TTB #5
The beautiful deep-red color of Chinese black teas never fails to amaze me. And such was the case with this one as well. Smells like some gorgeous orange candy, perhaps orange/tangerine marmalade. The sweetness and bitterness of the flavors are well balanced. It tastes really creamy. I also definitely get the blossom part – it actually reminds me of thepuriTea’s Jasmine Golden Yunnan, although the flowery impact is not as strong here. At first it is uncertain if the blossom is really a tangerine one, until it cools – then the citrusy notes definitely start to appear.
I really like it! I don’t think I’ve ever even been to Shang Tea website, but I am definitely gonna do so now to see what else they have.
EDIT: Woah, guys, help me. The description here is so confusing claiming this is a fermented white tea (???). It sure says “red tea” on the original Shang Tea package I have! :D
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Yes, all of Shang’s reds start life as whites. :) They should have a good explanation on the Shang website. :) Grab their sampler pack. Totally worth it. I have not really had a tea from here that I think is not high quality. It may not always be my “thing” but it is always good tea.
Or if you just want to try a couple or some that aren’t in the sampler, I could probably be persuaded to swing by Shang’s and pick up individual samples (though the sampler pack is more economical price-wise) and send them to you. I need to go by and check out their new location and their new in-shop tea bar anyway… :)
Oh, and if you sign up for their monthly email newsletter there has always been a coupon good for online purchases – 10% or 15%, I can’t remember since it doesn’t apply in the storefront.
I just checked it out, it seems like the sampler is really cheap! I will definitely sign up for their newsletter and will consider ordering at least the sampler :) Thank you for your offer, though, it’s so nice of you :)
Hi Kat_Maria! The varietal of tea plant that we use to produce our white tea is the traditional da bai/da hao varietal of camellia sinesis. This varietal has a lot more of the downy white hairs than other varietals. So when we say fermented white tea, we pick leaves from this varietal, roll them, and then place them into a humid room to ferment for a day or two until the leaves have a nice amber color to them.
Let me know if that makes sense. I’ll also try to post a special steepster discount code in the next week or two, so I’ll try to post back on here when that happens.
Thanks!
Wow, that’s amazing! That is probably why the tea tastes so unique… Thank you for the explanation :)
And with the discount code, I will be definitely tempted to make a purchase :D
Hi again Kat_Maria! From now until the end of February, use the coupon code “steepster10” to receive 10% off your entire order.
Thanks!
Yes, all of Shang’s reds start life as whites. :) They should have a good explanation on the Shang website. :) Grab their sampler pack. Totally worth it. I have not really had a tea from here that I think is not high quality. It may not always be my “thing” but it is always good tea.
Or if you just want to try a couple or some that aren’t in the sampler, I could probably be persuaded to swing by Shang’s and pick up individual samples (though the sampler pack is more economical price-wise) and send them to you. I need to go by and check out their new location and their new in-shop tea bar anyway… :)
Oh, and if you sign up for their monthly email newsletter there has always been a coupon good for online purchases – 10% or 15%, I can’t remember since it doesn’t apply in the storefront.
I just checked it out, it seems like the sampler is really cheap! I will definitely sign up for their newsletter and will consider ordering at least the sampler :) Thank you for your offer, though, it’s so nice of you :)
Hi Kat_Maria! The varietal of tea plant that we use to produce our white tea is the traditional da bai/da hao varietal of camellia sinesis. This varietal has a lot more of the downy white hairs than other varietals. So when we say fermented white tea, we pick leaves from this varietal, roll them, and then place them into a humid room to ferment for a day or two until the leaves have a nice amber color to them.
Let me know if that makes sense. I’ll also try to post a special steepster discount code in the next week or two, so I’ll try to post back on here when that happens.
Thanks!
Wow, that’s amazing! That is probably why the tea tastes so unique… Thank you for the explanation :)
And with the discount code, I will be definitely tempted to make a purchase :D
Hi again Kat_Maria! From now until the end of February, use the coupon code “steepster10” to receive 10% off your entire order.
Thanks!