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Towards the second half of the session, this tea still gets quite astringent and watery, but the main sequence of infusions is more full bodied than before with a well-rounded profile and definitely less grassy character. I like it, especially given its price and the fact that I am generally not the biggest fan of Jingmai teas.

At 15 years of age, this one is slowly becoming one of my favourite ripe pu-erh teas. It is elegant and better integrated than when I first tried it more than two years ago. Apart from the fact that its profile is quite unique and stands out in its category, I really like its super smooth and mouth-watering texture as well as the protracted, sugary sweet aftertaste.

What a lovely example of a Tian Jian this is! It’s a full bodied one with great complexity and a balanced profile. Additionally, it also brings about a very nice calming energy and warms the body.

The aroma gives a vibe of wood smoked bacon, barnyard / stables, bog, straw, rosemary, cactus with some sweet fruity hints. Taste is immediately quite sweet, woody and metallic with a mild vegetal bite. There is a nice tartness that complements the bassy notes. Some flavours of mint, dry earth, wheat, orange zest, and honey can be detected. The aftertaste is a touch drying and mineral with a throat warming sensation and a long-lasting sweetness. Mouthfeel is very smooth and quite buttery.

All across the board, I am very much enjoying this tea and can recommend it to anyone looking for more hei cha exploration!

[Spring 2021 harvest]

Fresh green teas are always something to look forward in the spring (if one can get hold of some). Even though this one isn’t the most remarkable one, it certainly satisfies that need.

The profile is quite vegetal with floral, umami, sour and herbaceous notes trailing behind. Some of the flavours to be found are eucalyptus, alfalfa, lilac, kohlrabi. In the aftertaste, a mix of lime and green wood sweetness emerges. The liquor texture is velvety thanks to the large amount of leaf hair present, but it also has a nice bubbly quality. After swallowing, a minor drying sensation remains, but there isn’t really any astringency. The aromas are hard to describe. Some of the notes I’ve already mentioned – such as lime zest and eucalyptus – but there is also a scent that reminds me of moss covered in dew.

This is a subtly unique and fascinating aged tea. Unfortunately, as things tend to go, it is also the most expensive from the TS sheng samples I got. The cha qi is fast and warming. The tea also induces a long lasting mind clarity that’s just exceptional.

The liquor is soft and gives slightly fizzy numbing sensation and mild astringency in the mouth. The taste is very strong and pleasant with a sweet peaty profile. There’s notes of plants roots, parsnips, walnut shell, brown sugar, and wood. The aftertaste is likewise pungent and very protracted with an expanding fragrance and strong huigan. One interesting flavour that comes up early in the session is a sweet fruity one a bit like persimmon.

Aroma is not generally the key aspect of aged sheng. Here, there’s some very interesting ones though. It is elegant, nicely vegetal and nutty. Main notes are those of hazelnut, bread, beeswax, and dried dates.

I tend to like bitter sheng and this one is no exception. There is substantial complexity, although the profile is not exactly my favourite. It has a full body and an active syrupy mouthfeel that’s not overly heavy. Also, the tea has a relaxing, almost sedating effect on the mind and a clear chest warming quality.

The dry leaf aroma is fresh, but not too green anymore. There are hints of apple as well as honey. After the rinse, I get a sense of hot hay, apricots, oats, and black cardamom. In terms of pungency it’s about average for sheng of this age.

The rinse itself tastes of seeds and vegetable oils with a citrusy finish. First steep is mostly sweet at first, but the bitterness gradually intensifies and peaks in the aftertaste in fact. It is a little metallic and flowery, while the next one is more herbaceous. Third infusion is now quite bitter. It is a herbaceous (wormwood) and slightly medicinal kind of bitterness. Subsequently, I also detected various flavours of parsnips, sugar, tobacco, fish skin, nuts, burnt butter, and mild woody ones towards the end.

As for the aftertaste, once the bitterness fades a bit, one can experience notes ranging from white wine (riesling), orange zest and vanilla all the way to sunflower seeds and black pepper.

This is a lovely and easy to drink tea that’s well-balanced. Obviously, one needs an affinity towards floral notes to fully enjoy it though.

Dry leaf aroma is floral with hints of green apple and beans. There is a creaminess to it that permeates the whole experience. Additionally, wet leaf smell brings associations of grapes (and raisins), bread, and pickled cucumbers. The taste is sweet, sour and floral with a distinctive creamy character.

It has a medium body and a buttery, cooling mouthfeel. In the aftertaste, I detected further flavours of spinach, pear, and butter. Interestingly, the aftertaste is somewhat reminiscent of a sencha aftertaste.

I drank my sample today and I found it very much in line with Nate’s experience, unsurprisingly. The tea is really very smooth across the board and has no mustiness at all. Ultimately, however, I also found it to be lacking that special something. I’m not sure, it may be a case of a tea that requires multiple sessions to be appreciated and to unravel its subtleties in full.

As for specific notes from my tasting, the first infusion was sweet with a vegetal finish and hints of cream, coriander seeds, and some char-like bitterness. The liquor had a buttery mouthfeel, at times a bit effervescent. The protracted aftertaste was somewhat spicy, but not overly distinctive.

I oversteeped the third infusion, which brought out some metallic sensation akin to a dark chocolate and tree bark flavour. Rest of the session didn’t present too many surprises, the tea got quite mineral at times with hints of dry earth and walnut shells.

This is a fairly average sheng that’s quite mellow and sweet. Dry leaves smell of apricot flowers, cream, and cherry while after the rinse I get aromas of wood, beeswax and leather.

The taste is sweet above all else, with notes of cilantro, tree sap and stonefruit pits. Lightly astringent finish is followed by a mildly spicy and nutty aftertaste.

This pu-erh is most memorable for its stupefying effect on the mind, as a result of which I wouldn’t grab for it often (even if I had more than a sample). The fact that it is light bodied doesn’t help its case either.

As for the flavours, I enjoy drinking it, but not more than the average young tea at this price. It carries a flowery aroma with hints of bubblegum, apricots, green pepper, and za’atar.

First infusion has a light taste with no bitterness and notes of cloud ear fungi and white pepper. The following one is somewhat sweet and mineral. There is also a bit of an apricot tartness to it. Mild bitterness develops throughout the session, but it is nothing to behold. I also found some infusions to resemble nocino – a walnut liqueur. The aftertaste is cooling, sweet and spicy with notes of vanilla and green onion as well as a persistent saltiness.