2018 "Dark Depths" Shou / Ripe Puerh

Geek Steep S3E4 – Star Trek: The Next Generation

Gongfu!

This is the tea that I picked to drink while watching the episodes Marika picked. I have, in the history of Geek Steep, done a pretty awful job pairing teas to Trek so I felt a lot of pressure to get this one right. However, I’m actually REALLY happy with this choice. After a lot of consideration it was kind of the perfect thing.

I was thinking about the dark, inky heaviness of space when I picked this out since this is such a thick, saturated shou but also it’s one of those teas that really commands mindfulness while you’re drinking it and that’s how I’ve felt about most of the Trek episodes I’ve watched with Marika – especially this set of episodes. So having a tea so heavy and contemplative just kind of clicked perfectly with the overall tone of the series.

After this session I’ll only have a single session of this much beloved pu’erh. With a syrupy and inky black liquor; the full bodied brothy, earthy and camphorous notes of this ripe pu’erh are matched only in intensity by the coating, dark sweetness of molasses and brandied fruits that ever so slightly keep this tea from feeling as though it’s plunging completely into the unending darkness that it draws its name from. I think I’ll probably always regret not buying a cake of this tea when I had the chance; it’s just so striking in its unctuous flavours and thick as oil liquor. I’ve tried to savor this tea sample best I can, but I think this contemplative Saturday morning tea session is as deserving a pairing and moment as any!

Tea Photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/Coz5ADaOZ5C/

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aaErYHrU5Hk

Let me start this by saying I’m newer to puerh and the tea world in general, so my review won’t be as descriptive as most. However, this is by far my favorite tea I’ve had. I brewed this in my gaiwan with 10g leaf to 150ml water. This is a VERY dark tea, but one that I found extremely flavorful. The first steep was a brownish-gold, with each subsequent steep getting darker and darker until about the 7th steep. That’s where it seemed to reach its maximum dark and was almost like oil in the cup.

Let’s talk flavors- this is the best shou puerh I’ve ever tasted. It was a very thick, dark brew that had notes of burnt sugar, hay, and grass, but in a good way. It went down extremely smooth and tasted sweeter than any other shou I’ve ever had. The leaves smelled like a dark, chocolatey coffee when placed in a warmed gaiwan before adding water.

This tea keeps on going. I managed to get 14 steeps and would definitely like to see if I can push it any further before it totally gives in. I’d recommend this to anyone looking for a good experience with a shou, especially if they’re a beginner like I am.

So far, Dark Depth is my most favorite tea – only being rivaled by Crimson Lotus 2008 Bulang Imperial Grade Shou (which is long long gone).
As a coffee drinker, this tea comes as close to a ‘coffee replacement’ as reasonably possible.
This is my daily wake-me-up go-to tea. The flavor is quite rich and the soupy mouth feel nice and thick; it’s sweet and flavorful (and wow is the soup dark!!).
You get your moneys worth out of this tea – it steeps over and over again while maintaining that rich sweet nutty flavor.

I am not a coffee fan but imagine if I was I would also love this tea. It’s smooth, full-bodied and absolutely delightful. If you are in the mood for a rich, earthy flavor with no bitterness, this would be a great one to reach for.

Steeps 1 -5

Brews light brown at first, but It has started off as a 7g chunk. Second steep it brewed a dark mahogany brown, with hints of red. It is brothy, reminds me of Soba or Ramen noodles. It has a certain starchiness to which adds to its mouthfeel. Which is substantial, but not heavy. Has the classic shou flavors, with a hint of latex, methanol. Third steep: Very dark, brown. Not transparent at all. Richer this time around, darker, carbony flavors, but not burnt. Much more minerally. Maybe some Chinese five spice flavors. Black pepper? Like burnt shishito peppers without the spice? good energy from the tea making itself present. The fourth steep, has much more roundness to it. Seems to have more of a savory aspect to it, like good soup broth, an umami if you will. Apparently a very Japanese tea haha. Its a very comforting experience. Some roasted notes here. Like drinking tea in a kitchen. The fifth steeping its is showing an ever slight give up color. A lot of energy, which i typically don’t associate with Shou’s. Usually a nightime tea for , or a casual drinker, this one would be great mid day, but I don’t for caffeine sensitive people might have to be careful. The tea seems to still offer up some solid steeps but has flattened out as far as complexity is concerned. Should go for at least 10+ steeps.

Overall, a good tea, and a surprising energy boost that I did not see coming.