Thank you, Wymm Tea, for this sample! I saved it for a late night Gongfu session with hubby and we finally got that opportunity tonight!
The first sheng I gave hubby was from an unknown company, and he pronounced it “not his favorite.” A few weeks ago I gave him a Wymm sheng and he liked it, so I thought he would enjoy this, too, and I was right,
The first steeps were kept short, and the tea was surprisingly smooth and sweet for a fairly young sheng. Something about the flavor begged to be paired with something, so I fetched the box of Pierre Marcolini chocolates that my daughter bought for me when she was traveling and had a couple of those. They are very fancy – I believe some of them have flecks of actual, real gold. Yes, gold. The flavors are unusual and the chocolate intense. Good stuff, and a great pairing with the tea for the middle steeps.
One steep apparently sat longer than I realized and when I took a sip….WOW. It was strong! Then I realized that though it was oversteeped and had a bit of astringency, that faded really fast into a minty, camphor freshness that I actually loved!
This is grassy, but also has a nice sweetness like honey rather than sugar. This translates to a nice, round bottom note to the tea for me. After almost a liter of water, which is cooling appreciably now, hubby has departed for bed and I am drinking alone. One last steep, and I will save the leaves for tomorrow elevenses.
Very good sheng. It will be an interesting one to experience as it matures.
Glad the pu-erh went well with the pierre marcolini chocolates!:) Those chocolates are exquisite, have to try it again someday.