An ‘old tree’ tea. I have been trying to drink my teas with the shorter shelf life first but I just needed puerh today. It’s been a long time since I steeped this one. Maybe two spoons of leaf (almost filled the scoop that came with the French Press). Boiled the water then decided to let it cool a bit before pouring. I steeped just over a minute. Did not do a rinse. The wet leaf has a tiny amount of seaweed smell but mostly it has the aroma of a mild green. This is still a young tea and the leaf is mostly green in color. The first cup is very mild. The main characteristics are a side tongue tingle, a bit of a metallic taste, and a thick mouth feel. Otherwise it is a very mild sheng with no nasties attached. Halfway through the first cup my tummy is singing the hallelujah chorus.
Second cup I decided to use the boiling water and steeped two minutes. The liquor is amber/green and not inky black like a shu. The leaf is a bit vegetal now but the brew hints at earthy. More flavors in the sip but they are all subtle. Metallic taste is gone, replaced by mild earth, mushroom, and maybe my imagination but a hint of smoke. Flavors intensify as the cup cools but never overwhelm. This even suggests it would develop some leather notes if it were allowed to age properly. That’s not going to happen as I have only enough left for one more adventure. Maybe I can stall it months but it definitely won’t be years. I may never know what aged sheng tastes like as I like the young stuff entirely too much to wait.
Third cup of the morning is the best yet. I will be drinking on this leaf the rest of the day, maybe longer.
