Crimson Lotus Tea

Daydream is one of my favourite Crimson Lotus teas I’ve tried. Its highlight is the dreamy stoning cha qi coupled with a long evolving aftertaste. It seems to me, however, that it might be a tea to drink now rather than to age; the processing of most of the material seems very “green”.

It has a grassy aroma almost like a sencha with notes of apricot pits, wet wood, cream, cinnamon, cucumber, seaweed and grain appearing after the rinse.

The taste starts out savoury, floral, bitter, and vegetal with flavours such as thistles, freshly cut grass, watermelon skin (the light green part), hay, broccoli, and lavender. It has a butter-like finish and a drying citrusy afertaste reminiscent of lime and citrus zest. Later on I notice further flavours of agar wood, pine, green wood and an edamame-like sweetness. There are also some jasmine and lavender notes in the aftertaste now.

The liquor has a medium body and a lubricating, creamy mouthfeel. It is very soft and somewhat effervescent. As I mentioned already, I really like the energy of this tea. It provides a dizzying and elevating sensation that’s really a full body experience.

The cake has beautiful looking leaf. Upon the first steeping there is a pleasant blend of floral and fruity notes, medium thickness in the mouth with notes of caramel and cream. Cane sugar sweetness. Clean. Flatter the second steep. Not as syrupy. Pineapple, and mango. Third steep it continues…background sweetness, with a fruit forward, and floral flavor. Subtle, sweet cream, and vanilla tones. Round and very relaxing. The fourth steeping, the fruitiness has taken a back seat, more bittersweet and astringency has come forward. Lots orchid, almost nectar type flavors.

The tea rounds outs is still very comforting to drink, lots of soul to the tea. Not a ton of energy, but more of a relaxing energy.

This is definitely one I enjoy, it’s one where it is hard to describe the experience. If you get the chance to try it or purchase it, please do. This is one of the best I’ve had from CLT …IMHO. I need to purchase another cake. The humidity here in Florida ages these quite quickly.

I received this as a sample at first it seems kind of light heartedly not offering up too much the first couple steeps, definitely not a fruit bomb. More vegital. Definitely more of a savory tea, with a dried herb notes and some kind of dried floral notes? But drying in the mouth. Behind my lips and the sides of my tongue. All in all I think a very approachable Sheng. I see that I could get bitter or astringent if you over-steeped, but overall fairly easy to contend with. There’s some residual sweetness in the background but definitely take second fiddle to the floral, herbal, and earthy notes that it has. It sweetens as you brew through. Finishes dry with that cotton ball feeling in the mouth. Resinous at times.

I think overall a good tea definitely a daily drinker as a lighter, and approachable tea. Definitely for a sheng. It’s just easier to contend with, on your casual drinking. However, I think I’m having a problem getting past the drying from the tea. I feel like it overshadows a lot of subtle flavors that it has. Its light, and fairly light hearted, but it kind of gets ran over with this inevitable flavor and feel. The herby, peppery, earthy notes are welcome. I wish I would of got these custard notes, as some other reviews, but no joy..

I wouldn’t seek it out, but I wouldn’t turn it away. Just not a lot of bang for me from the tea ;p

Steeps 1 -5

Brews light brown at first, but It has started off as a 7g chunk. Second steep it brewed a dark mahogany brown, with hints of red. It is brothy, reminds me of Soba or Ramen noodles. It has a certain starchiness to which adds to its mouthfeel. Which is substantial, but not heavy. Has the classic shou flavors, with a hint of latex, methanol. Third steep: Very dark, brown. Not transparent at all. Richer this time around, darker, carbony flavors, but not burnt. Much more minerally. Maybe some Chinese five spice flavors. Black pepper? Like burnt shishito peppers without the spice? good energy from the tea making itself present. The fourth steep, has much more roundness to it. Seems to have more of a savory aspect to it, like good soup broth, an umami if you will. Apparently a very Japanese tea haha. Its a very comforting experience. Some roasted notes here. Like drinking tea in a kitchen. The fifth steeping its is showing an ever slight give up color. A lot of energy, which i typically don’t associate with Shou’s. Usually a nightime tea for , or a casual drinker, this one would be great mid day, but I don’t for caffeine sensitive people might have to be careful. The tea seems to still offer up some solid steeps but has flattened out as far as complexity is concerned. Should go for at least 10+ steeps.

Overall, a good tea, and a surprising energy boost that I did not see coming.

Something I’ve noticed, is the cake is not pressed as tightly as some other offerings from CLT. So it seems to use larger chunks of tea, as it seems to be lighter, and fluffier than others. The cake I have is also short a few grams which is a bummer since the tea does not go as far. Beautiful cake! Really nice attention to wrapping, and artwork. Affordable too.

Steep 1 -4

Brews a golden yellow. Fairly Clear.

Soft, medium bitterness, cucumber skin, zucchini.
Salty. Slightly Floral. Subtle apricot sweetness in the background. Vanilla. Bitterness kicking in on second steep. Light acidity, apple like. green apple core flavors.

Steep 5-8

Bitterness and astringency is starting to mellowing. Pear, lychee sweetness, starts to come forward. Interesting apple, acidity, sweetness as well continues. Tea continues to brew strong with flash steeps and is very potent, and assertive. You can brew this fro sure into the double digits, if you can hang in there that long.

All in all, a solid sheng, however age will help this. I see it becoming a phenomenal tea in 5 years, or more. Its age brews away after a few steepings, and it is vibrant as ever. Very easy to oversteep I think. I don’t like to play with temps much, but it might be interesting to brew with cooler temps to see the results. I f you like big shengs, and bitterness, this is a winner for sure. A big bold, tea, that should reap some great results with age. Not to mention an affordable sheng as well.

Gongfu Sipdown (620)!

Finished off last weekend – a really nice session overall! This was something I was given as a free sample when I ordered my Honeymoon cake last Black Friday, so I’ve had it for a little while now. Probably not something I would have ordered for myself, but those are often the best samples because they surprise you and push you outside your comfort zone!

Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/Byx9UqwgUEW/

To brew this tea, I used my largest chahai and I stacked my infusions four at a time (excluding the rinse) – I did this for three “sets”, so a total of twelve infusions. This doesn’t allow you to see the flavour unfold/develop in the same way as normal Gong Fu brewing, but it does work for a more casual sitting, because you have a minute or two of straight brewing and then a large quantity of brewed tea to drink over a prolonged period of time.

This was delicious – very sweet and syrupy, both in taste but a syrupy/thick mouthfeel as well. Each set was packed with those syrupy/sweet elements in the form of stonefruit notes and dense, sickly sweet overripe pineapple juice notes – both being flavours that I adore, but especially the overripe pineapple. The kind that gushes when you bite into it, and dribbles on your chin. It was the tiniest bit bitter and astringent (in a pleasant way), with a hint of a more green element, and then a buttery note in the finish.

Solid, solid tea.

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uz0rr_7O90

Still trying out some of my Crimson Lotus tea samples from 2018. There are so many good ones!

95C – 120 ml- 4g , started off with less than 5 sec and worked up
The first 4 steeps were my favourite. There was no bitterness or very little in the early steeps. It was so apricot fruity and juicy. I just loved that. There was also a light honey sweetness that coats the tongue. Also got a bit of mineral taste.
After steep 4 , it became much more mineral, less apricot and honey. Bitterness started creeping in more and I detected a bit of a sour note. It just kept getting more mineral with each successive steep. After that I was getting a bit bored with it. Around steep 8 , it started changing around again and I could pick up more honey again. I never made it much past that. I was too busy to go back to my tea and don’t drink any tea with caffeine late afternoon or evening.

If I had to introduce somebody to the world of puerh, and this person had sheng-y trepidations, Hidden Song would be first pick. It’s friendly, mild and sweet with some throaty astringency and light bitterness. The warmed/rinsed leaf has an aroma of cooked sweet blackberries, an umami that lies along a meaty-beany spectrum, dusty florals and old books, moderate flat smoke. The fruity aroma drops away in the brew, leaving a viscous soup that tastes like sweet yellow bean paste with hints of those dusty florals and old books, both of which later become dominant. Some mild, well integrated lemony sourness on the sides of the tongue also makes a presence. A tea difficult to screw up.

If you’re brand new to puerh, I’d highly suggest this tea. The lower score is only my personal preference.

This is a nice floral, sweet, and full-bodied tea with a long-lasting aftertaste. There is enough complexity, but the taste profile remains fairly balanced. One of the better teas I sampled from CLT. The taste is profile is a little strange, but I attribute that to the fact that the tea is in its transition period already.

The dry leaf aroma has a gin and woody quality that turns into a mix of cream, grass compost, camphor and tobacco later on. Towards the end of the session, I can also smell some white peach.

As for taste notes, I noticed flavours of fenugreek, lemon zest, nutmeg, fresh dates, walnut shells and bread. It is somewhat juicy and bitter taste with heavy sweetness and a strong floral component. The aftertaste is dry and tart with notes of honey, dandelion leaves, and guava. The huigan is strong and lasts for a while too.

One of the highlights, and a reason why I think this tea might age well, is its very thick mouthfeel. It is also fairly slick and soft though, with a slight foamy quality that should get enhanced over time. On the other hand, what the tea does not seem to have is a particularly memorable cha qi. However, I don’t really see that as a problem, I don’t necessarily want every sheng I drink to have a hard-hitting qi.

Jingmai LOVE is an ok sheng, but doesn’t seem to stand out in any particular way. Maybe the most memorable is its qi, but not necessarily in a good way either.

The dry leaves have a weak floral smell mixed with some sawdust. On the other hand, the wet leaf aroma is fairly strong. It is fresh and reminiscent of barn cooked meat and a dry meadow.

The rinse has a soft and coating mouthfeel and quite a dynamic taste. It is herbal with vegetal sourness and savoury notes. I also notice some tangerine peel and in the aftertaste phyllo pastry and some sweetness emerging.

First few steeps retain a nice coating mouthfeel, but later on, the texture becomes quite uninteresting. The taste is initially very similar to unripe apricots with some umami and dry grass notes. Over time more floral sweetness is present and around infusion 6, moderate bitterness appears too. After a metallic finish, I get a biting and numbing aftertaste that’s quite nondescript in terms of flavours. The only new one I picked up on is black pepper. There are a lot of returning flavour over time, but the aftertaste is not one that would keep my attention.

The cha qi is somewhat frontloaded. After few steeps I feel warm and sleepy, with a light dizziness. Later on, the only effect is the caffeine rush, which is quite strong from this tea.

Another sample in my Crimson Lotus sample pack.

I haven’t got much to say about this tea except mushrooms. That was the dominant flavour throughout with a bit of bitterness. After infusion 5, the mushroom was a bit less.

Later steeps past 6 were better for me but this is not my type of sheng. I am surprised it has such good reviews. I guess we are all looking for something different in our teas. This one didn’t cut it for me.

I got the sample 2018 package from Crimson Lotus because I was missing some Pu-erh in my cabinet. I wanted to try some samples and just get one good cake of something I love.

This one was very good. I keep the leaf amount and water down. 3g and 100 ml water approximately with 90C water. That might be too weak for most Pu-erh drinkers but I find I like them a bit weak. They keep getting strong in the early infusions anyway.

This one was so smooth. Hardly any bitterness and strong honey & creamy taste in the early infusions. I also picked up some faint fruity notes. The creamy taste disappeared by steep 6 and it was just honey and smooth. I could have easily gone beyond the 9 infusions I did because this tea has practically no caffeine. They were not kidding when they say this tea is so relaxing! Once I hit that many infusions of most Pu-erh , I’ve gone over my caffeine quota for the day.

All in all this is definitely a good Pu-erh for me but (drumroll) what is the price? $94.99 for a 200g cake. I’ve never spent that much on a tea EVER and I’ve gotten some really good teas. That’s probably US funds too so converted to Cdn at 1.3 would be $123.49. Add on shipping and the cost would rise more. No, definitely won’t be buying a cake of this tea. Too bad. It’s such a good one.

I’ve had 2014 Cloudy Days from Crimson Lotus in storage for a few years and decided to try it for the first time this morning. Since I did not taste it when it was first produced, I read the other tasting notes, and it sounds like it has not changed much over the years except to continue to mellow out as one would expect. There are zero negative qualities to this tea, now. It is ready to drink. I brewed this gongfu style in a clay teapot with quick seconds-long steeps progressively extending the steep time. Cloudy Days is a really smooth and balanced shou pu’er. It is initially quite sweet. There is a warm hay like quality with the typical earthiness and nutty flavors. There is a small amount of bitterness in the aftertaste. I initially wrote no throat feels, but I am now getting a little deep in the throat. There is a little mild chalkiness on the back of the lips after the finish. I think a lot of people would enjoy this. It would be an excellent introduction to shou pu’er. The 2014 Cloudy Days is sold out, but Crimson Lotus has reproduced this tea in a 2016 version that is still available.

Addendum: Don’t be afraid to push this tea hard in later steepings. I got distracted and left the leaves steeping for several minutes, and remarkably the tea was perfect with no initial bitterness. Wow.

From the CLT samples I got, Wildwood is one of my favourites. It is quite a green and floral sheng with a very soft and comforting mouthfeel, good huigan and interesting cha qi.

Its aroma is fairly light and standard. I can smell notes of cilantro, stewed kale, butter and steamed milk throughout the session. The taste starts out peppery and floral with muted bitterness and a mild sage flavour. Then it develops into a sour, grassy and crisp profile with floral sweetness in the finish and hints of dandelion. Over time, the astringency naturally appears, but it never becomes overpowering. The aftertaste is slightly salty, buttery, and quite long lasting and drying.

The best aspects of this tea, however, are its texture and the cha qi. It has a full body and very soft and smooth mouthfeel. The energy can be felt almost immediately. My limbs were trembling, my sensations and perceptions heightened and my body was filled with a comforting warmth.

One thing that I am slightly unsure about with respect to this tea is how it will age. It does seem more green than other sheng I have encountered, which might or not pose a problem in the long term. However, that’s not something I can really assess with my lack of experience.

Winner for 2018 Sheng. Has a wholesome nourishing quality and the high is so very pleasant. I don’t feel like I have to pay close attention to this tea to get a great amount of enjoyment from it. That’s kinda the magic of it. It just feels good and quiets your mind and takes you somewhere else. It’s some astringent and not very bitter which is the opposite of how I prefer a tea but I don’t mind. It more than makes up for that in the feels.

I drank this tea a lot when I ran out of all my other tea. It’s a huang pian and is a mighty fine one at that. Stone lion is a perfect name for this tea. Tastes like drinking an average puerh out of a granite cup.

This tea and I have a strong connection. I have an affiniTEA for this tea. Very well balanced flavors. The Cha Qi is where this tea shines in my opinion though. At one point in the session I felt like my head was expanding and my skull had enlarged 5 times its original size. This is a must try from Crimson Lotus.

Gong Fu “Sipdown” (592)!

Not technically a sipdown, as I’m giving away the last 7g or so that I have of this to someone else in a swap – but it’s close enough.

I thought I had written a tasting note on this one prior with a lot more detail about the flavours and progression through steeping it Gong Fu – but I’m realizing now that I was thinking of another one of CLT’s Shou offerings and I’ve actually not reviewed this one on Steepster yet. I’m sorta kicking myself for not checking before this session, as I would have kept some sort of record while I was drinking the tea. As I was under the impression I’d already done a thorough review before I did not take notes this time…

Seven infusions – could have done more, but y’all know the drill in regards to evening Gong Fu session on weekdays: didn’t want to be strung out on caffeine and unable to get a good nights sleep. #adulthood

Photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/BwGHyl4FjHt/

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2TiCkNF610

This is what I had to say, in terms of the flavour of the tea, on instagram: Lovely tea – this last session was relatively heavy handed and it produced a very earthy and full bodied cup w/ an almost woody ‘espresso’ kind of profile, with umami undertones and a sticky sweet raisin and maple finish? So unique!!

I do remember the woody, maple, and raisin qualities in particular because the were super enjoyable – love that combo in any tea, but especially in a good shou. Also by heavy handed I mean I was brewing, like, 11g? So, this really was a THICC session/infusions.

Smell- Not too much here, clean. Moss rock thing, and nori.

1st – 3rd Steeping This was a clean brewing , and a red brown, garnet liquor. Smooth. It had a malty nutty character which came as a surprise. Plenty of medicinal flavors though too, that balloon, latex glove thing.

4th-6th steepings: The tea has really opened up brewing a dark, opaque, chocolate liquor. Mineral, with a quite subdued earthy woody tones that you normally associate with a shou. Clean, malty smooth, chocolaty, mineral, a more wet rock character where the pile or, woody/earthy would live. A decent body, but no super thick. Finishes with some medium sweetness, and almost no bitterness. The latex/rubber balloons taste rolled off somewhere in here…

This was a nice surprise, it had a nice mellow character, and not overly earthy, and woody. It had a more of a black tea character, with malty-ness, and chocolate to it which I totally did not expect.

I’m not sure if I stressed the mineral character of the tea enough, its very chocolate, and sweet, smooth but the mineral things is very interesting for me in this one.

In the early steeps, it definitely had some medicinal tastes to it. This dissipated, and rounds out with sweetness quite nicely. I love Jingmai teas!

My evening drink today was chosen to be Slumbering Dragon, the first time I am trying this sample. I am not sure what I was expecting, but this is quite different from whatever that was. The highlights of the tea are nice mellow taste and a heady cha qi. In my opinion though, it lacks body and a dynamic character. Also, for a tea of this price point, I would expect a more interesting aftertaste. In the end, I think it’s too expensive for what is worth, but I will try it in a yixing instead of a gaiwan next time and see how it performs. Maybe it can impress me more in the next session.

The first thing I notice is how different the dry leaves look from other sheng, like TJ Elite pointed out. The aroma I get is mostly peppery with notes of forest and wild strawberries. As for the taste, I was definitely expecting a much harsher and stronger one. Instead, it is mellow with relatively low bitterness that also only appears properly in very late steeps. There is no astringency to speak of either. The taste profile is sweet, sour and vegetal with fruity tones. There are flavours of tree bark and black currant (especially its leaves).

The aftertaste is long, but not extremely so. It can be a little dry and numbing as well as cooling in the initial steeps.I get additional notes of menthol, spices like cloves and cinnamon and a light cocoa bitterness.

The tea has a medium to light body and a buttery mouthfeel. It is decent, but not the Slumbering Dragon’s selling point I’d say. Overall, the liquor is thinner than I expected.

I am going to give it a “not recommended” badge, but that’s not to say I didn’t enjoy it. I do think however that there are similar teas available at half the price and similarly priced teas that are much better.