Cameron B. select Send Message

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drank Fuding Shou Mei White Tea Cake 2013 by Teavivre
1578 tasting notes

This was in the latest batch of free samples from Angel at TeaVivre. Thanks, Angel! I was a little bit confused by this tea, is it a white tea or a sheng? Either way, I figured I’d try it tonight. The dry leaf is in flakes, since it’s been broken off of a cake. The leaves are a darkish brown/green color. The smell is amazingly honeyed with notes of sweet dried fruits and hay or sweet dry grass. There was nothing in the instructions that said how much tea to use, so I just put a few pieces in until it was about a teaspoon and a half or so. Steeped at 200 for 6 minutes.

Yum, the aroma is super strong raw honey! I also get the same sweet dried fruit and hay from the dry scent, along with autumn leaves and tobacco. I can definitely see similarities to sheng here – it has a lighter version of that eucalyptus/menthol taste that I’ve gotten in shengs before. Lovely roasted hay and autumn leaf notes, along with a slight grainy taste. It’s overall quite sweet and honeyed, yum. I’m getting a little bit of the tingly tongue and I can feel this tea’s influence on my heart rate.

Overall, very good and unique for a white tea. I’m not sure I would purchase this, since you have to buy an entire cake. I guess technically I could just buy multiple samples of it. :P

Flavors: Autumn Leaf Pile, Eucalyptus, Grain, Hay, Honey, Sweet

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 6 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML
5 comments
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TeaBrat
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It’s a sheng made from white tea :)

Cameron B.
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Thanks for clearing that up! I’ve been wondering. :P

mj
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This is so intriguing! I didn’t like the sheng I tried before, but a white tea sheng? I might like that!

Cameron B.
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mj, did you get this round of free samples? If not I can send you one of my packets.

mj
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I didn’t, so that would be awesome! My cupboard is woefully out of date. Let me update it and then you can see if you’re interested in trying anything I have. I won’t get to it today, but I’ll PM when I have it done. Thanks :)

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Comments

TeaBrat
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It’s a sheng made from white tea :)

Cameron B.
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Thanks for clearing that up! I’ve been wondering. :P

mj
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This is so intriguing! I didn’t like the sheng I tried before, but a white tea sheng? I might like that!

Cameron B.
Delete

mj, did you get this round of free samples? If not I can send you one of my packets.

mj
Delete

I didn’t, so that would be awesome! My cupboard is woefully out of date. Let me update it and then you can see if you’re interested in trying anything I have. I won’t get to it today, but I’ll PM when I have it done. Thanks :)

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Bio

Hi, I’m Cameron! I’m a 30-year-old software engineer currently living in Austin, Texas with my husband and our two pugs, Gobo and Ume. I tend to cycle between my different hobbies, and they include knitting, video games, board games, miniature painting, bento, baking, and – of course – TEA! But really, what I’m best at is collecting hobby related-things… ;)

I prefer my tea lukewarm or at room temperature and without milk or sugar. I will often sweeten iced tea. I brew Western style, and fluctuate between using mugs or teapots with small cups depending on the season. Occasionally I’ll brew Gongfu style when I’m in the mood. I also use a kyusu for Japanese teas.

I am always up for a swap! Just let me know if you’d like to try something in my cupboard.

Current Subscriptions:
52teas
Bird & Blend
Kyoto Obubu Tea Farms
Sips By

Tea Preferences:
I enjoy both flavored and unflavored teas in many forms. These days, I drink mostly flavored teas, and I tend to gravitate most toward black, green, and oolong varieties. I do have a special fondness for straight Japanese green teas, however.

Fruit: All of them! My ‘go-to’s tend to be in the red fruits, stonefruit, or citrus spectra. I also really love apple, banana, berry, fig, lychee, melon, pear, and rhubarb flavors. Tropical fruits aren’t among my favorites, but I still enjoy them once in a while – especially mango and pineapple. I am not generally a fan of coconut in tea, though there are some exceptions.

Dessert: I love creamy vanilla and marshmallow flavors, along with anything in the caramel family such as butterscotch, toffee, or maple. Chocolate is also a favorite, though I’m often disappointed by it in tea. And don’t forget anything buttery, cakey, or cookie-y!

Floral: I’m a little bit more particular in this category. I very much enjoy jasmine, even strong jasmine, along with sakura and chamomile. But I’m not crazy about rose or lavender flavors, and I prefer hibiscus in moderation only.

Spices: I don’t generally find myself drawn to masala chai, but I do enjoy spices combined with other flavors. My favorite spices are the warm ones, especially cinnamon, nutmeg, anise, and cardamom. A bit of heat from black pepper or chili is okay too, as long as it’s not overwhelming! Ginger can be a lovely accent, but I find it difficult to drink as a starring flavor.

Aromatics: I’m obsessed with Earl Grey! I also love cooling flavors such as mint (especially spearmint), pine, juniper, and eucalyptus. I am not a fan of strong rosemary or sage in tea.

Favorite Purveyors:
Bird & Blend
Dammann Frères
Kusmi
Kyoto Obubu Tea Farms
Lupicia
Taiwan Tea Crafts
TeaVivre
Yunnan Sourcing

Tea Rating Scale:
90-100: Outstanding! Permanent cupboard resident
80-89: Great – a possible staple
70-79: Good, but I wouldn’t buy it
60-69: It’s decent
50-59: Meh… I may or may not have finished the cup
40-49: Ick. Couldn’t finish it.
00-39: Repulsive, I spat it out

I will sometimes refrain from rating a tea if I feel I’m too biased due to my personal dislikes, or if I suspect the sample has been compromised by age.

Location

Austin, Texas

Website

https://www.instagram.com/cam...

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