Mei Leaf

Finally found my cake of this, it was hiding deep in one of my drawers that I don’t normally store tea in. There only seems to be a few sessions of it left, but perhaps I bought another cake of it and that’s hiding somewhere as well. I regret to inform everyone here, TMI warning, that this tea was used to rehydrate myself after a night of college drinking (for some reason I’ve always felt that white teas served this purpose best), so I never had the opportunity to truly get to know and have a fully lucid session with it.

The first infusion reminds me a lot of another Mei Leaf white tea cake, that being the wonderful Peony Chirps in all of its milky sweetness. It is silkier but less full of the exotic incenses and woods of the current Jade Star iteration, and the subsequent infusion does not help but give me the impressions of a mediocre Bai Mudan. Even in the Yixing, it lacks body, as well as the ability to differentiate itself from the rest of the Mei Leaf white tea lineup. Like Diogenes, with each passing steep I searched with my tastebuds for the complex character that was seemingly promised to me, but I was left in the dark as the flame of hope in my lantern fizzled out. The taste profile feels amateur, feeling more like a young tea than something aged in checks notes …. 2016 (!). That being said it’s still drinkable, but I wouldn’t say it’s enjoyable for the price point, especially with how competitive the white tea market is – don’t believe me, put this tea up against W2T’s Tiltshift (yes i know it’s a yue guang bai not a shou mei + bai mudan blend) and it gets blown out of the water.

Jade Star VII came out on the heels of the massive success of Jade Star V, which I was never able to secure a cake of. It feels like Mei Leaf rushed to name a successor as a means of capitalizing on what I’m sure is one of their bigger cash cow teas. Fortunately they seemed to have rebounded with #8, a sort of redemption.

Shou puerh is hard to get into, I get it. Not everyone enjoys drinking sweetened mulch and having their teeth irreparably stained. I beg to differ, but I can appreciate this tea type whether it is an ancient from the 1970’s or something new and more radical. Mei Leaf’s Bling Rock Kingpin, the sequel of Gem Juice Outlaw, fits squarely into the latter category. By taking the oddball purple Zi Juan cultivar, which is normally used to make black (purple-black?) tea and subjecting it to the ripening process, the London-based vendor stumbled onto something which can make the most ardent shou hater blush and swoon.

Towing the line between the floral fruity notes of a black and the earthy fermented notes of a shou, this tea impresses with a dynamic range of enjoyable and frankly addictive steeps ranging from thin and floral to soupy and sweet. It shines when its at its strongest, with a liqueur akin to that of a sweet vermouth, strong with grenadine and fig newtons. Not much else to say – this is a classic and a tea that I bought a few cakes of back in its heyday. It is now long gone, replaced with its own sequel in Amulet Majesty which I unfortunately haven’t gotten around to trying yet. If it’s even just half of what this tea offers, then it will be well worth it. A strong dessert tea which works in any season and in practically any circumstance.

Average teas are average teas, and it seems like Mei Leaf has more than enough of them to go around in the sheng category these days. This isn’t a problem on its own – I don’t expect every vendor to only stock incredible teas, and it’s not as if Mei Leaf only pumps out mediocre puerh cakes. However, as of late it feels like most of their shengs are indeed painfully average. Making matters worse is the 120 USD price tag for what should be otherwise classified as a daily drinker. Hasn’t stopped me from burning through half of the cake in like a month, but I always remind myself that I could have gotten a tea of similar quality from a competitor for like a third of the price.

What else is there to say about the tasting notes? It’s a run of the mill sheng puerh. My mom always says these teas smell like apricots to her so that’s the tasting note I’ll go for with this one. Really hope Don hunts down that tribe that made the Potion Scholar tea; that was unironically one of the top three sheng puerhs that I’ve ever drank, if not THE best. I know the sourcing capability is there, but I definitely feel like the company is oversaturating their own selection, and sooner or later it’s going to hurt their reputation.

In terms of presentation, Hot Glove might be Mei Leaf’s finest hour. Seriously, I would hang the art design on the wrapper up on my wall if I could. But in all seriousness, the cover evokes a mystique, a sort of tea modernity which normally I would scoff at. Sure enough, it’s a unique blend, something pushing the boundaries – a rock oolong/rose petal blend.

Yancha is my favorite tea type, and my erudition in it, largely in thanks to the Old Ways Tea clubs (very underrated vendor, check them out), gives me the confidence to push the boundaries of my criticism for teas like this. I was a little disappointed looking at the description to see Bai Rui Xiang, which is its own distinct cultivar, marketed as a ‘Rou Gui’. I figure this was done to increase the market appeal of the tea, as rou gui is probably the trendiest cultivar coming out of Wuyishan these days. Nevertheless, I bought this knowing full well the difference, and mostly out of intrigue. Surely enough it was the last cake of this tea on their website, so unless there is a repeat run (not out of the question with Mei Leaf these days), this experimental bland will be confined to the annuls of history.

Hot Glove immediately makes an impression, not just from the wrapper but also the appearance of the cake, with hues of red and purple. A friend requested I sample this tea with him just based on the outlandish appearance of the cake alone. It brews light, and right off the bat the mineral notes hit the tongue with a hint of rose in the background. The yancha is providing all of the minerality with very little florality, something which would otherwise consign this tea to failure was it not for the rose. After the initial steep, minerality gives way for a tart, floral blackberry sweetness as the roses are worn out. But that’s it – the tea quickly goes flat and one is left with slightly mineral water. All in all, I’ve tasted much better yancha, and while it’s a very novel idea, it comes off as quite gimmicky like the smoked W2T puerh releases of late. Call me a purist all you want, but Hot Glove is one of the reasons why one shouldn’t judge a tea by its cover…. I mean wrapper.

Souchong Liquor is Mei Leaf’s most reliable daily drinker tea, affordable especially by Mei Leaf standards and available on an annual basis without any negligible change in flavor profile over the years. It is an unsmoked lapsang suchong, or small leaf black tea from Fujian, an area known for being the cradle of hongcha in China.

The most characteristic note of this tea is malt chocolate, which seems to be a general theme among other reviewers. It’s a very tough one to miss – it reminds me of the ovaltine I used to drink (and eat powdered, yes) as a kid and it is worth the price of admission. Call it one-dimensional, this tea is at the price point where it can be a one-trick pony. Excellent for drinking in any season, I would not go so far as to say it’s a strictly winter morning tea because of its thinner body, but it’s one that I’ll break out in the morning even on a hot day.

The 10th edition of Mei Leaf’s annual Young Gushu series, which features loose leaf sheng with a focus on adolescent exuberance, not limited to a particular mountain. These teas tend to have a kick, with medicinal notes given prominence over the fruity notes of most of the Mei Leaf shengs.

2025’s Young Gushu is a Lincang product, with easily recognizable medicinal, steamed bamboo, and custard notes. Like all shengs with this taste profile, it should work great as a dim sum tea. The chaqi is strong, keeping up the tradition, but it is not nearly as epic as those of the 2020-21 YG’s, which still stand as the most psychoactive teas I’ve ever drank. Lincang is a wonderful and distinct puerh growing region, and this tea is a strong representative for that region. Does it stand out among the ever-growing roster of young gushu offerings by Mei Leaf? Probably not, but I don’t think you will find yourself disappointed with a session of this stuff on a hot Californian summer day, right after spending the afternoon in the smoldering heat of the valley that Jack London once called his home.

As Mei Leaf’s most popular line of tea, Jade Star is one that usually commands attention. In past years, editions would sell out almost instantaneously. Rave reviews and high demand led the company to expand production, and both the 7th and 8th iterations of Jade Star seem to be easy to obtain (a recent promotion was ran where one could get 40% off a cake of JS8 if they subscribed to Mei Leaf’s email newsletter – overproduction much?). This dropped the 100 USD price tag to a respectable 60, about in line with the rest of their quality white tea cake productions.

I’m not as big of a fan of white teas as the rest of the community, mainly because I prefer to brew them in porcelain, which makes for a weak body. I decided to brew this one in Yixing and boy does it make a difference; this tea becomes a heavyweight, and can take a lot of abuse at high temps and long steeps. Its taste profile is complex, exotic, and rich; sandalwood, myrrh, and impressions of the fleeting days of a long Indian summer; it feels like the elder brother of a quality Bai Mudan and I like drinking it late in the day, if not at night. My only complaint about this tea is that it somehow leaves me more parched after every sip; it’s a true succubus which will keep bringing you back for more and more abuse. Get it while you still can.

Sip Down & backlog

For the past few weeks, I went on a sun tea kick when the weather was cooperating. I only had 25-ish grams of this leftover and felt that ½ gallon jar was plenty to brew the remaining leaf in. I allowed the tea to sit from 06:00-20:00ish on Thursday, so that I could sip the tea throughout the work shift on Friday. I know that this was a perfect tea gongfu’d but wasn’t sure how it’d turn out sun brewed.

Because of the price, matcha shortage, and my desire to be quirky and different and non-conforming to the trends (ive bee, I have been searching for alternatives to my favorite tea powder. I’d say this is the closest thing I’ve tried. After opening the pouch, I was immediately hit with a cloud of finely ground leaves that smelled exactly like matcha. I whisked it with a small amount of cool water, resulting in a liquid of relatively mucilaginous viscosity. When I tasted it, yep, the first notes were just like matcha. Afterward, it got a bit too vegetal and pond scummy for my liking, though not awful. Tried it again with oat milk and honey, helped with the displeasing aftertaste. It was priced half-off, which I think is because I bought it a year after its harvest, which is probably why it didn’t taste like pudding and avocado as advertised. I’ll review it again once I get this year’s harvest.

texture: kinda silty, not gritty, but smooth soft particles, you can tell it’s really super finely ground leaves. and yeah viscous, more slimy, doesnt froth up, just has big mucilaginous bubbles

taste: like matcha. doesnt have a tannic taste like matcha at all, not tannic or astringent, but a bit of bitterness in a dried vegetable way if you get what im saying. i do taste a hint of unripe avocado, the flesh close to the skin, even with a bit of the skin mixed in. a bit of spinach. natural tinge of sweetness. very green.

yeah in conclusion, really promising expectation fulfilling start, letdown end, but letdown end isnt there if you make it a sweetened latte, but i still have hope for plain milkless fresh harvest

I LOVE Nannuo sheng pu’er and this was my introduction to that flavor profile. So jungly green and with just a hint of a vague tropical fruitiness. The thing I love most about Nannuo is its deep mineral character (which I call River Stone Essence.) It gets you in the later steeps, and tastes like the pure nectar-like essence of the Earth in all its glory. It pulls at the sides of the tongue with a slight drying sensation…so satisfying! The crazy thing about this tea was when I was drinking it in 2019 the qi was so powerful: it felt like a rising energy into my chest that built into a vibrating sensation. Sort of an intense sensation, but after 5 years that has mellowed out a bit.

Sipdown

It’s great to sip a green tea that’s moderately fresh (at least not sitting for 2-3 years in the stash) in the winter! Sweet Dew was refreshing, grassy, and crisp while the weather outside was biting, cold, and bitter.

I have a tendency to ignore Don’s tasting notes since I’ll likely taste them or miss them entirely during my sessions. I want to go into a session blind, figure it out, and then backtrack to the notes the tea vendor lists.

I’ll note that this is a “boozy” tea in the way that liquor (if my memory serves me well. I’ve not partake any heavy alcohol in months) gives you a bite/tang and hit of warmth. I’ve made several notations of “burnt alcohol from a cake or dense sweet bread.” I like it, but don’t love it.

knittingopera Swap Advent Calendar 2024 – Day 6
Theme: Icicles
My pick: Yunnan White Jasmine from Verdant Tea

Once again, Marjorie and I are of one mind, ha ha. We both chose a silver needle to fit the “Icicles” theme. Adorbs.

Anyway, I steeped them both grandpa style because I thought it would be fun to drink them together. Obviously I won’t get all the subtleties and whatnot but I’m okay with that, ha ha. Casual steeping is more my speed these days. :P

I was actually surprised how different they taste (ignoring the jasmine, of course). This has a much heartier, deeper haylike flavor that reminds me of a mellow aged shou mei. Wet autumn leaves and piled hay with a drizzle of a dark honey, some dried apricot, and a sprinkle of oats. Love the little hint of tangy stonefruit in there. Really a lovely and cozy tea for a chilly day, though not necessarily flavors I associate with bai hao yin zhen!

https://www.instagram.com/p/DDQOqyYOheF/

I started this review three times…

Notes: Young coconut (slightly sweet, papery), thick tea soup, edging toward bitterness (but never reaching it), and a good bit of energy. Not worth the $96 USD, but not terrible.

The dry leaf had me thinking of butter biscuits, which was a lovely start. As the wet leaves unfurled, I caught hints of tobacco and pears, with the gaiwan lid giving off this rich dark chocolate aroma.

The liquor steeped into a beautiful golden yellow, and at 205°F for 25 seconds, the first steep had this intriguing tartness, almost like a fruity wine. But the real magic was in the flavor sweet, like peaches and cream, with a dry mouthfeel that lingered on the back of my tongue. The honey milk aftertaste was just addicting.

Fast forward to the 5th steep (brewed for 1 minute), and the wet leaves had a fleeting ash smell that quickly faded. The taste was lighter, but still carried that delightful sweetness. This tea really knows how to keep things interesting with every brew!

This tea is so delicate; if you overbrew it, it might not be pleasant. But when you get it just right, it’s the perfect relaxing tea with a lovely umami taste. Loving this strong yet balanced flavor.

This was a black Friday buy. Ugh, I really need to make more tea friends in the area or just make a community group so I can bring tea to have others drink too. ^^; My wiffer is a little off because I got sick so I’m going to have to revisit this another time. But I had a noticeable moment last night while drinking the barley tea I bought in Japan where at some point something in my sinuses changed and went from a mute cup to oh there it is! I can’t smell the leaves well yet but I can detect some hints of marzipan, rose, and dry wood. It is a very uniform leaf of the small darkness of brown, the same medium size, and twisted leaf. By the way, hand rolling is hard. T_T Oh for crying out loud. I could taste my cinnamon cereal but the notes in the tea are muted. Steeping past the suggested time imparts some dark wood tones and liquor notes. I will be interested to see what this one really shows when my nasal cavities fully clear.

Sipdown and Backlog

The first session I had was quite uneventful. Mild aroma, mild flavors. It almost fell to the wayside to age the sample longer. I threw the last 7g in a smaller (90ML) gaiwan to attempt a better brew. There were fruity notes, sure, but nothing as complex as Don’s notes. Maybe I’m missing something or my palate sucks. Lol. I made a note: cannabis, lime (on the nose), citrus, and some “fruitiness” which is beyond my knowledge. An okay puerh, but too expensive for how uneventful it was in the cup.

PS. I only got 8 infusions before it petered out.

March 2023 Picking.

The dry leaf is quite beautiful. A small amount of golden buds scattered throughout make for a beautiful mixture of colors amidst the majority of the dark chocolate tightly twisted leaves and the less prevalent slightly reddish brown and slightly open leaf. The aroma is quite nice. Actually, it’s more than nice it’s perplexing because it assaults your nose with so many different kinds of aromas when the bag is opened. Plums, deep woods…

It’s creamy, woody, oaty, plumy, longon, a bit of Palo Santo wood, When you taste a good tea it’s like the sparkles that appear on Dance Dance Danseur when a person who really puts their all into their ballet performance.

Wet Leaf: I’d say it’s pretty typical aroma for a Yunnan black but by saying that I am not at all saying it’s bad or even average. It is woody and bready and fruity in all the best ways (with some of them just reminding me of other teas)

It says seven infusions but I am on the 3rd now and honestly, I don’t think going past this will reveal much else. IF steeped long enough it does revel some things but I don’t think seven is the lucky number this time.

This tea really gave me an appreciation for larger leaf White Tea. While the tasting notes aren’t as punchy, they have a persistence that goes on. Notes of oxidized Banana (for baking), Apple Peel, and a rustic vegetal quality.

I mainly brew this western style at around 204 to 210F for 3 to 5 minutes, as the larger leaves need to be pushed a bit. The body sensation was a lovely calm, warm feeling.

I will note for the record that it gave me an odd itchy feeling in my throat, but it didn’t detract from the experience much.

It’s not the best White Tea I’ve ever had, but it’s certainly not the worst. It wasn’t really made to be a top shelf White Tea to begin with, as that’s reserved for their Jade Star series. A great Tea to wind down with in the evening.

I bought a cake of this on a holiday sale, and don’t regret it. It has a few undesirable features, such as the odd little bit of fungus growing here and there, and plump tea seeds taking up some of the weight. It was priced appropriately considering these factors, however.

I’ve had this Gong Fu and Western style, and I enjoy it both ways. It’s unlike any other ripe I’ve had, in that it’s not a black murky tea. It’s lighter in color, but not in texture or taste. Tasting notes of Almond with a bit of Nutella. A rather uncomplicated Shou that didn’t have be best starter material, but for the unique tasting notes alone, I have to give this one an 8/10.

Sigh… I readied my water and then forgot bc… drama. I need this cuppa more so now. Almost spilled all the tea everywhere. I can’t seem to open these Mei Leaf samplers without dropping a few leaves. I should just cut them. But then I spilled my gaiwan of dry leaves out like a fan.

The dry leaf is quite nice in aroma and appearance. Balled with a dark green hue and aromas of fresh florals, petrichor, and different minerals. Peach candy. very mineral. Wet rocks. Wet aroma: Fresh leaves. There is so much going on it’s almost hard to pin it all down. Slight butter. Soft mouth feel. When you over infusion it is similar to chewing on a piece of dandelion leaf. Bitter with harsh summer florals. Astringency that will put a crinkle in your neck.

Another sample from the sample box from Mei Leaf. I think fuzzy tea buds are impossibly cute and this tea is an all-inclusive trichome party. These are all silver… That’s a big duh I suppose. Soft. Full and long. For the aroma, I am faintly detecting pear and a bit of earth. Initial aroma is hay, barnyard, creamed peas, or maybe pea soup. The flavor is fascinating. I was expecting high barnyard in your face notes but this is fruity, with bits of hay, and cream of wheat, plain. The wet aroma is perplexing. I feel like I need to go out and smell more things. It’s kind of spicy, and kind of wheat raisin bread.

Delicious flavors, but you really need to brew it long and hot to draw them out. When you finally get there: cocoa-dusted prunes, black garden soil, salted caramel coffee, walnut brownies, and musty stone cellar.

Silky and creamy, super mouthcoating. The real star is the leaf aroma of raisinettes, leather jacket, Riesen candies (dark chocolate and caramel), and coffee grounds. Very good – all delicious notes – but there are shou puerhs with more generous flavor.