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This. This tea is fantastic! I was given this by a friend who highly recommended I try it. The dry leaf smells amazing! The small green balls carry a fragrant sweet aroma of fruits and candied syrup. I can pick up a lingering strawberry creme in the background. I warmed up my gaiwan with eagerness and placed these inside. The scent was so very very good! My first thought from sniffing the warmed leaf was an ice cream daiquiri. The leaf carries sweets, fruits, with a tiny bit of bitters. I swished the leaves around and then I was picking up more of a Neapolitan Ice Cream scent. This tea was just decadent. I washed the leaves once and prepared for brewing. The taste began as sweet and grassy with a vegetable base. The aftertaste of mango rose from the tongue and took over the senses. The brew became slightly astringent with a continuing dry grass tone and nice cream base. Later, the brew progressed into a sweet tropical fruit medley and smooth spring flora. The best part was with each exhale the taste of pineapple would wash over my taste buds. This really is a fantastic tea. The tea falters off after about four steeping, but it was still a nice fresh tasting tea. Honestly, this brew has me wishing I was in the Bahamas or something. It was just pure sweet and fresh flavors!

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I’ve had this tea for quite some time, so I finally decided to brew it up. The leaf is very dark (and Purple) and it carries a nice dry wood with some malt and a very faint grape juice aroma in the background. The juice note is very slight and tangy. I warmed up my gaiwan and threw some inside. The warmed leaf gives off a definite grape skin aroma. The scent is very fragrant and direct. I can also pick up some dark wood and plum that lingers. I washed the leaves once and prepared for brewing. The scent instantly changes to a char and bitter green scent; all the fruitiness has vanished. Luckily, they reappeared in the cup! The taste was very smooth and dry with a sweet fruity plum aftertaste. This is good tea. The flavor is pretty full and eases through the palate. The qi is mild and mostly directed at the head. A dry woody tone carries the flavors consistently and throughout the session. The tea lacks character and any depth, but it is a nice “purple” tasting tea. A later steeping brings out a wild bitter taste, and then the tea completely falls out and becomes astringent. I was able to get a good amount of steeping out of this tea, and I’m glad to have tried it.

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I like heicha on cloudy days, so the weather told me that it’s time to drink this tea. The brick is lightly compressed consisting of brittle twigs and black leaves. The little guy had a fragrant aroma of dry mahogany, slight grassy tones, and some musk in the background. I warmed up my gaiwan and placed a chunk inside. The scent deepened to a wet forest moss, some tobacco, and a sweet raisin undertone. I washed the leaves once and prepared for brewing. The taste began as very sweet with some light spiciness, A heavy wood base lifted these flavors up and crafted a soothing heavy brew. The brew became slightly more sweet and an underlying roasted tone became apparent in later steeping. This tea was a very easy drinker, but it lacked any complexity or deep character. The brew finishes with a quick drop off to mineral tones alike copper, iron, and dry stone. The drink in it’s red liquor form and metallic taste reminded me a little of blood… Anyways, hahah, it was a good drinker, and for the right price I could see it as a nice rainy day brew; however, I’ll learn next time to not push the tea so far into the vampiric territory.

This is a tea that I will be stocking up on! It’s unbelievably fantastic!

The cake is nothing special with a very typical scent of a dark wood and some dry grass. I warmed up my yixing and popped it in. I had very low if not any expectations for this tea. I was not impressed, and I thought it to be a very basic sheng. I lifted my teapot’s lid, and all my doubt was instantly washed away. An incredible intense aroma of warm honey, mahogany, and pure maple syrup engulfed my tea room. The taste was so sweet and so potent, I was salivating. I washed the leaves once and prepared for brewing. The sweet and dessert flavor remained except a vibrant spinach tone now lie in the background. The liquor was a crystal amber color and steamed with delicate fumes. The brew began with a cleansing grass tone with a smooth floral wash. A quick nip at the tongue kept me alert and ready for the grand finale. Immediately after I swallow, a beautiful and deep huigan drowned my senses. I cannot describe how powerful and clear the honey aftertaste was. I literally looked up from my tea table and “wow’d”. This brew was so good, so potent, so balanced… I was in love. The flavor continued with a well arranged floral delicacy and tangy sweetness that lasted well into the night. The fragrance from my pot grew stronger and filled my tea room with an intoxicating perfume. The only fall this tea has, is the qi is very quiet and acts as a background fuzz that just slightly lifts the drinker. The sensation was subtle and obscure, but it still was a nice companion. This tea is fantastic if you want a sweet, decadent, and memorable sheng. I highly recommend it, and I will hopefully be buying a tong or two.

I was curious about this tea, for I have varied experiences with Jincha. The dry leaf is heavily dark with brilliant gold spotting. I take in an unusual fungal with fish under-toned scent. This aroma kinda reminded of freshwater lakes. I also note strong ripe fruit scent in the background. I warmed up my gaiwan and prepared for brewing. The scent deepens to a very distinct “oaty” with dense wet wood scent. I washed the leaves once and prepared for brewing. The taste begins dry along with a good bite. The dryness comes from prominent leather toes and wood tastes. A mild sweetness lulls the throat in the aftertaste. This tea is fairly decent with a lot of transitioning flavors. The brew becomes a lot more smooth with some light sweetness that follows the dryness. The tea is still cloudy and will be needing more time to situate itself. The aftertaste becomes nice and long and sweet. This is a very typical and clique Mengahi Shou, and it would make for a pretty solid daily drinker. The qi is warming and percolating in the head and back of my neck. I like this.

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This whimsical tea made its way over to my tea table. The leaves are a chaotic assortment of twisted black tendrils with light gold spotting. Their scent is powerful and aromatic of smooth anise, dry sugar, and chocolate. The scent takes me back to my grandmother’s Italian cookies. I warmed up my gaiwan and pushed these inside. The scent exploded into fresh baked cookies with cherries on top and a light but sharp tone of malt in the background. I washed the leaves once and prepared for brewing. Now I’d like to state that I really dislike anise unless it’s in a cookie. I have a lot of trouble appreciating it, but this tea nails it! The flavor begins with a smooth sweetness then moves into a sharp kick of anise. The leave’s coco base pushes these flavors out and soothes them away. The aftertaste consists of caramel and burnt sugar that linger in throat. The qi is nice and powerful with a lot of red facing, haha. The spent leaves give off a wonderful aroma of baked bread. This tea packs a lot of flavor and lasts for quite some time. The anise is not as overwhelming as I assumed to be in the aroma of the dry leaves. This tea brings a lot of character to the table with no artifices. I really enjoyed it, even though I did doubt it quite extensively.

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This was a very interesting tea. I enjoy most of this company’s offering, and the ones I don’t still add up as an unique experience. This cake comes out and is dark and shows its age very well. I can see the tips are bronzed and the leaves have muddled; however, I can still place some dark forest green. The bing gives off a powerful eucalyptus and menthol aroma with the classic wood and leather aged scent. I warmed up my gaiwan and placed a chunk inside. The cake did not differ or expand in scents, for it only grew in depth. The warmed tea gave off a deeper leather and menthol aroma with the tang of tobacco in the background. I washed the leaves and prepared for brewing. The taste begins sweet and oily. A nice sugarcane and stone-fruit taste washed over my taste-buds. I can note some astringency lingering in the background. The brew still carries a green punch, but it is subdued by a drifting huigan. The taste becomes sharper and filled with wooded tastes and some light fruitiness in later steeping. The drink gives my mouth quite a dry feeling. The qi is pretty solid and really gets me moving; I can note a nice warming and rushing sensation filter throughout my body. This tea is pretty good, except there isn’t much complexity. I believe that this tea shouldn’t be drunk just yet. I think in a few more years it can develop into something truly worthwhile.

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I’ve been curious about this one and luckily some decided to make its way over to me. The description is true when stating that this shu will win no beauty contests, haha. The leaves are small, frail, and mostly melded together. They give off a a deep autumn leaf pile scent with some dry wood and slight earth. This tea kinda smells like drought in how dry it is haha. I warmed my gaiwan up and popped a chunk inside. The scent deepens and becomes more “dry”. I pick up some parchment, dust, leather, tobacco, and sage after a rainstorm wafting from my gaiwan. This has a lot of piercing and sharp tones. I washed the leaves once and prepared for brewing. The taste follows suit with the scents, beginning with clay and some bitterness. A dry leather and quick sour tone overlaps. Then, the brew moves into some smooth red pear with a light sweetness. However, this taste only lasts a second, for the brew moves back into dry tones with some sour underlying. This brew reminds me of a dry red wine. I experienced some tongue prickling and throat numbing. The qi is deeply warming and potent. I am relaxed and my hair begins to prickle. This is a nice dry tea with some complexity and heavy leather tones. This qi is amazing and it has aged quite nicely. The unique dry characteristic would make this a good conversation tea.

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I love a good Jingmai. I had my first taste awhile ago and ever since I’ve been in love. I opened this bing up and took in a whiff. The leaves have become very dark and let out a distinct smoke and lingering red fruit aroma. The crisp leaves give off a sharp leather tang along with some pipe tobacco. This a stenchy and potent tea. I warmed my jianshui up and placed a generous amount inside. The scent deepened into some dry wood along with a mild eucalyptus aroma. This displays a lot of classic aged scents. I’m hoping there is some unique body though. The aromas were good but no overly intense sensations. I washed the leaves once and prepared for brewing. The body is smooth with some drying feeling. I experienced some slight creamy tones with a brief huigan. The brew keeps a nice and smooth body; however, I note some astringency and bitter wood in later steeping. The fiery orange liquor smells of soft wood. This brew becomes a decent mix of sweet and sour tones with a good amount of age behind it. The brew keeps this consistency and develops no complexities. The huigan dissipates quickly and is delayed. The qi is extremely slow moving until after the session it washed over me with far reaching heat head waves and a nice serene and relaxing sensation. Altogether, this is good daily drinker, but it displays nothing a superb 10+ yr old sheng should display.

2015 Spring
I woke up craving some greens, so I decided to brew this up. Its taken me a long time to figure out where this tea came from, for the packaging has no name only the company’s logo, but with some good detective work I figured it out. The tea consists of some very small tightly rolled green pebbles. This tea gives off a fragrant scent of flowers and dry grass. This is a very “springy” tea. I warmed my gaiwan up and dumped a decent amount inside. I shook the gaiwan up and took in the syrupy aroma. My senses were filled with a nice thick nectar and grassy scent. I was noting a little bit of watercress and hydrangea in the background. The taste is sweet, crisp, and smooth. The flavor is dominated by floral qualities and grass. The taste progresses to a slight astringency and drying sensations. The body is healthy and full with spring qualities. The pouch was vacuum sealed, but it still has faltered a lot in the past year. I enjoyed this tea, but it was far too floral for me.