Li Shan

Now this is good stuff. Starts out light and buttery as popcorn, as I lengthen the steep time the later steeps turn spicy and sweet, with a thicker, juicier texture. There’s a cooling aftertaste that reminds me of Ruby 18 black teas. Very mild and drinkable without being overly subtle.

I decided to get some to finally try it. I thought I had this one and wrote about it before, but I guess not. This particular Lishan is what Spirit keeps in their regular rotation, and laud the craftmanship of this one in particular.

Trying it out myself in a simple gong fu of roughly 30 sec increments, its on the lighter floral side, but heavy in texture and mouthfeel with fun subtle drippings of flavor. Of course their notes help sell it, but it’s not particularly grassy, and the marshmallow note is very distinct, tasting like marshmallow root in some other herbal teas with great viscosity. Mid steeps have a fruity slightly sour quality like apricot rounding out my tongue, and later steeps have more honey. The honey notes are more on the floral side than sweet side despite being fairly sweet overall. I imagine a tropical cloud floating in the sky with waterfalls, fresh fruit, and watercress.

This tea feels like a greener, softer version of the one I buy on the regular from What-Cha. What-Cha’s is nuttier and has a little bit more oxidation, maybe bare minimum roast (still nuclear green), but this one has the same citrus green honey cloud quality.

Essentially, I’m into it. I got some to share with Leafhopper as I amass a more comparable collection worthy of our trade. I unfortunately liked the Dayuling they had more, but they’re sold out, and this one is extremely comparable and definitely worth the buy. I see us drinking through this one pretty happily. Not ready to rate, but it’s an easy win Lishan for me.