Spring 2015 Kunlu Shan, Slumbering Dragon, Sheng Puerh

Tea type
Pu'erh Tea
Ingredients
Not available
Flavors
Floral, Jasmine, Orange, Raspberry, Sake, Sour, Bitter, Fruity, Kale, Lemon, Peppercorn, Sweet
Sold in
Not available
Caffeine
Not available
Certification
Not available
Edit tea info Last updated by michaelbjaerre
Average preparation
Boiling 0 min, 15 sec 7 g 51 oz / 1519 ml

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5 Tasting Notes View all

  • “Thank you phi for the sample! 7g in 110ml clay pot, boiling water The dry leaf on this is #1 very different and gorgeous compared to other young sheng and #2, smells like macerated raspberries in...” Read full tasting note
  • “Extremely bitter but in a nice, fruity and fresh way. Love wild tea! Images and more at https://puerh.blog/teanotes/2015-kunlu-slumbering-dragon-clt” Read full tasting note
    100
  • “I’ve had so much stress lately. The power lines just got fixed to my house, so I can finally get back to my work. Today was the first time in weeks that I’ve been able to just sit and relax. I...” Read full tasting note
    100
  • “Thanks to Crimson Lotus Tea for the sample! (and sorry it took so long to review..) This tea is quite the experience. The overwhelming bitterness presented in the first few steeps is a strange,...” Read full tasting note

From Crimson Lotus Tea

This is a rare puerh. Of all the tea we sell this is the hardest to source and the hardest to pick. There is a village in Kunlu Shan that isn’t even on Google maps. Once you’re there you need to hike another 3 kilometers into the mountains to get to these trees. The hike is often steep. You gain 500 meters and it takes more than 3 hours to get there. No one there knows how long the trees have been there or anything about their history. When you ask locals the age they simply reply that they are as old as the earth itself.

On the north slope of a steep mountain ridge, surrounded by dense forest, these trees reach to the sky. The trees at 20-40 feet tall literally scrape the ceiling of the forest. Impressive does not begin to describe these ancient beings. The Chinese call these trees ‘高杆’/gāogān which means "Tall Pole".



These skinny trees often grow in a trio and remain branchless until near the top. Barefoot, only the young and the brave, carefully climb to the top to pick the Spring harvest. There are no ropes, harnesses, or soft landings. It is dangerous work. In an attempt to conserve their strength for the ages these trees each produce precious few buds and new spring growth. A day’s harvest for a young eager picker often maxes out around just 2kg. After roasting and sun drying perhaps half a kilo is all they have to show for the days work. It took them 2 weeks to harvest what we bought.

In 2014 we had a chance to buy a small amount of leaf from these special trees. We pressed just ten 100g cakes. Five we sold and five we kept for ourself. Out of all we sourced last year this puerh was the most unique. The flavor is strong, pure, natural, and quite bitter, but with a transcendent chaqi. We made certain to visit Kunlu Shan to get more this year.

We named this puerh "Slumbering Dragon" because of the visual image of these ancient trees growing so peacefully in the mountains. They seem to us like dragons of a previous era in a deep slumber for eons. The strong energy in this tea mirrors the strength of dragons in our active imaginations.

We present this tea as is. This is unblended, single origin, high altitude, wild tree puerh. It will not taste like a lot of the puerh out there. It is strong and intense with a very pronounced bitterness that can linger. The intensity of bitterness will fade with age. Our 2014 has mellowed quite nicely. The energy in this tea is quite strong, it will sneak up on you. We hope you get a chance to try this amazing and unique tea.
•Prefecture: Pu’er
•Tree Age: ‘as old as the earth itself’
•Elevation: 2000+m
•Wood Fired
•Hand Rolled
•Direct Sun Dried


Brewing Instructions

Brew this tea to taste. Add 6-8 ounces of boiling water to 5-7 grams of leaf. Rinse once for a few seconds. Steep quickly for 6 seconds. This tea is generous and can be resteeped many times. Add 10-15 seconds each re-steep. Experiment with brew times and ratios.

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5 Tasting Notes

61 tasting notes

Thank you phi for the sample!
7g in 110ml clay pot, boiling water

The dry leaf on this is #1 very different and gorgeous compared to other young sheng and #2, smells like macerated raspberries in rum…delicious.

The tea after rinse is like sour berries…
1. When you swallow, the first thing you notice is high floral berry perfume notes. I can feel tingling immediately crossing my cheeks sideways, then down my neck and out across my arms. Nice…
The taste is like those bitter raspberry seeds here in the early steeps, with a very interesting gan. It took me a long time to figure out what it was so I took my time here. I eventually figured it out—sake/rice wine!

2. And the sake aftertaste is gone :( . Instead its jasmine! Either way delicious! Undeniable that this is a SOUR and BITTER tea though. Absolutely no astringency which is a plus in my book but certainly be prepared for bitter.

Unfortunately by steep 4 the sour bitterness really starts to become overwhelming to me and never quite breaks…its like orange pith. I certainly hope that breaks out over time because this thing was really damn unique—nice job CLT!

Flavors: Floral, Jasmine, Orange, Raspberry, Sake, Sour

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100
127 tasting notes

Extremely bitter but in a nice, fruity and fresh way. Love wild tea!
Images and more at https://puerh.blog/teanotes/2015-kunlu-slumbering-dragon-clt

Flavors: Bitter, Fruity

Preparation
8 tsp 3 OZ / 80 ML

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100
526 tasting notes

I’ve had so much stress lately. The power lines just got fixed to my house, so I can finally get back to my work. Today was the first time in weeks that I’ve been able to just sit and relax. I needed some quiet time, and I chose this to be my medicine.

This tea is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. The dry leaf consists of long resinous maocha with fuzzy green spots. These tendrils are dotted with brilliant gold leaves. The scent is spectacular. This is by far one of the most fragrant sheng I’ve ever experienced. The scent is somewhat like berries and wine. I take in a sweet, yet its also a tangy aroma. I placed a generous chunk in my warmed yixing and gave it a shake. This wondrous aroma expanded. I was reminded of a Jingmai except waaay more potent. I could take in brown sugar and marsh land. It also reminded me of a time I went caving in Northern Arizona. This warmed leaf smelled of the inner mountain walls. It was a moist, living, and fungal aroma. This brew had just so much life in it. I began my brewing. The steeped leaves give off a grape leaf and wild greens aroma. This tea is bitter, and I mean BITTER. This is what an enjoyable bitterness should taste like. The kuwei is intense and pleasurable. This brew has a peppery taste that finishes with a long jing smoothness. It’s a complex mixture of flavors and sensations. The qi is perfect. I have never felt so good. It’s not an overpowering sensation. Its not an adrenaline rush, rather it’s a present feeling. I woke up from my slumber and just became centered. my body was tingling and my attention was focused. I could feel my being soothe and smooth out. The last few weeks have been a mess of bushiness and activities. This was exactly what I needed to just calm down and get quiet. This session was serene. I am most grateful for this opportunity.

https://instagram.com/p/6VobRZTGdz/?taken-by=haveteawilltravel

Flavors: Bitter, Kale, Lemon, Peppercorn, Sweet

Preparation
Boiling 0 min, 15 sec 7 g 100 OZ / 2957 ML
mrmopar

Love the bitter ones!

Haveteawilltravel

This was a perfect bitter. It was powerful and strong, but it wasn’t unsettling like poorly handled Sheng. I loved it and my stomach appreciated it.

Crimson Lotus Tea

Glad this one gave such a rewarding experience! I love your reviews. <3

Haveteawilltravel

Thank you so much :)

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199 tasting notes

Thanks to Crimson Lotus Tea for the sample! (and sorry it took so long to review..)

This tea is quite the experience. The overwhelming bitterness presented in the first few steeps is a strange, intoxicating bitterness. I’m not a fan of bitter tea, but this is alluring, coating my mouth and throat with a sweet afternote. The bitterness slowly gives way to a lighter, sweeter tea, but the mouthfeel lingers, beckoning you to drink more. All in all, the tea is too bitter for my tastes, so I refrain from rating it; however, it was a delicious experience far beyond a standard tea. The feeling of this tea should be enjoyed and savored.

Crimson Lotus Tea

We’ve tried our stock from last year and the bitterness has faded a lot already. It’s a very interesting tea for sure!

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91
289 tasting notes

This tea is very different from any pu erh I’ve tried. It is very interesting! And so different, that I really don’t know how to describe it. First, I will say that I thoroughly enjoyed it. It has a wonderful energy. My fingers and toes were tingling after the first cup. And I feel just very wide awake and present. I often judge a tea based on how it makes me feel, rather than analyzing the flavors, and this felt very nice. That being said, the first steep was just surprising. It was very bitter, with almost a charred type bitterness. At first I thought maybe the leaves got burned in processing, but this was not the case after seeing the leaves. It was a very different kind of bitterness than one usually finds in pu erh. The flavor was – I don’t know, just different. You just have to try it to see what it’s like. Today, me and my wife got through probably 10 steeps. The bitterness cleared after 3 or 4. The broth was a bright and deep gold. The flavor kept changing, it was a very dynamic tea. It just kept getting better, and I found it quite addicting. We are going to have more tomorrow, as I’m sure there are a few steeps left to go.

CL has some pictures of the wild giant trees in the forest from which this tea was picked. From such trees, I can see why it would be very different than a typical pu. This tea is expensive, but really cool to try.

Crimson Lotus Tea

Glad you liked it!

Rich

Yeah, it is a really fun tea. I’m going to order a cake shortly. Do you put 7g in those little sample packs?

Crimson Lotus Tea

Awesome! Yeah we put 7g in those sample bags.

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