1113 Tasting Notes
Hi Guys!!!! I’m back from vacation :D
Is Steepster done acting up?
I am glad to be home where the good tea is. I was able to drink one decent cup each morning while on vacation but that was it, and since the water wasn’t excellent they were really only mediocre cups…
I did however find a place to buy a couple of teas in Vegas. My husband and I stopped at http://artisanalfoods.com/ and my husband picked out a couple of spices we can’t get in town and I got a little 100g 2010 Menghai shu brick (my first shu cake!!!) and a 20g package of Phoenix Dan Chun yellow tea which I am excited about. It was hella expensive but sounds delicious. I think they source their teas from Silk Road but I couldn’t find either one on Silk Road’s website. Anyway, I’m drinkin the shu now and it is really good!
I had over 1,000 notifications here when I got back, so please let me know if I missed anything exciting because I’ll never get through all of them! I’ll respond to my PMs soon though.
Missed you guys! :D
Is this tea really only $5 for a 100g cake??? It is so good, especially for that price! I’m very glad I got a sample of this one from a friend :)
I am getting hints of smoke, and hints of fruit and flowers. Nice mouthfeel, too. Wow, I am going to have to place a YS order sometime soon. YUM!
Wow this is really good shu! Sweet and rich :) Definitely something I would drink again.
Steepster is making me sad. Still acting up all the time. I can’t get discussions to load at ALL!
It makes me not want to hang out here so much anymore…this was really good shu though and I never would have gotten to try it without hanging out on Steepster :(
I drank this tea yesterday while I was at work. I really enjoyed it! It reminded me of a Kenyan Silver Needles I got from Butiki Teas, with some interesting sheng notes mixed in. Very unique! I finished it up, and before I was going to write my tasting note for it I decided to go stretch the canvas print I had just made…AND I TOTALLY STAPLED MY THUMB! :-O
It was pretty painful. If you want to see, check it out here (not for the squeamish!) http://twitpic.com/ebiscg
Anyway, I never got back to my desk to write this note. My manager took me to the MEC and a doctor pulled out the staple and gave me a tetanus shot and some pain killers. Last night was rough, it was pretty painful and I had trouble sleeping. It seems slightly better today and I am back at work! I could use a nap though…and/or some tea!
Ugh. That looks awful. I’m glad it was taken care of by a doctor right away.
I was totally wrapping that stupid motorcycle print, Cheri! And anyone else who was on chat yesterday and remembers me talking about it…
OMG, I’m so sorry. Bad stapler. i hope you are feeling better. can you ask someone else to do it next time?
Aww I am sorry to hear that (Omg that picture!!!). Hope you feel better today!
LOL the motorcycle! Clearly it is cursed.
I would have stayed home a day. :D
Ouch! I do love living in an age when almost everyone has a camera on them at all times now – and keep their calm enough to take pictures of stuff like this. Hope it heals soon.
yuck! hope you feel better soon!
Yikes!
I know that hurt! OUCH!
Thanks guys… I’m definitely keeping away from that staple gun for a while!
Just looking at that pic made me grit my teeth!
Another extremely smooth and drinkable young shu! Very creamy finish. I got 3 nice semi-western steeps out of it before the leaves got tired. I like that it is organic, too! This is one I would buy and definitely recommend :)
Added to wish list!
Another one that is good to drink now but hopefully even better as it ages over the next few years.
I need to work out a pu-storage system for aging!
It does not have to be as intimidating as we often make it sound – there is ideal and there is satisfactory. I know people who use a cardboard box or a drawer in a chest for their puerh cakes (opening for air movement once a week or so; storing away from direct sunlight and aromas. Perhaps like wine storage, real collectors purchase wine and store in a wine cellar or special temp. controlled box. Others have a large wine rack in a dining room and hold on to a favorite bottle or two for years. Again, one is ideal and the other satisfactory.
Yeah, it’s the aroma contamination that concerns me. Lots of strong aromas in our house as we frequently cook Indian and Thai food.
Keep the aromas away.
Oopsie, I posted my note in the wrong place the first time….
I’ve been enjoying my sample of this :)
It is a sweet, floral sheng, which is right up my alley. Sorry I didn’t have time to write a more detailed note, but this is definitely one I would drink again! Work was nuts today…the energy from this sheng has been much appreciated.
Swap sample sipdown!
Needed something robust for my Monday morning at work. They are tearing up part of our parking lot with jack-hammers! It’s LOUD!
Tasty malty tea but I’ve definitely had better yunnans :)
ugh, I feel your pain. There is construction work going on in the building across the street from me.
We’re having really loud construction at work too because they are remodeling the building. Last Friday, they were drilling and hammering into the floor slab above my floor…it was so loud people were telling us to go home. I’m working from home today, thankfully, but not looking forward to tomorrow!!
I’ve been drinking this on and off all day. A very SMOOTH rich solid shu here. Very clean, lightly earthy but no musty dirty notes. I got raisin and a faint hint of cocoa in later steeps. Quite enjoyable! :D
Do you order direct or do you have a local source? Loose pu-erh is as good as it gets locally—no cakes to be found.
This one was a gift from a friend, I’ve not made many puer orders yet, just a few things from mandala. I’m feeling things out and decided what I like before I start collecting. Plus I can’t afford a lot with my budget :) no local sources I’ve found either!
gmathis – Most of us are without good local sources for puerh cakes so we order from a few reliable local US sellers (Mandala and Puerhshop.com) are frequently mentioned choices for many on Steepster) or directly from China sellers (Yunnan Sourcing and White2tea are two popular sellers) and, finally, sellers on both Ebay and Aliexpress are used by many of us. The particular Xiaguan tuo mentioned by Stephanie can be found at Yunnan Sourcing or Angelina’s Teas (a smaller US tea seller). Please contact me if you need more specifics or seller info.
Another puerh from my mystery sample box :D
Oh wow, this sheng is SUPER smooth! I would not have guessed it is so young! I am REALLY digging on this one. It has fruity notes that I always appreciate in a sheng, as well as a brisk energy. I’m really glad I randomly chose this one this morning, it is a winner!
Welcome back! I’ve missed you in the mornings. :P
Aww :D I’ll be back on chat next week for sure!
and to answer your question, no Steepster is not finished acting up.
Missed you ;)