2020 Snoozefest

Realized a while back that between all six years of Snoozefest I have more than a tong’s worth of different year’s pressings of this sheng!

Anywho, I finally cracked into the 2020 pressing. Somehow I ended up forgetting this one in my pumidor and it got passed over other years. 2020 was a chaotic shit of a year though, so I’m blaming that. Anyway, steeped grandpa style it was a very lovely. Really sweet and thick. Reminded me both of apricot jam and this kind of tangy mango gummy candy that I sometimes buy from the Asian market here in Montreal. All with a subtle green undertone. It’s making me feel like I should really take an afternoon to taste through each year’s version to see if I have a favourite.

To anyone else with multiple years of this sheng, which is/was your favourite!?

Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/CpFzvGbuT0S/

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07pPx8VoU5o

Finally broke into my first cake of this. After getting the 3 previous years’ Snoozefests, I went in for 2 cakes in 2020. My experience with these has always been positive. Notes of Strawberry and Orchid being the two that have stood out the most to me. We’ll see how this one does after hiding in my storage for 11 months.

1st impression: Aroma of tropical fruit, apricot, and strawberry. A dark minerally sweet back drop. Some floral/herbal notes in there as well. A little drywall in there as well. Taste is notably middle of the tongue bitter. Some sweetness, some fruit and floral. Compared to 2019: This has a darker aroma and is overall more vegetal and a lot more bitter. That may also be the difference of an extra year in storage. Right now the fruit on this is leaning more stonefruit than strawberry. And the orchid profile from the 2019 is coming out a lot more creamy on this one. These are all slight differences; they are still very much the same teas except this have a hard acrid bitterness that hadn’t been in previous years versions.

Bitterness. This is the first snoozefest I’ve tried where I’ve thought this could use a few more years. Long lingering bitterness. Cooling sensation at the back of the throat. Floral, fruity, and dark. Drying.

After the first 2 steeps I’m really regretting starting this on an empty stomach. This is not the same gentle crowd-pleaser of the previous years. It is settling into a more vegetal and mineral taste with some cooling and lingering bitterness.

Head rush. Some pressure on my forehead and cheeks.

Drink down: The bitterness did begin to fade about half way through. The texture is decently thick veering toward creamy, but it is hard to tell with the way this tea makes my mouth feel dry. A good caffeine head rush. Decently complex. Pleasant. More powerful than I expected from the w2t $15 sheng special.

This’ll be the young sheng I’ll drink on occasionally over the next year. The 2nd cake and anything left over at the end of the year will go in the pumidor to age a while.

Later review: Something must have been up with my water. I’ve got a new kettle and water filter system. The bitterness pretty much disappeared. This is now delightful. Soapy orchid & stonefruit.

First impressions: mouthwatering mango yogurt.
Very light and not super complex but somehow it makes me happy.

1 & 2
Pungent, creamy, tropical aroma. Liquor nice creamy, steamed vegetables. Slightly astringent but smooth. Body thin and elegant. A beginning of bitterness.

3
More bitterness appears in the liquor and aroma as well. Pleasant lingering sweetness, heart racing, head feels heavy. Candies from the empty cup. Still sweet and full.

4 & 5
Less creamy, more herbal and mineral. Pungent.
Liquor feels like melted ice, thin body, drying and vegetal. Cooling sensation. Astringency in the throat. Some lingering aftertaste.

6
Same as before, still tasty but more thin and bitter.

7
The bitterness has settled, thin body and nice fragrance. The fruits are becoming flowers.

8
Less interesting, vegetal, more flowery. Very drying. Caffeine is strong and makes me nervous.