Holy crap.
I just had a shou epiphany.
A rinse and rest is not enough to stop shou from tasting like I licked the pots at the plant nursery. I did a 10 second rinse, then a rest. Then I tried to brew 10 and 15. That earthy flavor is front and center and I can’t get to the flavors BEHIND it.
Dumped those. Then I brewed another 10 second. Dumped that. THEN I brewed a 10 and 15. NOW there is some actual flavor beyond just something dirty. It’s very sweet and mild. I mean, it’s still a LITTLE dirty. But now there are other flavors, like caramel and dark candies.
I have a long weekend and I’m going to spend at least some of it re-brewing shous I kind of liked, along with those that I didn’t even post b/c I just couldn’t stand them.
I may actually start to like shou. And it’s about damn time!
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For me it was the opposite. I couldn’t stand sheng for a long time but loved shou.
Yay! Come on, out the closet, shou girl!!!
Yay!
I’m like Allan. I’m learning to love sheng
I’m pretty excited! I knew you shou lovers couldn’t all be crazy! :p
I hope that longer rinses and more pre-steeps will improve some of the other shous I wast crazy about!
Some aged shou have cleaner taste. That’s what you need. I think I have something like this. Let me think, I can send you some samples.
Aged like maybe 2007
Awesome, boychik! Thank you!
Shu > sheng. For now anyway.
Although I did try a mythical sheng in the one of the Butiki traveling boxes and it was one of the greatest things evar.
Sarsonator I recommend the 2008 Song of Chi Tse, I can arrange a sample.
I originally preferred Shou over sheng, & then it was the other way around. I enjoy them both now, but tend to reach for sheng more often for its restorative quality & amazing energetics.
I am looking forward to enjoying shou as much as sheng!
Great review. I am still new to pu, and I prefer shu to sheng, but I appreciate the notes about why you may want to do multiple rinses before drinking newer shu; I read in other reviews that they did three rinses before actually drinking any subsequent steeps, but they didn’t state why. The idea that there may be better, more pleasant flavors hiding behind the initially prominent earthy flavors gives me hope as well. Thank You for including that useful information in your review!
Thanks for the kind words, SimpliciTEA! It was driving me nuts to see all my tea friends just adoring shou, but I couldn’t love it as much as they did! I’ve found some shous take 1 rinse, and some take 5, but so far, they’ve all been pleasant at some point after rinsing.
For me it was the opposite. I couldn’t stand sheng for a long time but loved shou.
Yay! Come on, out the closet, shou girl!!!
Yay!
I’m like Allan. I’m learning to love sheng
I’m pretty excited! I knew you shou lovers couldn’t all be crazy! :p
I hope that longer rinses and more pre-steeps will improve some of the other shous I wast crazy about!
Some aged shou have cleaner taste. That’s what you need. I think I have something like this. Let me think, I can send you some samples.
Aged like maybe 2007
Awesome, boychik! Thank you!
Shu > sheng. For now anyway.
Although I did try a mythical sheng in the one of the Butiki traveling boxes and it was one of the greatest things evar.
Sarsonator I recommend the 2008 Song of Chi Tse, I can arrange a sample.
I originally preferred Shou over sheng, & then it was the other way around. I enjoy them both now, but tend to reach for sheng more often for its restorative quality & amazing energetics.
I am looking forward to enjoying shou as much as sheng!
Great review. I am still new to pu, and I prefer shu to sheng, but I appreciate the notes about why you may want to do multiple rinses before drinking newer shu; I read in other reviews that they did three rinses before actually drinking any subsequent steeps, but they didn’t state why. The idea that there may be better, more pleasant flavors hiding behind the initially prominent earthy flavors gives me hope as well. Thank You for including that useful information in your review!
Thanks for the kind words, SimpliciTEA! It was driving me nuts to see all my tea friends just adoring shou, but I couldn’t love it as much as they did! I’ve found some shous take 1 rinse, and some take 5, but so far, they’ve all been pleasant at some point after rinsing.