“Trip to Changtai, vol. 3”
Alright, first review of this Guangzhou natural storage sheng.
The dry chunk smells very sweet, almost like maple syrup; ultimately I settle on fenugreek seeds. I can smell the humid storage as mushrooms. This smells a lot like candy cap mushrooms with some cherry candy (there’s no way the cherry candy smell is residual from the tea I drank this morning). The warmed leaf smells ‘warm’ with sweet , damp loam and a woody tone. I gave it two rinses because of the humid storage character and was greeted with a woody, pungent spiciness, hints of baked bread and nutritional yeast.
First infustion yields a tea with complex, mellow character. Pours dark orange-brown with small bubbles on the surface that belie the full body. In the mouth, I get mostly spicy dark wood and blood orange tones with moderate camphor and this amazing, softened Bulang bitterness. The sweetness is very mild; it peeks in and out and never interrupts or overplays the satisfying aged taste. There are tannins, but no true astringency and a dryness that isn’t out of place in the structure. Very satisfying feel in the mouth and on the swallow. I feel it going down my throat. Profuse salivation and mild cherry candy aftertaste.
I love the way this tea flows through me. It’s very relaxing and makes my upper body and especially my arms heavy but doesn’t produce any stoney, sluggish feelings or out there thoughts. My mind is calm and clear. Camphor cooling and warm body last the entire session.
I enjoy that the storage conditions softened the likely harsh edges of this tea and didn’t leave any lingering soil, mushroom or clay tastes. I’ll have to further explore Guangzhou natural storage.
Yunnan Sourcing is selling this for US 17c/g; another vendor is selling what seems to be the same cake with the same storage for US 6.5c/g. This is a fantastic value cake and I highly recommend it. The price certainly makes a tong affordable. I could drink this every evening.
This is the tea I’m drinking inside the teahouse. Something to calm my nerves from hectic travel and ease my way back into the hustle of exploring a big city.
Flavors: Bitter, Blood Orange, Bread, Camphor, Candy, Cherry, Dark Wood, Maple Syrup, Mineral, Mushrooms, Spicy, Tannin, Wet Earth, Wood, Yeast
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derk I am vicariously enjoying your Changtai trip. Thank you!
That and the anniversary are real nice teas. Changtai delivers good bang for the buck. The opposite of Dayi
Yeah, I thought your description for Anniversary was great. There’s a warm, burly energy it that makes me think of a cheery, swarthy, ruddy-faced drunkard who’s fond of rich foods. I like it.
This one I’ll have to order a sample from the cheaper vendor. If it’s as good, for the price, I’m considering springing for 4 cakes. Otherwise, 1 maybe 2 cakes from YS it is. I love sheng but haven’t found too many I can drink in the evening without interrupting sleep. I really could drink this every night.
The Yun Pu Zi Dian is nice as well if you haven’t tried it. The cake I have is from CLT but YS has it at a better price. Not sure if the storage is the same or not.
derk I am vicariously enjoying your Changtai trip. Thank you!
That and the anniversary are real nice teas. Changtai delivers good bang for the buck. The opposite of Dayi
Yeah, I thought your description for Anniversary was great. There’s a warm, burly energy it that makes me think of a cheery, swarthy, ruddy-faced drunkard who’s fond of rich foods. I like it.
This one I’ll have to order a sample from the cheaper vendor. If it’s as good, for the price, I’m considering springing for 4 cakes. Otherwise, 1 maybe 2 cakes from YS it is. I love sheng but haven’t found too many I can drink in the evening without interrupting sleep. I really could drink this every night.
The Yun Pu Zi Dian is nice as well if you haven’t tried it. The cake I have is from CLT but YS has it at a better price. Not sure if the storage is the same or not.