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Storm Breaker has none of the “off” warehouse/storage/wet-pile flavors commonly found in shou. It also had an impressive longevity. Most shous tap out after ~8-10steeps, but this one just kept going. This tea could easily push beyond 15 steeps, depending on your brewing parameters. It’s insane that, for being so freshly processed, the tea tastes and smells like it’s had plenty of time to rest…

Read the full review at: https://shenggut.wixsite.com/shenggut/single-post/2017/12/10/Crimson-Lotus-Tea-Storm-Breaker-Spring-2017

In 5-10 years, when this tea calms down a bit more and further develops its complexities, I’d bet that it will be worth much more than its current value (~$0.10/g). Mouthfeel-wise, this tea hits all the right notes, and I’m curious to see how it develops over time. As I said, others may not experience the same discomfort stomach-wise, and for those people—especially those of you who particularly enjoy factory productions—this tea would be a solid daily-drinker, or at least a solid option to tong-up on and store away…

Read the full review here: https://shenggut.wixsite.com/shenggut/single-post/2017/10/22/2016-Menghai-Yun-Shui-Zhen-Batch-1601

This tea begins very light, and then the astringency creeps up on you like some sort of ski-masked purse-snatcher. Three/four steeps in, and all of a sudden the sides of my tongue are numb and the insides of my cheeks are dry and tingly, like I’d just eaten a Saltine Cracker. Farmer-Leaf self-describes this tea as having a “very active” and “robust” mouthfeel, and they’re not lying, in the best way possible. Complex mouthfeel is a front-runner for what makes puerh so unique, and this tea is a great example…
Link to full review: https://shenggut.wixsite.com/shenggut/single-post/2017/10/08/Farmerleaf-Jingmai-Tian-Xiang-Spring-2017

I’m going to be blunt: I love this tea.

It’s sweet, bitter, sour, fruity, and floral. After watching Glen’s YouTube video (Click Here), I bought a beeng without sampling it, and it was the right move, 100%. At $50.00USD/200g, it’s literally at the cut-off of what I personally consider to be budget-friendly: $0.25USD/1g.

(I’m in the process of creating a post to establish this blog’s price brackets, hopefully I’ll have that posted by this weekend.)

If I had a larger budget, hands down this would be in my daily arsenal. The quality of this tea speaks for itself: the leaves have incredible endurance and appear expertly-processed: I’m hard-pressed to find any burnt edges. In a nutshell, this is an incredible choice for all levels of drinkers. This is the perfect choice for drinkers who are no longer beginners, and are willing to pay a bit more to see what the next price-bracket of teas have to offer without breaking the bank…

Read the full review at: https://shenggut.wixsite.com/shenggut/single-post/2017/08/16/Crimson-Lotus-Tea-Beneath-an-Emerald-Sea-Spring-2016

This tea gets the job done. It’s not overly complex or necessarily intended for an advanced drinker looking for a special occasion tea, but nobody’s claiming that it is. Teabook offers higher-end Denong teas for the self-proclaimed connoisseurs, and openly advertises their house-brand puerhs as entry-level teas. When viewed in the proper context, this sheng really does taste crisp, clean, and flavorful. As I said earlier, I really preferred this tea grandpa style, but that’s just me. For new drinkers, especially those who have yet to pick up their first gaiwan, this tea is a must. Its ability to preform well grandpa style is a huge selling-point, and will really help ease newcomers into the vast and seemingly endless world of puerh…

Read the full review at: https://shenggut.wixsite.com/shenggut/single-post/2017/08/06/Teabook-Raw-Pu-Erh-Tea-Cake-Spring-2017

Purple tea is something that I think everyone should try, but not everyone will like. It has this uniquely vegetal taste that’s hard to pin down, and an odd smokiness that’s slightly medicinal, kind of similar to a middle-aged sheng, but not quite. What I like the most about this tea is how rapidly the flavors evolve from steep to steep, and how noticeable the evolution is. With most budget-friendly pu-erhs, the flavors evolve in a more subtle way until they eventually fade out or drop off, but this tea’s flavors don’t fade—it’s almost as if they’re replaced, which I find really interesting…

Read the full review at: https://shenggut.wixsite.com/shenggut/single-post/2017/07/30/Bitterleaf-Dragon-Blood-Lin-Cang-Zi-Juan-Raw-Purple-Tea-Spring-2015

As advertised, this is a solid daily drinker at an extremely reasonable price-point. It’s a tea you can brew up mindlessly and not feel guilty about it, while at the same time still find hidden complexities in a focused solo-session. In the two years since I purchased this cake, the flavors have already evolved quite a bit. I do not remember the saliva-inducing acidity, nor do I remember the leaves’ endurance, which is impressive for $22.00USD. This tea should be a first choice for beginners, and also should not be overlooked by more experienced drinkers…

Read the full review at: https://shenggut.wixsite.com/shenggut/single-post/2017/07/25/White2Tea-Little-Walk-Spring-2015

This is an incredible option for a sweet, mellow, and budget-friendly daily drinker. At $45.00USD/400g, it really can’t be beat in terms of leaf-quality. Plus, for a more pesticide-wary audience, Scott had this tea tested for residues at a laboratory certified by the EU Food and Safety Commission. This tea isn’t really bursting with complexities, but it’s still tasty, refreshing, and enduring…

The full review can be found at: https://shenggut.wixsite.com/shenggut/single-post/2017/07/27/Yunnan-Sourcing-Wu-Liang-Mountain-Wild-Arbor-Spring-2016