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“edit 2: Thermos’d as well today, but it was lightly nutty and smoky with a hint of sweetness. Really easy drinking, enjoyed it a lot. I’m not sure what to think. I did switch to a Zojirushi thermos...” Read full tasting note
2017 ripe puerh cake Camphor Flavor from Vesper Chan
Each cake is 200g in a mylar bag
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edit 2: Thermos’d as well today, but it was lightly nutty and smoky with a hint of sweetness. Really easy drinking, enjoyed it a lot. I’m not sure what to think. I did switch to a Zojirushi thermos instead of my old Polar bottle one (back when they made them, but mine doesn’t really retain heat at all I’ve realized) so better retained heat could’ve helped?
edit: have been thermosing this one and need to add that it sort of tastes like furniture… this was a lot better steeped out. make of that note what you will. probably wouldn’t repurchase lol
2017 樟香春韵 is the Chinese name for this one, or 2017 Camphor scent/flavor Spring Yun (Yun as a concept sort of eludes me, so I won’t try to translate it)
Bought from LP. Broke it up and stored in mylar a couple days ago to force myself to bring shou into the daily rotation, as a way of being nicer to my stomach and wallet. Started charting my tea consumption lately along w/ costs, and it’s a little scary how fast cost adds up (without this, cost is easier to ignore post-checkout).
20s rinse with boiling, 8g, mug after rinse. Apparently it’s a common thing in Asia to do longer rinses (20s-30s, twice) with shou, especially trad stored (though this isn’t), and I guess this did make a difference. Upfront is a woody medicinal and bitter taste, which I guess is camphor or whatever, but I really still have no idea what camphor is. Later steeps sweeten out a bit, and there’s a nice clean finish.
It could also be the 3-4 years it has had to air out a bit, but it definitely tastes less like dirt than some other shou. I didn’t take notes, and I was thinking earlier in the day something like “boy this is not too memorable, not sure I could distinguish this from a sea of shou” but then again, at 19c/g, it’s a little unreasonable to demand stand out and memorability. it’s alright, quite drinkable, which I can’t really say of every shou I’ve tried. Once my ‘03 phoenix tuo from Yee-on has rested a bit, we’ll see how that compares, since at 16c/g for that, it’s similar in price. Wish I’d grabbed an ‘06 phoenix tuo which was half the price/g, since I can’t imagine the ‘03 phoenix can be twice as good considering they’re both ripes with the same recipe. anyway, lack of foresight… awaiting Yee on black friday sale, and we’ll see what happens then.
