6 Tasting Notes
I ordered a one ounce sample of this, but it doesn’t seem to be available anymore. Here is a link to a blog post about the tea: http://houdeblog.com/?p=140
This is the first sheng puerh I have tasted. The aroma puts me in mind of wood, smoke, earth, creosote. The flavor is brisk, woody, smoky, herbaceous. Full bodied but not as thick as I was expecting. Creates almost a physical sensation at back of throat. Very lingering flavor.
This definitely intrigues me…I can’t wait to try more sheng puerh.
In addition: I have had this twice, and both times felt a tad queasy after the second cup. This feeling went away after a minute or two, replaced by a very settled feeling. Has anyone else had this experience?
Aroma is grassy and kelpy, with a smell that reminds me of sugar cookies. Full bodied with some nice astringency. Strong, green, vegetal, and very lingering. In the cup it is bright and clear, greenish, yellow/gold.
This is very distinctly “green”…sort of epitomizes what I’m thinking when I think of green tea. By third of fourth infusion the kelpy aroma is less pronounced, and the flavor tends more towards sweetness.
Very enjoyable!
I’m not sure if there is a difference between Fen Huan and Feng Huang…any ideas?
This was the very first whole leaf oolong I tried. Just smelling the dry leaf is like sticking your nose in the center of a flower. My first thought was that it had been perfumed. On the first infusion (30 seconds) I was so overwhelmed by the floral fragrance that all I could note was a sweetness on the palate.
Second time around I steeped for 1 minute. I was more prepared for the aroma this time and was able to note other characteristics. Along with flowers, there is an earthiness to the aroma. The liquor was a pretty amber color. The flavor has a slight fruitiness, a bit of woodsiness, very soft. There are subtleties going on that I have a hard time describing. I infused several times and it still had a nice flavor with good fragrance.
The thing that really stands out is the crazy strong floral fragrance. I’ve never had another tea like it. I look forward to trying some more Dan Congs for comparison.
First whole leaf white tea I have tried. The aroma of the steeped tea is clean and light with hints of flowers. The flavor was soft, and sweet with something that just hints at fruit. Very full bodied. I steeped it quite a few times at varying temps (130-170) and varying lengths of time, and got a nice cup every time. The buds just seem to keep giving flavor all day. I would be happy to drink this again.
It bugs me that Upton doesn’t give more info on the teas…on most there is no way to know how old they are. If you are going to charge 15 dollars for 40 grams I would like to know that at least.
I got the 2008 on sale for less than three dollars for 50 grams.
The dry leaf is pretty with lots of green mixed with much darker leaf. When steeped, the liquor was a deep gold color. The aroma was very floral with heavy toasty notes. The flavor was: smooth, deep, rich, earthy, with a slight sweetness and roasty toasty goodness. A lingering slightly tart fruitiness. I infused this many times. At the end the flavor was not as strong, but still very good.
I loved this tea. I am just now delving into the world of oolong, so haven’t much to compare it to, but it was just really satisfying. I don’t know what it tasted like in 2008, but it’s still tasty…especially at the current sale price.
