Li Shan

I picked this up on sale from this company’s Kensington Market location. I think it’s from winter 2016, though I’m not entirely sure. The salesperson kindly opened the vacuum-sealed package to let me smell the tea, so regardless, it’s in very good condition. I steeped about 5 g of leaf in a 120 ml teapot using 195F water for 25, 20, 30, 30, 45, 60, 180, and 240 seconds, followed by another long steep.

This Li Shan is buttery and floral, with interesting mineral and cooked spinach notes in the background. It’s also one of the sweeter ones I’ve had, with a sugarcane quality in the first four or so steeps. The vegetal mixed with the sweet makes for an interesting combination. Even steeping at two minutes, the florals aren’t completely gone and the tea isn’t too grassy or bitter.

This is a solid Li Shan that I’ll have no trouble finishing, but possibly because of my brewing, it didn’t shine for me. I’ll have to try some of their other teas, such as the Pinglin Red that Indigobloom reviewed a while ago.

One final note: Why are small (80-100 ml) plain porcelain pots so darn expensive? Is it just because they’re almost impossible to find? I ask because I saw them for around $70, and while they looked nice, I don’t think they were handmade or particularly special.