I’m so so SO happy to be drinking real tea again. I was given a disgustingly large amount of David’s Tea blends as a gift and have just recently finished that mountain of mediocrity. Sadly no one I knew wanted any of it either, so I was stuck drinking it for many months (I don’t like being wasteful). Anyway, an order I placed with my local Chinese tea shop arrived yesterday afternoon and I am now at peace with my stash once more!
Today I’m trying this loose leaf aged purple sheng. I bought this with caution as many loose leaf pu-erhs I’ve tried didn’t live up their compressed counterparts, but I can happily report that this is in fact quite a good pu-erh, especially given that it’s only been ageing since 2009. The leaves are quite dark brown and black with a soft bluish huge to them. Pretty to look at, and lovely to smell! The wet aroma in the pot is one of wood and smoke with a strange sort of raisin-nuttiness to it. Reminds me of pecan pie for some reason, although not sweet at all. The flavour though is something I truly was not expecting from such a young tea. The first pot had a deep smokiness to it like a burning campfire or nice aged whisky, followed by a tart tobacco/leathery aftertaste. The flavours almost entirely overpowered the bitterness to the extent that I hardly noticed any at first. I also found it to be quite lubricating and not really astringent as described by others. Consecutive infusions coaxed out more of an oatmeal and chocolate flavour while staying smooth and rich.
Perhaps this isn’t everyone’s cup of tea as the flavours are certainly bold, bitter, and not sweet, but I quite liked it. Great to drink on a rainy day like today, it pairs very well with lightning storms haha!
Flavors: Chocolate, Leather, Oats, Raisins, Smoke, Tobacco, Wood
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Welcome back :) The wild sheng taste and energy for me is often dark with an unrestrained zing and well, wild. We don’t have summer thunderstorms here but I can see tea like this one being apt for that occasion.
Thank you! It’s good to have tea to write about again haha :) Dark and unrestrained is a great way to put it, it certainly was unapologetic in demanding my attention. I live around the Great Lakes in North America, so lake effect storms are common throughout the year. Will store this away for another rainy day.
Welcome back :) The wild sheng taste and energy for me is often dark with an unrestrained zing and well, wild. We don’t have summer thunderstorms here but I can see tea like this one being apt for that occasion.
Thank you! It’s good to have tea to write about again haha :) Dark and unrestrained is a great way to put it, it certainly was unapologetic in demanding my attention. I live around the Great Lakes in North America, so lake effect storms are common throughout the year. Will store this away for another rainy day.