Crimson Lotus Tea

Finally home to drink this sample which was graciously sent to me a couple months ago by mrmopar. I’m pretty sure this is the right tea. My first tea from CLT, and the second session in my new Jianshui teapot from CLT, which I’ve already fallen in love with. I haven’t quite gotten the pour timing down, so some of my early steeps were a bit intense, but nothing I couldn’t handle!

The leaf smelled a little bit smoky, but this didn’t really come through to a great degree in the flavor. The first three or four steeps held a pretty hefty bitterness to them, but also got floral and honey sweet notes to finish. I also sometimes picked out a nutty note on the front and the occasional resinous piney inclination. Over the next few steeps, the bitterness began to recede, and this became very sweet, but still powerful feeling in a nice Bulang-y way. For these steeps I was getting almost all sweetness as far as taste goes, with honey and mineral notes most notable. The final five or so steeps became a little less flavorful and also lost a bit of their edge, taking on a more gently sweet taste/feeling.

This tea was decently thick in the mouth through most of the session. I also picked up some qi, which made me feel just a touch jittery – quite possibly due to two tea sessions in rapid succession rather than this tea only – but it definitely has some power to it. I quite enjoyed this one, and I look forward to drinking through my samples of CLT’s 2016 lineup to get a better feel for their style and their teas.

Sipdown

I had decided to grandpa style this at work last night. I was in need of caffeine and decided that shou might’ve been the best choice. This is definitely a great tea to be had grandpa’d simply due to the thick, creamy, and very smooth body. Overall, the sample had lasted much longer than normal—as all samples that are good do.

PS. I’m trying to get everything from previous sessions together since I have a lot of catching up to do! I tend to record every session on my phone, as well as write notes. Now that I’m running out of space on my phone and the notes are piling up, I figured it is time to start putting them up on Steepster. :P

I’ve come to really appreciate Bulang pu-erh. I have had CLT’s 2014 Bulang (raw) and really appreciate the flavors, aromatics, and tea drunkenness often brought on by the sessions. However, I’ve finally opened the sample package of this one, and I must say that I’m fond of this tea.

The first steeps are layered with earth, wet wood, and a pinch of dirt (not the unplesant kind, though). I had had 8 infusions before I had to increase the temperature and steep time; although, I had added only very little leaf (which was eyeballed) into the gaiwan (roughly 4g/120ml) compared to the gaiwan size.

As the last three steeps—3 minutes, 4 minutes, and 5 minutes—were increased, I had more flavors jump out from the liquor. I’ve discovered that there were ‘dark fruits’ (cherries?) and dark rich flavors dancing on the tongue—perhaps chocolate mixed with wood chips? Either way, it really decided to open up with a vast newness that had yet previously shown itself in shorter steeps. So, with the conclusion, I might try experimenting with the rest of the sample—to see what’ll happen if I Western-style brew this; compared to flash steeps starting from 5s-30s, and beyond.

I haven’t had Dogs yet, so this review will only be for Cats.

This brick smelled and tasted amazing! It first started out strong and still tasted really fresh. The first 4-5 steps were very green with a bite that followed it. After it had a chance to calm down, it showed a great taste of fruit and tasted like the kids cereal ‘Fruity Pebbles’. I got a good amount of steepings with Cats and none of them we’re a disappointment.

This tea has settled down beautifully over the past year.

Midas Touch is excellent. Although I don’t have last year’s to compare it to, I thought this years was fantastic! This tea had a brassy base, with a sweet finish. Midas Touch definitely had a bliss point after I hit the 1 minute steeping mark, and was all very relaxing.

I wrote a better in-depth review here…

https://www.theoolongdrunk.com/single-post/2017/05/01/The-Legend-of-Midas-Touch-Lives-On

Midas Touch has got to be one of the highest-energied teas I’ve had to date. After I completed my session, I was completely tea drunk. In fact, I was blitzed off my ass and felt high as a kite. This is the second time a tea has ever done that to me.

Midas Touch starts out very strong, and stays strong through out its session. At first, it almost smells and taste like tire rubber. I think its because its so fresh, but it left an odd odor. As I progressed with this tea, notes of strong sugary sage emerged with warm and woodsy undertones. In fact, it almost resembled a scotch. Besides the flavor, this tea would slap you in the face if you over steeped it, and would bring you to the carped if you brewed it too hot.

Overall, I would say that this tea is NOT for beginners, or tea drinkers who are just starting out. I would also suggest eating something before drinking this tea because it’ll probably make you feel sick if you don’t.

So I decided to revisit 2000 Old Warrior again, and I must say, it’s still going strong! I even wrote a new review of it here…

https://www.theoolongdrunk.com/single-post/2017/04/12/Old-Warrior-Fights-for-Another-Day

I think that Old Warrior is a fantastic aged shou, and isa tea that can be enjoyed by nearly everyone. I really recommend that everyone at least try this tea for your self. Despite it tasting great for an aged shou, it was exceptionally clean. I was very surprised by this.

Just another great tea by Crimson Lotus Tea :)

I received a sample of Old Warrior on one of my previous samples. Shame – that caused my wallet to suffer the expense of buying more of this tea.

At first, I was really surprised that this tea was from the year 2000 because the quality was superb. For a shou, especially such an old shou, this tea was insanely clean and pure. Hell, even most of the leaf and stem from the material was still intact!

This tea lasted multiple steepings and could withstand various temperatures and steeping times. Overall, this has got to be my (new) favorite aged shou.

Bravo Crimson Lotus!

Edit: I wrote a more in-depth review of it here!

https://www.theoolongdrunk.com/single-post/2017/04/12/Old-Warrior-Fights-for-Another-Day

Excellent!!!

This is such a clean sheng, especially given it’s age. This is a great way to try an aged tea, especially for newer puer drinkers. It had a sweet honey body with light hay undertones. I like this tea because it doesn’t have too much energy and it was easy to relax by. However, this tea is temperature sensitive and can easily taste sour if it’s brewed too hot. Just sit back, relax, and enjoy this tea :)

This is another exceptional tea from Crimson Lotus.

Emerald Sea was sweet, thick, and powerful. What really surprised me about this tea is that on the first steeping, Emerald Sea showed intense strength the would usually take other teas 5-6 steeps to come out. My only complaint is that in the later steeps, this tea seemed lose all of its power at once and didn’t really phase out. Other than that, I’d recommend this tea to anyone whose a fan of Crimson Lotus, or teas produced in the Jingmai religion.

Now on to Crimson Lotus 2016 line up, hahah. Hittin all those vendors!

I love the packaging of his samples. The amount of tea is very minuscule, but the packaging is clever and aesthetic. The leaves are very dark and tightly compressed in small chaotic knots (no where near as tight as xiaguan). The small dark green tendrils give off a very sweet and green scent. I pick up some smoke and oak with a nice cooked green musk lingering off the leaves. I warm up my teapot and place a few bits inside. The scent mixes well and develops into a roasted green aroma. The scent is pungent, smokey, and strong. I can detect a slight sweetness in the background. I washed the leaves and prepared for brewing. The character begins sweet. I note a little bit of char and roast. The carries a strong green vegetal base. The brew stands in this similar fashion throughout the brewing. I noted a few steeps that were sour, and the leaves seemed a little mushy. I could note a faint huigan, but the sensation disappeared quickly. I didn’t pick up on any qi. The wasn’t too tasty, and it really isn’t something for me. I have one session left, so I will revisit in a few weeks.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BK0qgIvAS4I/?taken-by=haveteawilltravel&hl=en

Dear GOD this is an incredible tea. One of my goddamn favorites from the batch of 2016 stuff, that’s for damn sure.

This is a wild tea. It’s definitely in the same bitterness family as a lot of purple puerh. But, while purple stuff was one of my first loves, a lot of the times it’s just big and fun and dumb. Like: fat satisfying bitter warmth, but not much evolve.

This stuff on the other hand: this is the magic stuff. This is the real goddamn deal. This huge central bitterness that just emanates weird life, radiating this ever-changing tentacles of sweet and vegetal and other stuff.

It’s interesting – it’s a very different bitter than the Lao Man E’s I’ve been drinking. The Lao Man E’s tend to have this more rubber/quinine note, quite distinctive, that rides over and above the more conventional puerh vegetal flavors. This stuff, on the other hand: the bitter is the center. Everything is connected to the bitter. Everything binds into and comes from the bitter.

Also: this is brain-zap tea. I was intending to actually, you know, get some work done, and instead ended up basically collapsed, draped over the side of my couch, blasting the new Frank Ocean album, joyously zonked. This is MASSIVE tea. This is tea to put into your skull and blast some thick, textured tunes to.

I kept texting my wife while I was drinking it. “Oh shiiiiit.” “Oh this is legit.” “Holy crap… THIS TEA.”

Also, weirdly, underneath, elegant. Something about the texture and overall… cleanness… reminds me of the ultra-delicate W2T Last Thoughts.

Anyway: thank you Crimson Lotus people. This is the real stuff. You have brought a new kind of joy into my life.

no detailed notes today (#workdaysteeps), but this is my first session with this tea and i am enjoying it very much. lots going on flavour- and texture-wise in the early steeps especially. good longevity for that phenomenon, and getting some interesting head- and body-feels. very nice.

This puer has notes of honeysuckle, unripe apricots, wheat barley, and later steeps a little tart. Steep this tea for awhile and it does get bitter, but it gives you plenty energy to not care. It also packs quite a strong taste. The texture is quite nice with a thick body, later on developing an interesting cooling effect in the mouth, and then getting a bubbly sensation.

Full review on Oolong Owl http://oolongowl.com/2016-jingmai-love-crimson-lotus-tea-tea-review/

really pleasant aroma of dry leaves like tart fresh apricots and green apples.

After two rinses, aroma changed to rich fried sugary treats, like funnel cake.

Flavor was similar to the tart fresh apricots, green apple, a bit of sugar and honey in there, a wild taste I couldn’t put my finger on that is like sour twang but not really sour, and a malty undertone. Tiny bit of astringency on the finish. not bitter at all. nice longevity, lasted about 15 steeps before it faded. Didn’t get huigan, kuwei, or chi.