2011 Jianyushengtai 6801 Ripe Puerh Tea

This tea was pretty good. It still had a fair amount of fermentation flavor left but was tasty. This was purchased at the Pleasures of Tea in West Sayville, NY. She didn’t know anything about the cake but I was able to get a translation of the cake online and found out a name and tea factory. Kristine knew only the year and that it was shou.

There was a mild note of plums or dates in this cake but little in the way of chocolate notes. It was naturally fairly sweet (not meaning sugar sweet) and I suspect the fermentation of the cake was not heavy. It tasted like a lightly fermented shou cake but I cannot be sure. I am pretty sure she has more of these for sale but she does not list them on her website, you would have to call or visit.

I brewed this six times in a 170ml yixing teapot. I used boiling water and 6.4g leaf. I brewed it for 15 sec, 15 sec, 15 sec, 15 sec, 20 sec, and 25 sec. I was strong throughout the first five steepings and only a little weaker by the sixth. I didn’t increase the time per steeping because it didn’t need it. The first steeping was light and the second and third strong. It mellowed out a little by the fourth steeping and was delicious by the sixth steeping. If I didn’t need to get up in the morning I would have steeped it four more times. I would say I could have gotten at least 12 steepings out of this tea.