While I have enjoyed some puer’s lately, its been a while since I’ve written a review of a new one. Today is so cold outside, I wanted something thick and warm to heat me back up. What better than trying a new a shou I’ve been resting?
6 g leaf
5-6 oz water
boiling
2 rinses at 10 sec each
The piece I received is a dark walnut brown, the leaves compact but fairly easy to split a piece off of. I only created a small amount of dust, happily. The dry leaf is brittle and smells sweet, dark, a rich earthy aroma that calls to mind a bed of dry forest leaves and mushrooms.
After two short rinses, the compact chunk has fallen apart into thin, rectangular leaves — not quite fully open yet. The liquid itself is a rich color reminiscent of coffee, although far more pleasant in my opinion. It smells similar to the dry leaf, whereas the wet leaf calls to mind the same scents but heavier on the mushroom side and more wet.
1st cup, 10 sec: Mmm exactly the heaviness and warmth I needed. Throughout the sip, it is smooth and rich, the heaviness starting in the middle and bearing in on the end of the sip. I don’t taste any bitterness, not even a trace; instead its sweeter, the aromas brought to life as taste, although more on a woodsy side than a dirt/leaf side.
Flavors: Heavy, Mushrooms, Smooth, Sweet, Wood
