2008 haiwan high mountain cake

Thank you, tea friend, for sending this along!! :)

Stream of conscious tasting:
Throat: Sweet chestnut. Faint Chinese sweet bread.
Oil: Very pleasant amount.
Brew aroma: Sweet earth, hint of chestnut, faint date, peach, some dry bark.
Body: Medium
Length: Long. Feels very clean and brisk.
Mouth-feel: Creamy after third infusion.
Taste: Good amount of bite, earth, a bit of malt, very very faint sweetness that is perfect for me. After third infusion – Faint cream, very mellow and smooth, a bit of vanilla. Cinnamon and the non-sweet part of nutmeg.

Working my way through many Shu samples.

I’m starting to think Shu is like pizza. Most pizza is adequate. It’s really hard to mess up. When it is messed up though, it’s yucky stuff. And on the opposite end, when pizza is really good, then it’s really, really good.

This Shu falls into the “adequate” category. It’s fine. Nothing I’d probably crave or be memorable.

The flavor is very wood forward, leathery tannic kind of thing. There’s a very distinct fine leather smell to the wet leaves, think calf skin seats in a brand new Porsche.

I barely picked up any sweetness. Color of liquor is typical and very nice, deep reddish brown. The quality of the leaves look good.

No funkiness at all if you’re worried about this Shu. But definitely a lot of wood.

All in all, it’s fine, but with so much tea out there and so little time, nothing something I’d reach out for again, but wouldn’t necessarily turn it away either.

A very long time ago I had a puerh tea that was flavoured like a cinammon bun. It was so good I didn’t even realize I was drinking a puerh. I also know that quite a few people say puerh has “bready” qualities. Well, tonight I was looking for something sweet and bready so I chose this out of the mountain of puerh I received in a care package. (Thank you!) Sadly I didn’t get any yummy doughy deliciousness out of this one.

I measured about a teaspoon or so in a 8 oz glass gaiwan, and poured off-boiling water over it. The brew darkened instantly. I waited a 10 second rinse and proceeded with the first steep. Aah, there it is, the now recognizable shou smell. Not too bad but definitely sea-weed. I only steeped 15 seconds each for the first two steeps. I saved some of the first steep in a separate cup so I can compare with the second steep side by side. Didn’t notice much difference between the first and second steeps. The third steep was about 20 seconds. Still pretty dark clay in colour, I have a feeling this one will keep going and going. I can’t take a longer steep at this stage, I can barely do 20 seconds! Tastes better as it cools a little but I just don’t get any sort of flavour! A touch of bitterness maybe. Not burned green tea bitter but chew on mild coffee bean bitter. Gosh, can I make any less sense?

It is not unpleasant (omg, I had some shou that made me gag when I lifted the cup to drink) but I can’t say it’s doing much for me. It’s an ok companion for job browsing activities but I wouldn’t take it upstairs with a book or anything.

PS. Don’t know about the fourth steep, I need a break. I need a palate cleanser. The jury is undecided on this one. :)