Derek DeGeer Send Message

This is on the milder end of the spectrum as far as smokiness goes. I was struck by how balanced the cup was. The sweet, almost wine-like, taste of the fermentation is present and there is a slight smokiness particularly as the cup cools. The taste did not diminish or flatten much in the second or third steepings.

I generally reserve Lapsangs for special occasions when I literally need some fire in my belly, but this one provides a nuanced cup that will find it’s way into the rotation more often.

A remarkable tea. This is the smokiest tea I have ever tasted but there is still a depth and complexity that make each brew a tangible experience. This is a tea that most people hate frankly, it is very smoky and the raw leaves are quite bitter. It brews to the typical sheng dark yellow and I haven’t exhausted the leaves yet. This tea is hard to classify and it doesn’t play well with it’s neighbors in the tea cupboard. Another distinctive pu-erh from DLH. I’ll be intrigued to try it again in ten years and see what more aging does to tame it some (and I’ll keep drinking it, if only occasionally, in the meantime).

This tea has the qualities of a classic ripe pu-erh taste (earthy and smooth). It also has a rich mossy smell that comes across in the taste and sets it apart from other aged shou that I have tried. It has a quality all it’s own. I hesitate to say it, but it smells almost musty (but that turns out to be a good thing here).

Dark fine leaves produce a deep amber soup. Lovely sweet orchid notes. My sample disappeared too quickly.

This tea is easy to brew, provides multiple steeps, and has mild notes of honey and orchid. Everything you want from a dark roasted oolong in my opinion.

I had this tea at a dinner with the Samovar founder’s brother. It was brewed in a Japanese side handled pot with a high leaf to water ratio and low temp (160F?). The experience was like nothing I have ever had before. To say it was an intense and concentrated blast of savory (umami) would be an understatement.

That unique and concentrated umami flavor was mouth puckering without being bitter (thanks to the low water temp and short steep time). It gave me a new appreciation for green tea and a flavor to chase in every other green since. It was not a cup of tea to sip serenely, it was an intense and deeply gratifying experience. Nothing I have had since compares.

This is the best pu-erh sheng I have ever had hands down. I happened to also have a current year’s (2013) silver bud white tea to compare it to. Visually it is very similar with the same downy silver/gray and green buds. It seems to have all the best elements of the white tea (buttery mouth feel, fresh vegetal taste) and a few more layers of complexity from the aging (notes of apricot, tobacco, and honey).

It’s a very patient tea and yields multiple and complex steeps without flattening out. I have also found it extremely forgiving and it brews a nice cup no matter how I do it or how long I steep it.

This is a gorgeous tea with long (1 1/2 to 3") leaf sets. Cups to a pale yellow/green soup with nice thick mouth feel and a fresh, delicate, but noticeably savory (umami) taste. I’m not getting the orchid notes.

I brewed it with warm/hot water (175F?) poured gently over 12 or so leaves placed base down standing straight up in a 4 oz. ball jar. 1st steep (45 sec) was all fresh spring with a bit of mouth puckering. 2nd to 4th steeps with increasing temp and steep times yielding very enjoyable cups. Final steep (#5) with boiling water and drank it right out of the ball jar with the leaves at the bottom.

It’s a delicate tea, and maybe a bit tricky to brew, but has the umami taste of a nice fresh green and the mouth feel of a silver needle white. I’m very satisfied with the purchase.