me any more.
Below 50: Life is too short to waste on things such as this

Location

Lansing, Michigan

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