1113 Tasting Notes
I’m very honored to have been given a small sample of this tea. Thanks ChaiVeck!
I am still very new to aged sheng, but so far this is the most palatable one I have tried. There is a little woodiness, but nothing aggressive or overwhelming. I am having a lot of trouble describing the other flavors. I really hate that I am the first official reviewer and I feel like I am not doing it justice! it’s smooth and lightly sweet. I still find I prefer young sheng. They tend to be more complex and interesting in my opinion.
PS- I gotta say the torn up old wrapper in the picture kind of freaks me out…insect damage???
A sample of this tea was in my Christmas present from sweet Marzipan :D
The only other Sparrow’s Tongue I’ve had was a tightly rolled very green version. Totally different from this! This one is all creamy and roasty and has a pleasant mineral finish. Extremely faint glimpses of floral notes peek through occasionally. Generally I prefer greener oolongs but this is a nice change for me.
I got one of these for Christmas in the cutest, tiniest box imaginable! Isn’t it adorable? http://instagram.com/p/w-Q8STRh4u/?modal=true
So yesterday afternoon I had a lovely session with this tea http://instagram.com/p/xPipVdRhz1/?modal=true
The leaves were dark and glossy http://instagram.com/p/xPiz0kxh0L/?modal=true
For a somewhat woody tasting shou I had a really nice time drinking this. It was clean with some sweetness and no funk. Very nice :)
Thanks for the sample CameronB it looks like it originally came from Dexter so thanks to you too!
I am finding the sweet floral oolong pleasing with the candylike grape flavors today. Normally I wouldn’t go for candy-ish flavored teas! Not sure what my deal is today but I am enjoying this, so yay :)
Thanks for the sample Cameron B and HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
I was trying this tea while in Steepster Chat and discussing it with Roswell Strange. At first I just got some non-descript fruit flavor from it…melon or lychee maybe? And then Roswell said she tasted peach and now its 100% peach for me. The power of suggestion! haha!
There is also a mild peppery note that sets this apart from other peachy black teas :)
I really appreciated cookies giving me a sample of this tea!
I have been very curious to try Camellia flowers. Mostly this tastes like white tea to me. Hay-like and a little sweet. The liquor has a very strange texture though, super thick and syrupy. Definitely interesting, but not something I’d buy in the future.
Thanks for the sample Cameron B!
This is pleasing to me today. I learned I enjoy Lupicia black teas brewed at 200 degrees instead of boiling. Tastes like strawberry candy in a good way :)
I have been doing the same. 200 for 3 minutes. Lupicia has the weirdest steeping suggestions. All greens at boiling?! Do they really drink it like that?!
Thank you for the sample cookies!
This is interesting…tart and a little sweet from the wine and earthy from the puerh. I preferred the 2nd cup I made which I lightly sweetened, which means this is not going on my shopping list even though I enjoyed it! (don’t like to sweeten my teas regularly)
It is strange why that picture was used, not the most fetching image I admit. And you’re right it does look like insect damage, though it could be from the sun or simply from storing the cakes on top of each other unsuccessfully resulting in the rubbing of the paper. Very intriguing.
It’s 15 years old, and the wrappers aren’t made from reinforced concrete.
I’d be far more wary if a vendor offered a tea in a pristine wrapper and claimed it was from 99.
Insect damage is quite common, and not a very big deal, apparently the bugs like the wrappers a lot more than the tea, and leave the tea alone. (With the exception of the bugs responsible for bug shit tea, I guess?)
Over the course of 15 years the tea probably didn’t stay in one place, it’s likely to have been moved through the storage room quite a bit, and it likely changed hands between various vendors before it reached you.
I was shocked that in the OTHER pictures on SampleTea’s website that the tea cake itself looked pristine despite the wrapper condition! It looks quite delicious :)