2015 Sheng 1800yr Single Tree

Sample generously provided by one of my tea pals, thanks S! I rinsed it twice since I found what looked like a hair from a black curly-haired forest monkey.

Ignoring dubious claims of age which caused a storm on this site last year, this tea was really very odd. Tart and bitter at the start of the sip, morphing into something almost meat-like (chicken soup) with a mushroomy sweetness and a bit of black olive. I don’t think I can recommend it but I’m glad I tried it.

This is my tea from yesterday.

I really enjoyed this one. Found it very buttery with a bit of fruity taste. Could also pick up faint notes of vanilla. It was very smooth and silky on the tongue. Early steeps didn’t have any bitterness at all but steeps after No3 seemed to have a bit of bitterness creeping in. I wonder if that was because I put too much leaf in the gaiwan? I tend to like my teas on the lighter side and when it comes to sheng I always seem to get a little too much leaf for my liking.

Anyway, if this tea was still available , I would probably order a cake since it was that good.

I’m still working my way through the Sheng Olympics teas.

I was fully prepared to dislike this tea. It didn’t help that I’m drinking it the morning after a session with 2014 Last Thoughts, which is one of the best teas I’ve ever had. However, this tea stands up to the comparison.

I started out a bit disappointed. The dry leaves consist of fairly tightly compressed small chunks. Not the whole leaves I’ve come to expect from premium teas. The first steep was light in color, with a mild aroma reminiscent of butter. The taste was light and viscous, with an incredible feel in the mouth. As I sipped that first cup the tea just grew on me. Every sip seemed a bit better than the last. I’m sure this was in part due to the extremely powerful cha qi, which started in my chest and arms and is now a whole-body experience, on a par with the Last Thoughts.

The flavors are mild, reminding me of some green-style oolongs I’ve had in the past: butter, straw, and hints of flowers. Strong, long finish, which is probably part of the reason why each sip seemed to improve.

Third steep is a bit darker: medium straw. Nose is still modest, but now is spice rather than butter. The taste is completely different: strong spice character, with the older, buttery flavor barely visible underneath. I like this flavor almost as much as the first, and give the tea credit for added complexity. The viscosity is still there but there is a bit of sharp bite riding on top, and a subtle bitterness underneath, which extends into the finish. I’m not a fan of bitter teas, but this is just a hint, adding interest. The fourth steep had the same characteristics as the third, but more integrated.

I don’t recall the exact price this tea sold for, but recall it was reasonable. I suspect that purchasers got fair value despite the marketing hype. If it hadn’t sold out I’d be buying some.

For reference: http://steepster.com/Proust614/posts/328940

2016 sheng olympics! I really like this tea as well. Nice and sweet, yummy apricot taste and a really easily drinkable vibe. It is slightly mellow – i.e. not strong bitterness or sour leaf flavour, which I love. A slight astringency (edit* probably drying is better word) but not such a long lasting aftertaste. ive been flash steeping it and its keeping a nice flavour. I like the body of the liquor, while not thick, there is some there.

Such a shame there was so much drama – its the sort of tea that I would buy more of, there wasnt any off tastes, apart from the one surrounding the validity of this tea, which is a unfortunate.

I wonder if this tea will come on the market again next season, and what its name will be?

2016 Sheng Olympics sampler. This tea is really, really good. It had little bitterness and an apricoty sweetness from the beginning. It was very smooth. The only thing I wonder about this tea is why they bothered to lie about it’s age. Even if in reality it is from 40 or 50 year old trees it is good enough to stand on it’s own. They weren’t using the age claim to charge a premium so why did they bother. This is certainly among the best young sheng I have ever drank. It is right up there at the top. I gave this tea fourteen steeps in a 60ml gaiwan. If I wasn’t at my caffeine limit I bet it would have gone twenty steeps. Again, I wonder why they didn’t just let this tea stand on it’s own.

I steeped this tea fourteen times in a 60ml gaiwan with 3.1g leaf and boiling water. I gave it a 10 second rinse. I steeped it for 5 sec, 5 sec, 7 sec, 10 sec, 15 sec, 20 sec, 25 sec, 30 sec, 45 sec, 1 min, 1.5 min, 2 min, 2.5 min and 3 min. Again if I wasn’t at my caffeine limit this tea would have easily gone twenty steeps. I seriously wonder why they felt the need to lie about it’s age. But there is little doubt in my mind that this is not from an 1800 year old tree. I think the thread on Transparency in the Tea Industry proved that.