2018 Smoove Cocoa

This is such a clean, easy-drinking shu. Absent of any funk, sour notes, flatness – it’s caused me to recognize the flat and sour in other shu I drink every day. It’s almost easier to talk about what it’s not, but the straightforward nature never seems to bore. I definitely get those cocoa notes in the flavor along with a hint of cinnamon on the hot. Earthy notes come forward and start to dominate as it cools, but the mouthfeel makes up for it, becoming a touch oily. Cocoa smell strengthens on the cooldown and I love a tea that finishes strong. My first W2T shu and it’s a daily drinker gem that’s high-class quality.

Smell (dry leaf) – old books, antique store.

2 rinses…

1 steep- honestly not a lot here, smooth mellow back drop. The tea is probably still opening up. Very smooth nothing off about it. Used approximately (2) – 5 gram pieces.

2nd- brews a beautiful ruby red. Oats, raw oats, dusty, some black tea notes. But very subdued and approachable. Easy drinking. Round.

3-6… much like the 2nd steep. Some malty notes showing up. However it has stayed much the same. The tea plateaus, slowly, more, and more, but becoming more round and just and enjoyable, non-offending drinker.

All in all, solid tea. Nothing I’d go after again just too vanilla, a great first venture into ripes, plenty of steeping, but never developed much. So quantity, over quality.

7g/100ml

Dry leaf appeaance – shiny, leathery slickness; slightly bigger, well-defined leaves

Dry smell – earthy, spring forest, cocoa, packed brown sugar, cookie butter, brownie batter

Wet leaf smell – dark chocolate, forest floor, dark caramel, hazelnut truffles, pumpernickel bread, double chocolate cookie dough

Liquor – dark, blood orange, almost burgundy brandy colour; quite opaque but minimal cloudiness

Texture – velvety smooth, quite thick, coats the mouth and throat nicely

Taste – sweet and light, dark chocolate/hazelnut spread over typical earthy shou taste; a tiny bit of a bitter bite at the end that adds a nice balance

Empty cup – light maple syrup

Mouth finish – when the chocolatey sweetness ends and the slight note of bitterness kicks in, the mouth coating sort of explodes and produces a lubricating salivation. A light hint of maple syrup at the back of the throat just like the empty cup smells

Wet leaves – nice, full leaves; a tiny twig or two per mini cake, but it is quite a negligible amount

Body feel – heavy in the head, but it does spread downwards throughout the whole body ending with a nice tingle in the feet. It has a nice, relaxing qi that is nice for kicking back with a good book.

This is probably my favourite Shou that I’ve had so far in my gong fu journey. It has basically everything I could hope for, from the lack of wet-pile taste, to the sweet, well-balanced flavour and velvety texture. Smoove Cocoa has something to offer all the senses, so it’s a great tea to enjoy in a mindful session. I typically like to drink shous when I don’t have much investment in the session itself and just want something nice to sip on, but this is a clear exception.

This has become a favourite daily drinker for me. It is not very complex but has a lovely nutty cocoa flavour with a touch of sweetness to it. It is forgiving and can be steeped longer or done grandpa style and still be quite delicious. The only reason I didn’t score it higher is the lack of complexity, otherwise I love this tea.

Reliably pleasant. Not the most exciting tea in the world, but then it’s hardly intended to be. It’s just a nice, smooth, lightly nutty, mildly sweet, pleasurably dark cup of always-easy-to-drink pu erh. I like it.

Like the name says this tea is quite smooth. It’s also a bit nutty with a bit of a roasted finish. A very simple tea but most enjoyable to sip.

suprisingly sweet and a great tingle on the tongue in the first infusions
Later a lovely roasted choco coffee taste