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I’ve had a really long day, and I just got home. I pulled this one out completely at random. I didn’t have enough for a large session, so I busted out my small celedon gaiwan. I warmed up the lil guy and dumped the long black leaves inside. I let them sit as I sat down and unwound. I lifted the lid and took in a very unique aroma. The scent was sweet with some heavy grass tones, alike green bean and hardy vegetables. The winter honey lingered in the background but the heavy dull vegetable tone dominated the brew. I washed the leaves once and prepared for brewing. The flavor was light. This is a good tasting brew, but there isn’t anything amazing about it. The flavor begins with some heavy wood tones along with a slight honey taste. The brew was not overly complex, and it didn’t last too long. It was okay for a late night drink, but it didn’t quite hit the spot.

2016 Sheng Olympics
This was fantastic! I opened the package and gave these dried orange leaves a sniff. I took in a dry tobacco and leather aroma. I could note a slight sweetness lingering in the background. The chunk I had was too big to fit fully in the Jianshui, so I propped the lid atop it while the tea warmed inside the pot. I gave it quite some time to sit and soak up steam, and then I lifted the lid and a very unique scent arose from my teapot. I took in a savory note of a sweet and sour combo of Cornbread and Teriyaki. I could also pick up some leather and an underlying menthol aroma. This warmed tea brought the memory of Skoal to mind for some reason. I washed the leaves once and prepared for brewing. The tea still didn’t fit, so I hit it with the scorching spring water and it finally sunk into the pot. The steeped leaves gave off a completely different and powerful aroma. My tea room was filled with some smoke, tobacco, oak, resin, and the underlying sweet syrup of red fruits. This was going to be a very heavy tea. The first sip was sweet, oily, and thick. I was picking up tons of huigan and mouth action. The flavor began with some oak wood, honey, and sugarcane syrup. The body was thick and heavy with tons of flavor. This is an exceptional aged sheng. The brew grew with some astringency that lingered in the background. This tea was packed full of sharp tones and tons of flavor. I was picking up a drying leather, warm honey, oak wood, tobacco, and ripe fruit. The huigan was massive; I was almost drowning in it. The flavors lasted well after drinking, and a slight cooling sensation persisted on the tongue. The later steeping sessions kept the consistent heavy bodied flavor profile; however, a slight sour tone appeared in the aftertaste. The qi was an odd one. The feeling began in the mind as a warming and slowing feeling. The sensation mostly stayed in the head and surrounded the mind. The feeling progressed and bestowed a clouded mind. This qi slowed me down and relaxed me. The qi disappeared quickly, and my head began to clear up shortly after the session. I really enjoyed this tea. My favorite aged shengs are the ones with a thick and heavy body. This is a tea I could see myself drinking regularly. I can only imagine what another decade will do to this.

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2016 Sheng Olympics
This tea immediately caught my attention. I peeked through the clear packaging, and I can already spot the long whole beautiful leaves loosely entangled. I opened it up and took a sniff. This tea is pretty fragrant with strong sweet floral notes, hay, and ivy. I popped what I had into the warmed yixing and let it sit. The aroma was thick with super sweet scents of winter honey and orchid. I can also note some wooded Cyprus in the background. I washed the leaves once and prepared for brewing. The viscous nature of this tea began to show its face. I picked up some spiced green notes of spinach and roasted asparagus; I note some butter in the background. I flashed brewed this until later steeping. The sip begins with a nice sweet flavor. The taste is crisp and lasting with a grassy bite. The session progresses and I can now understand why this is described as being vicious. I can only describe the taste as an acidic sugar. The brew is light and sweet with mouth watering effect, but it quickly changes to a tingling bite mixed with a drying sensation. The brew carries some light pine tones along with a nice floral and oily finish. In later steeping, the brew becomes thick with a progressively more aggressive sweetness. The qi begins with heating the face and some head rushing. Then, it quickly moves throughout the body and causes the blood to begin rushing. I felt a mixture between an intense rush and then a smoothed drowsiness. I was able to pull a decent amount of steeping sessions from my pot, and this brew lasted for quite some time. The taste lasted in the mouth, but I didn’t experience any huigan. I enjoyed this tea, and I could see myself drinking this regularly; however, the brew is light and could use some more leaf.

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I’ve had this for quite some time, and I finally have drank my last pot. Luckily, this is just in time for spring harvest. You open the package and you are enveloped with these fragrant small emerald green and platinum leaves. They give off a beautiful fresh flower (daises), hay, and dry grass aroma. I pulled out my trusty tetsubin, and I got to brewing. First, the taste begins with a sweet mango tang; however, this flavor quickly fades away as the palette readjusts to the liquor. Then, the cup moves into a honey dipped peach taste that has a lingering astringency. Finally, the brew is surrounded with a drying grass taste and a pleasant orchid background. The drink leaves your palette with a nice lingering sweetness and a well oiled tongue. This tea is a fantastic spring time drink. The cuppa is a nice and well rounded liquor filled with soft spoken and curbed tones. This tea doesn’t carry any of the traditional “crisp” first flush tones. Instead, this tea yields a pleasant gardenesque quality that is light and airy, yet it still carries a nice full body. I am sad to not have any leftover, but I know I will be picking some more up in time for spring harvest. I highly recommend checking this company out, for they have “darjeeling” suiting anyone’s taste. In my experience, if you want a nice light flowery cuppa or a deeper and heavier bodied liquor they are sure to carry it.

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This was such a treat! This tea is the closest I’ve found to resemble the “legendary” 30 year aged Dong Ding that hooked me on aged oolongs. I knew that it was going to be perfect as soon as I opened the bag. I looked at these small brown curls and inhaled. I instantly spotted the quality aged oolong scent being raisin, plum, and sweet fruit. This heavy aroma is a syrup tang that lingers and fills the air. I got my trusty celadon gaiwan and warmed it up. I placed a fairly good amount inside and shook it up. I lifted the lid and let the heavy aroma fill my tea room. I was picking up tobacco, raisin, wet wood, and pungent over ripe cherries. This tea is highly aromatic and smells so very delicious. I sat for quite some time just sniffing the gaiwan. I washed the leaves once and prepared for brewing. The steeped leaves slowly unfurled and gave off an array of conflicting scents being: char, grape jelly, raspberry,and burnt sugar. The leaves kept jumping from sour to sweet. The taste was perfect. I was in love at first sip. The brew fills the mouth with a sweet juicy taste. The brew leaves the mouth with an intense ripe fruit aftertaste the stays at the back of the throat. I experienced an incredible amount of mouth action. The brew was filled with heavy concord grape flavors and a medley of berries. The sweetness that surrounded these flavors was stevia thick. The body of the brew was heavy and full with so many rounded flavors. The brew would fill your senses with an oily mouth,fruitful flavors, and a soft wooded base. I experienced no astringency and no bitterness. The tones flowed like silk through my senses. The qi began much later into the session. The sensation began at forehead and slowly warmed throughout the body. My mind began turning and slowly building up with an incredible lifted spirits feeling. This brew gives the iconic aged oolong tea drunk. I was slurring yet full of energy. I didn’t want this session to end, and I was able to pull a fairly good amount of steeping. I enjoyed this session a lot, and I am very happy to have tried it. I am saving some to drink with my friend that shared the 30 year aged Dong DIng with me. I highly recommend this brew as a fantastic aged oolong experience. This is what it should taste like, and this is some quality stuff.

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Today marks one year since I joined Steepster, and I couldn’t be more happier about that choice. This has been such a great experience, and I am always happy to be surrounded by crazy tea freaks like me. I am super excited for next year, for I have learned so much in 2015. I am soooo pumped for spring harvest! Anyways, I toast my cup to another fruitful year steeped in fancy smancy tea!

This has been eyeing me lately, and I was deciding if I should give it away or keep it. I opened the punch and gave it one sniff, and I got my answer. This tea smells so good! The aroma was intense fresh fruits with a crisp sweetness. It actually reminded me of fruity pebbles when you first open the bag. I warmed my gaiwan up and dumped these sugary treats inside. The aroma immediately transformed. Now, I was picking up heavier tones of sweet malt, dry chocolate, raspberry, and wet mahogany. I washed the leaves once and prepared for brewing. The leaves turn a beautiful pale yellow jade which caught my attention. The drink itself is fairly good, but it wasn’t as grand as the dry leaf aroma. The taste begins light and sweet with a prominent woody flavor. The brew then moves into some dandelion and honey with a tangy dryness. This was a very light and smooth drink, and I really liked it. The taste finishes with some astringency and a woody tone. The qi is slight and just a basic energy burst the lingers in the eyes and moves around clearing up the head. I liked this, but I think it might be better brewed western.

Yup, this is awesome.

I had a ton of doubts about this tea. First, the dry leaf reaks of perfume that my grandmother used to wear. However nice that scent may have been I don’t think it belongs in my teapot. Second, I’m not a big white tea drinker, and third this is flavored, so it’s usually not up my alley. Regardless, I grabbed my glassware and got to brewing. The steeped liquor tastes so damn good. The flavor begins with a light coconut and moves into a light citrus tone with honey. I can pick up some banana in the background along with a smooth floral note. The brew finishes with a tanged hay taste and dryness that cleans the palette. This is perfect for just before bed as a light dessert tea. I’m really surprised that I like this, and I’m really glad to have tried this.

I’ve had this for quite some time, and I finally got around to brewing it. The brick is teeny tiny, but it packs a lot leaf. I warmed my gaiwan up and popped this sucker in. I could only pick up a fruity pipe tobacco scent along with a deep roast, but the scent faded very quickly. I had to wash this about four times until it finally began yielding some good liquor. The brew was a thick red color. The weird thing about this tea is an odd freshwater or lakewater fish scent that kept creeping in. Then, it would quickly be covered by roast and some sweet fruit. The brew itself was full bodied and smooth. This was not an overly roasted flavor, for it went down without any bitterness. The brew followed this pattern consistently, and it ended each sip with a nice crisp sweetness. I liked this brew, and the nice texture helped me overlook the odd fishy scent. The best part was the qi. This brew packed a heavy hitter that went straight for the head. This drink gave a deep pulsing head high with some warming of the temples. I had to take a break and eat some bread to return to the table. I was able to pull a fairly good amount of steeping from this, especially for being a yancha. I liked this tea, but this is not something I’d get more of.

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