GǔShù NàKǎ 2016

quick rinse, smells uniquely delicious – some gentle wood smoke but mostly luscious charred toasty nuts and burnt sugar and something other unidentifiable wonderful

7s: Bitter. I totally see what they’re saying about grapefruit (yeah, I’ve been primed, but yummmm so whatevs). And some juicy trees and toasty nuts. Strong sweet cool after, no numb or tingle, just like sweet cool ice water on the palate. Delicious. My ears just popped.

12s/18s: The bitter is a little more subdued, a little woodsier, with an immediate tingle on the tongue and hard palate. The aftertaste is cool grapefruit. Sweet saliva over my teeth. Feeling a lot more awake, but not in a jittery way. A heaviness in my neck but my skin feels alive. Pressure between my eyes. Scalp is tingling.

24s: Long delay before this one while I went through piles of paperwork (a task I’ve been dreading). My nose is tingling. The tip of my tongue feels spicy. My torso feels flushed, warmth spreading down my neck and over my chest. Happy citrus bitters in the aftertaste. After I sit and bask a while, my head is pulsing and the back of my neck is sweating, heat spreading down my back.

29s: A bit less delicious at first, the tart overtaking the bitter more than I’d like. But there are shivers racing through the warmth down my back and I don’t care, it’s worth it, it’s worth it.

35s/40s: Flavor more integrated, aftertaste more grapefruity again. That sort of default rich mellow woodsy tea flavor is starting to rise, but still some interesting citrusy bitterness elevating it. I’m started to feel the energy a bit more manic. Sweating further down my back. Wow.

45s: Bitter sorta took over a bit, briefly.

50s/50s: Slightly mellower bitter on the sip, slowly fading out to citrus aftertaste. Not so much body feels anymore.

64s/70s: I’ve been drinking this all day, taking big breaks to do chores. It’s still nice. My nose feels clean and tingly. Only stopping because it’s getting towards bedtime.

(If this were less expensive, I’d definitely buy a cake of it. As is… I’ll probably buy another sample someday and feel sad and yet ecstatic all at the same time while I wibble on whether to splurge.)

This lovely late afternoon sun scenery really made this special tea even more special. If we talk about raw Sheng Naka is one of my favorites. This freshly sweet, highly floral and unbelievable delicate Pu is a fellow with massive strength, long durability and just masterfully composed. With all its components it is very well balanced with a lot to go starting with camomile followed by beeswax plus cherry blossoms finished with a hint of peach skin and pears. One of the major aspects is corn especially corn syrup. This is a very rich tea with a great viscosity. Within the aftertaste you might also discover a very sweet aspect of raspberry and blue berry gums. This is far from being a relaxing fellow – highly vitalizing!

This is a great example of fresh Naka. I received moacha, so the leaves were large and thin. they gave off a heavy aroma of powdered sugar, apricot, honey, light floral, and a background of caramel and cedar. This was a very sweet tea. I warmed up my gaiwan and pushed some leaves inside. The aroma opened up into a nice crisp sweet melon, some grass, oak, sunflower, and a bit of papaya. I washed the leaves once and quickly prepared for brewing. The session began sweet and smooth with a light anise after taste for spice. The spice was quickly soothed by a thick sweet melon flavor that lingered in the back of the throat. The tea progressed into some bitter grass tones with a hint of lemon. Then, the brew relaxes into some hearty greens and consistent grapefruit. I experienced an overdrive of power. The qi was crisp, swift, and penetrating. My tongue had gone numb a few sips ago, and my head was soaring with cool sensations and vibrating energy. I really enjoyed this tea. The flavors were spot on clean spring tastes, and the energy was perfect for a sunny day.

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