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Two nights in a row of 2013 Chen Sheng Hao Na Ka sheng — from mrmopar 5 years ago? Hope you’re well tea friend.

Plastic baggie California storage ain’t no thing to this tea. Champ leaf. Roasted barley nose. Starts moderately date-sweet, then quickly moves astringent with the second cup. That softens with the next 8 or so steeps as cactus bitters prickle my tastebuds. Bittersweet throat. Ends gently sweet with the long steeps. The sheng that end sweet make it feel like a complete experience. Only issue is it’s a bit thin some pours.

This had been humid-stored before it landed in my cupboard. Wet, decaying wood and some rain-filled ashtray notes. Sounds notsogood, but if you know what you’re getting into, it might be a welcome flavor. This tea, both evenings, has paired well with laying down in bed :)

Like sugar sweetness on the nose, orchids. Clean taste reminds of bamboo with a hint of lemon acidity. Very soft asparagus vegetal nuance. Brothy, silky. Delicate macerated peach finish leads into mouthwatering. The peach carries through on a breeze into the aftertaste. A stunning tea! In ways, it is very similar to another Anji baicha I’ve tried though this one is more to my preferences. It’s like mid-spring. Freshness and youth and clear skies.

I prepared it a few times western with high temp water, but this last probably 1.5g I brewed in a 200?mL cup with 185F. It sure is shining during a night of heavy rain.

Thank you for sharing, Martin!

Looks like maybe the formula has changed since Roswell Strange reviewed Enlighten Mint 9 years ago. It has peppermint instead of spearmint now. I do wonder if spearmint is part of the ‘natural flavors’, though.

I like this one better than Tropical Uprising. In general, this is mostly sweet with a grassy-earthy base note and a cool, mild generic mint taste without any menthol feel.

Certainly not the most forward yancha. This tea is not about tasting notes. I can’t even describe it besides heavenly and gently medicinal. If it had a bit longer aftertaste, this would be a 100 for me. Glad I drank the rinse as the first cup.

The Essence of tea said it best: “…a tea that is clear to drink, pure taste, with good thickness and minerality.”

I like other flavors better – this one’s flat tasting – but at 60 calories per can with only 11g added sugar vs the high 20s of other flavors, Tropical Uprising is my most frequent choice for demanding work days. In comparison, Peach Revival, which is another lower-calorie flavor, only has 3g added sugar but I can definitely taste the stevia in that one.

Not much has changed in 4 years. Four? Really?

This tea needs to be properly aged elsewhere. Lazy bones storage in California has almost entirely arrested the potential transformation of this brash leaf.

When, from first sip, the tea slips away without effort, like the cool stream that dips underground as it courses, and any thought that once occupied my being is now a ghost of the so-called caring self —

Yeah.

That’s good tea.

Four Seasons oolong scented with gardenia flowers.

It is mellower than expected but I appreciate not being walloped by flowers. The gardenia frangrance is multi-faceted. Airy, narcotic, and spicy. The spice aspect is greenish-white. It reminds me of ginger flowers and leaves. While the base tea likely has a floral component, what I get most from it is the pineapple taste that was present in Xian Cha’s unscented Ji Long version. That pineapple melds perfectly with the gardenia. Big but soft vegetal base. Water off-boil gives a full bodied tea. Equally enjoyable in a glass gaiwan as in a bowl.

Thanks for another share, Martin!

I see this is listed as both a white tea and oolong tea (in German) on Teehaus Shila’s website, but if I were to taste this blind, I’d guess it’s a Yunnan green. Looking at other websites, this type of tea originates in Guangxi.

Why is it like a Yunnan tea, more specifically young sheng puerh? Large leaf (at least the ones that aren’t broken) and a honeylike sweet, rich aroma and taste. It’s also grassy and mineral like young sheng can be and possesses a very muted wet smoke tone. And the apricot fruitiness. It lacks astringency but not bitterness; Martin says bitter cucumber — yup. Round taste, in a way. It is temperamental and seems to do best with water 175F and below. Surprisingly good in a bowl.

I do think this would make a very good cold brew, so I’ll use the last few grams for that.

Thanks for sharing, Martin!

Working on sipping down this Canadian herbal tea.

Labrador tea has a fresh red-piney/rhododendron profile. It possesses both sedative and stimulant qualities wrapped up in a mildly anti-inflammatory brew. I notice when I drink it at night, I do get a mild, relaxing buzz akin to alcohol but deep sleep does not exist due to excited neurons, much like how opiates affect me. I’m still trying to figure out under which conditions I can best utilize the medicinal properties of this leaf.

The song I linked last note is still an appropriate mood:
https://vimeo.com/327382912