1980s Guangxi Chong Shi Cha

After reading about the concept of insect feces as tea, it was only a matter of time until I drank it. This product is said to be a home made product from the early 1980’s via Chawang. A short excerpt:
“Local people put medicinal herbs and old tea leaves into a bamboo basket and let them natural fermentation to produce aroma to lure insects lay eggs, after some months larvae eat the leaves and leaving the droppings there. People take droppings out and dry them in the sun, then fry the droppings together with tea and honey in the iron pan for 20 minutes so that the final insect feces tea is ready for drinking.” (http://www.chawangshop.com/index.php/1980s-guangxi-chong-shi-cha-10g.html)

How could a tea addict not let these words brew curiosity within themselves of an unknown journey that this would provide? This is something that I knew I would approach with a lot of time dedicated to the thoughts of brewing it as well as tasting it.
The first steep had a flash wash just to wake it up; I wanted my antique poop to be more alive when I tasked it! The first session I stuck with the typical 10 second steep as I would with a liubao or raw puerh I have no idea what to do with. The first thing you notice is, this is poop; just from the look alone, there is no denying that I just put poop in my teapot. The first steep I decided to sniff it awhile while it cooled. There is a medicinal smell in there mixed with a bit of that ‘dirty’ smell that luibao tends to have. The first sip took me by surprise as I was expecting more of a dirt taste and dryness. Initially I tasted some wet hay that is in the drying process. The similarities of luibao and this tea are evident from the look, smell, and taste. What I like most about this is how smooth it is. Interestingly, it leaves an oil like texture on the back of the teeth once you sip it down. That feeling is enjoyable until I remembered that it’s basically poop lubricant that I’m running my tongue across to assess the feeling.
Upon finishing the first session, I decided that I needed to go on to the next. Surprisingly this resteep very well. The next steep has a lot of the same qualities that you find in a really dried out white tea. It’s quite nice to have mixed in with the luibao taste. The oil like feeling has gone away which is unfortunate now because the after taste is quite dry. Little pieces are finding its way in my cup as they may be dissolving and getting smaller. Now I’m drinking and eating poop that’s older than me; isn’t that a weird concept?

I went ahead to four total steeps with a total of 22’ish ounces brewed and drank. In regards to the price: At $8 for 10g, it seems high but you have to keep in mind that you won’t be using 4g for a session. I think the price is lower than it could be, it’s actually a great deal for the experience and age of what it is.

Thank you Rich for providing this sample! I might be the happiest person to receive poop in the mail for quite awhile.
http://imgur.com/a/RTQOv
https://www.instagram.com/p/BBdXiO_xYLq/

AKA Bug Shit Tea

OK, this is the review that you all have been waiting for… drumroll please….

So what does this tea look like? It came in a little plastic bag, and the dry tea looked like little grains. I put about 3g in my gaiwan. I took a whiff, and it smelled very musty and earthy. Then I took another whiff as my wife walked by, and it smelled a lot like poop. Then my wife said ‘excuse me’ because she had farted. True story….

Anyway, on to the brew. I hit it with the hot water, waited about 30 seconds, and poured the tea into our cups. A number of floaties hung out on top, then most of them sank. That’s when it got real. It looked to me like rat poop was in our cups.

The tea soup was golden brown and on the light side. Then we sipped…

It tasted like musty soil. That’s the best way I can describe it. Very musty, light, and earthy. Not terribly unpleasant, but I can’t say I enjoyed it. Two steeps was all I could take. The qi was on the strong side and was very bright.

So, that’s the poop scoop. As for the rest of my sample, I am offering it first to Liquid Proust, as a reward for his diligence in dealing with his last two group buys I have been part of. PM me, LP, if you are in!!!