Eh.. drinking this tonight and not sure how I feel about it. I tried boiling first and that makes it waaaay to astringent. I brought the temperature down to 180-190 and it was still bitter. When I let it cool to green tea temperatures it got a lot better. But man, this tea is a lot of work. Out of 10 total steeps I probably got maybe 2 or 3 good ones. I might try another session and start out with just 170 or 160 water.
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So the short story is, a few years ago I was VERY MUCH into tea. And then a lot of things happened, and I got out of tea for a while. And now, I’m back.ⁿ
To me, tea is the missing puzzle piece for my healthy lifestyle. When I drink tea I am encouraged to eat healthy and be active. I drink tea because I simply enjoy the taste, but the health aspects are just an added bonus.
I love all types of teas, although greens and oolongs tend to be my favorite. I’ll drink herbals if I’m feeling a little under the weather. And recently I’ve been getting more into young shengs (also chasing that elusive “cha qi”).
Unless otherwise stated, I drink my teas straight. I’ve been doing gongfu mostly these days, so I use a ceramic gaiwan with an electric kettle. For greens and some oolongs, I’ll do a western style with a glass mug or regular infuser. I try to specify if my brewing parameters are outside the norm.
I’m kinda strict when rating my teas. I rarely give a tea above a 95. Teas that I really like I keep in the 95-85 category. I’ve yet to give a tea 100 yet. So, if you see a tea about 95, that means I thought it was an amazing tea!
ⁿ – Note: I did step away from tea for a while.. again. But now I’m back for REALZ. Usually I have to put this interest on hold when real life takes over, so I’m hoping for no major life events these days.
Location
Florida, United States
Its a cheaper baseline Sheng. If you have a cake of it just save it for a bit until it mellows out. You might enjoy it later.