2018 Snoozefest

Lazy, so copying my post from the pu-erh of the day thread, with a few modifications.

Still early into it (ended up not brewing it out). I can’t smell anything right now, so no idea about aroma. Full sweet flavor and body, oily, cooling in throat, brassy metallic, plenty of green bitterness like dandelion greens, some astringency and huigan, Not picking up an aftertaste. It reminds me of the 2018 Flapjacks raw mixed with a drop of strawberry preserves. Fairly smooth, eye-opening caffeination.

I’ve never tried to purchase this cake since I don’t tend to hop on hype sales. From what I know, this goes for a low price and it’s probably worth it for those that like an initial hit of syrupy sweentness with subsequent bitter brews. So thanks, Togo, for providing me the opportunity to try one of the Snoozefest pressings :)

Cupped some of this last week, in this little outdoor alcove with a mix of construction materials and plant overgrowth, after being inspired by several tea friends on instagram pulling out their Snoozefest samples.

I was already a few tea sessions in for the day, so I didn’t want to add another one on top of that so I just stuck with the cupping set. This was actually my first time trying the 2018 pressing – I’ve made good progress on the 2017 cake and sampled the 2019, but somehow managed to not try this one prior to now. Maybe it was the prep method, but it stands out in my mind as being quite a bit sweeter/stickier in terms of mouthfeel with a really syrup fruity note – like some kind of fruit cocktail syrup but if it was good fruit cocktail, y’know?

Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/CA5CuHmgP6f/

These photos double as proof that I am out here drinking sheng in the middle of a construction site…

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_jHc_n0p9c

This tea really transformed over the year. If I were writing a review even 3 months ago, I’d agree with most of the other reviews. Unfortunately, I’m drinking the last of this cake right now and I get overwhelming sweet stonefruity Orchid. There is the usual young sheng flavors, but not a ton of bitterness or astringency. The mouthfeel is thicker than most other teas I own, but also a little drying when getting into the later steeps. Shoulda bought a tong…

I had a sample of this tea lying around so I tried it again. I made sure to keep brewing times short and also didn’t use fully boiling water. As a result, it was much more drinkable. I also found some mushroom, grape juice and butter notes in the taste profile and coriander seeds on the nose. It has a very strong and somewhat sweet aftertaste with floral honey-like fragrance. There is a cooling sensation in the throat, but the body feel is very warming. The cha qi is quite energizing and is exactly what I needed at the moment.

Song pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_24OkXN6pg

Really enjoyable young sheng. Bright/sharp high notes with a sweet bite. Apricot fragrance, especially in empty chahai. Slightly dry on the mouth. Straightforward, energetic qi.