Customer Reviews
I got several cakes to age knowing my preference for shengs, and I can easily foresee this tea being a long-running favorite of mine. I brewed gongfu in ~15 second steeps at 95C (My high altitude prevents a temperature any higher).
As the other reviews state, the smell is wonderful. I personally find it reminiscent of a sweet honeysuckle. The taste started strongly vegetal, much like a fresh green tea with a light, bitter and funky edge that gives it more depth from the sheng-ness. I wouldn't say this is as sweet as some of the other teas I've had, but still has a great lingering sweetness and mouthfeel. The definite strong point of this tea until it ages is the scent, I couldn't get enough. Great stuff regardless!
I'm very excited to not rush and savor this tea over many years!
Got the sampler and decided to try all of them.
I did 7 steeps at 95c
After the intial washing the smell from this tea is amazing. Floral, Fruity, Candy, the smell alone is a Five Star I liked the smell that much!
First steep 20 seconds Strong, Slightly Bitter, Concrete, very vegetably
Second Steep I F%&^d up and left it for 40 seconds in the gaiwan by getting distracted.
Way to bitter for me to finish so i went to the next steeps and it was Strong tea with an amazing scent and I have plans to purchase this Tea Cake for reserve and another for consumption.
As of September '24 this tea was delightful. I received this as a dragon ball with my order of and excitedly brewed this up in my Anthem teapot. The first steep at 96C was like a sweeter green tea- sort of like a mix between brewing sencha and drinking Ito En tea. As I continued to brew I got some bitter-sweet minerality that, as others noted, was like sour candy. Not like the bitterness of a shou nor a cheap green tea, this was somewhat of a tart cherry in feel and taste. As I continued brewing I noticed what I would describe as somewhat of an apple cider taste (not the sweetened or spiced kind) while remaining vegetal. Overall, a pleasant young sheng that I am considering trying more of!
Juicy and sweet with a little mineral and fruit on the returning flavor but I can’t keep my nose out of the teapot. The wet leaves are like sour candy. So cool.
Got it as a dragon ball sample. Medium body, cream and poound cake give way to really pronounced wildflowers notes and returning sweetness. Brewed 205 in the teachers pot