White2Tea 2015 Milk, Cream & Alcohol

7:02 AM , , , , , , , , 5 Comments


So I’ve been sitting on my new White2Teas for a little bit, which surprised me  because of how much I was (and still am) looking forward to trying them, perhaps because my ever growing pile of samples is getting dangerously tall. Nevertheless I decided to start off trying my Milk, Cream & Alcohol since it has the best design and I forgot to buy a sample of Poundcake. I am starting to think I am subconsciously forgetting to purchase all the teas I want so I can justify a second and third purchase soon after receiving the first.  Regardless of my forgetfulness White2Tea describes this as:
Menghai area character. Built to be a quality daily drinker. A blend that has all of the traits of a classic style raw Puer, at a price that anyone can afford. Drink now or store for the long haul.
Like all White2Tea’s description it is short and somewhat lacking for such an interesting tea.



Dry Leaves: The cake is tightly compressed, quite a lot of variety in the leaves. I see an awful lot of white and silvery tips. There is a fruity aroma.



First Steeping
Temperature: Boiling 
Brewing Time: Five Seconds
Aroma: Fruity and Pine Needles
Flavor: Vegetal, Tobacco and Pineapple
Tasting Notes: This has an amazing pungent aroma; there is a very strong fruity scent as well as an incredibly clean pine needle smell. This has a nice cha qi, not necessarily strong, but pretty good for such a young sheng. I can certainly see one getting tea drunk off this tea in fact I did, but not until the fifteen or so steeping. Other than that there is a Tobacco taste that I did not really care for, the stronger vegetal notes and slightly weaker pineapple made this worth drinking despite the tobacco taste.



This was quite an interesting first steeping; it has some bitterness that quickly disappears because of the very sweet pineapple notes. At this point I could already tell I love this tea and will buy a couple cakes, perhaps even a tong of it.

Second Steeping
Temperature: Boiling
Brewing Time: Ten Seconds
Aroma: Fruity and Pine Needles       
Flavor: Tobacco, Green Bean, Pineapple and Wood
Tasting Notes: The initial bitterness is a little stronger than the previous infusion, although like the last it is overwhelmed quickly by the sweet pineapple notes. I was a little disappointed to see the Tobacco notes become the strongest and most prominent, nevertheless this is still a very drinkable tea for me as someone who does not care for teas with strong tobacco notes.



The vegetal notes of the last have become green bean-y, which may be a sign that this is the type of sheng that should be drank now rather than aged and judging by the price I feel that is a pretty safe bet, although this is a White2Tea and in my experience I have not had (or read anyone else who thought) that White2Tea’s teas were suitable or benefit from aging.

Third Steeping
Temperature: Boiling
Brewing Time: Fifteen Seconds
Aroma: Fruity and Pine Needles
Flavor: Tobacco, Green Bean, Pineapple and Wood
Tasting Notes: The aroma is still amazing and is pretty much unchanged from the first infusion. At this point it is hard to decide what is better the aroma of this tea or the taste; right now I’m leaning more towards aroma, but in later infusions the tastes definitely become the star. Thereis not much more that I can say about this tea, in its present state it is a little simple, the kind of tea that I have no trouble drinking often and last longer than many teas I’d consider as daily drinkers.





As I already said I love this tea and will buy more of it, for some reason when I was drinking this I kept thinking of White2Tea’s 2002 White Whale even though it does not taste similar to it. Last time I had the White Whale I was starting to think it was getting a little old for me, the next time I order something from Whtie2Tea I’ll have to pick up another cake and see if I want more of it. Nevertheless the obvious difference between 2015 Milk, Cream, & Alcohol and 2002 White2Tea is that this is nearly two thirds the price of White Whale and twice the size, although this is nowhere as smooth as White Whale and in its current state is much simpler tea. At the time of writing this White2Tea is selling a small 25g sample of this for $2.35 and the whole 200g cake for $17.50 and is definitely worth checking out; because of its modest price I’d recommend buying a cake as a sample.

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M&K's Big Snow Mountain Pearls Sheng 2013

6:38 AM , , , , , , , , 2 Comments

(Tea Provided for Review)
Origin: Daxueshan National Reserve, Yongde County, Yunnan, China
Harvest: Mid April 2013
Cultivar: Camellia Sinensis var. Assamica
I decided to try this first, I am not normally a fan of puerh pearls, but something about it seemed interesting when I was initially browsing M&K’s catalogue. M&K describes this as:
There are two Da Xue Shan (literally "Big Snow Mountains") in China's Lincang Prefecture, one in Mengku County and the other in Yongde County. This tea was picked in the Daxueshan National Reserve at the foothills of the Himalayas, with tea trees growing at altitudes reaching about 2,750 meters (about 9,000 feet). Unlike most Chinese tea, which uses the tea variety sinensis, these Pu-erh pearls were grown with the assamica (large leaf) variety. Tea enthusiasts will not be disappointed with these pearls, which offer a complex flavor and flowery aroma with hints of stone fruit, and allow for many resteepings! We recommend this tea to lovers of raw (sheng) pu-erh as well as green and white teas. 
It’s interesting that M&K recommends this to green tea and white tea drinkers, after sampling this I am not sure if I agree.
Dry Leaves: My sample included two pearls each about 5.6 grams, so a bit smaller than blooming tea, but larger than pearl or rolled tea. It does not have much of a scent, but I a suspect that may be because of how tightly compressed this is. 

First Steeping
Temperature: 200oF
Brewing Time: Five Seconds
Aroma: Floral and Grassy
Flavor: Pear, Vegetal and Floral
Tasting Notes: I started off with three quick rinses with boiling water for five seconds, and till the pearls are tightly compressed. While the early infusions are nice, if you wanted to skip ahead to the really amazing infusions you’d probably have to rinse it for a thirty seconds. It has a rather nice aroma, although it does take quite some time for it to develop (it was not till the seventh or so infusion that the floral nose started to become strong enough to be pleasant), while now it is a little on the weak side. 
There is some bitterness, and slight cha qi, both of which would not defer a new to sheng puerh drinker, but not enough to satisfy someone more experienced with young sheng puerh. Nevertheless this is a very pleasant and easy to enjoy tea so far, the sweet pear and floral notes are hard to hate, while the vegetal taste and grassy aroma may put some off. 

Second Steeping
Temperature: 205oF
Brewing Time: Ten Seconds
Aroma: Floral and Fresh Grass
Flavor: Pear, Nectarine, Vegetal and Floral
Tasting Notes: The bitterness is starting to develop and it has some cha qi that will certainly warm you up, but still a little on the weak side (although I do not think I have ever really felt cha qi in puerh pearls before, but then again I have not had a lot of puerh pearls in the past) 


Other than that describing the aroma is what I have the most trouble with. I feel that the floral scent is the most distinct aroma I can’t exactly describe it, I am sure I have experienced it before, but I can’t quite describe it; as for the grassy notes as I was drinking this tea I kept struggling to describe it, while I am confident it is grassy at times it reminds me of that very fresh grassy scent which can be found in gyokuros (like in this particular steeping) while in others (like the previous it reminds me more of dried grass). 

Third Steeping
Temperature: Boiling
Brewing Time: Fifteen Seconds
Aroma: Floral and Grassy
Flavor: Pear, Nectarine and Vegetal
Tasting Notes: It still has those sweet fruity tastes, perhaps a little stronger than the previous infusion, but the floral flavor is gone entirely which I am ambivalent about. While I did enjoy the floral flavor I do like the contrast between the pear/nectarine with the vegetal notes more without the floral notes, it feels like a much cleaner tea now. While I do not think the pear or nectarine notes have changed since the last infusion they feel much crisper now. The bitterness is starting to become stronger, not enough for me to describe it as kuwei. I don’t know why, but for some reason this reminds me of menghai sheng.






I enjoyed this sheng. As I mentioned before I don’t drink a lot of puerh pearls and I am not really one who purchases puerhs with the intention to age, I am more of a drink it now type of puerh drinker so I do not feel confident in judging it’s future potential, but it is certainly in a drinkable state right now. While it lacks the complexity of more expensive young shengs I feel it is worth checking out if you like young shengs. At the time of writing this M&K’s Tea Co. sells 50g for $10.49 which feels like a fair price to me. 

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Crimson Lotus Tea Spring 2015 Jingmai Midas Touch Sheng

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Origin: Mangjing/Manghong, Siamo
Harvest: Spring 2015
Elevation: 1300m
Tree age: ≈600 years old


Glenn of Crimson Lotus Tea included a sample of his 2015 Jingmai Midas Touch, a tea I had my eye on, but was just a little bit out of my budget as well as another of his more expensive shengs, sadly no Special Sauce. Nevertheless I was excited to try this tea, but before I was decided to sample it I really did not want to fall in love with it. While this is not an outrageously expensive sheng I am more used to buying young shengs in the $30-50 range. Crimson Lotus Tea describes this as:
The old growth tea forests of Jingmai ( pronounced 'jing my' ) are nothing short of idyllic. These ancient forests border Burma and hide smuggler trade routes still in use today. The biodiversity of the region and the nearly untainted old world methods and rituals of tea cultivation and harvesting make this area unique among world tea production. Large tea trees planted before Columbus discovered the Americas are commonplace.
This year we had the pleasure of meeting a tea farmer in Jingmai called "The Bulang Prince". He's quite a unique character. He is young and highly educated for a tea farmer. He is passionately dedicated to perfecting his craft and has spent time traveling and learning from other tea farmers in Yunnan. He is a rare breed. He worked with roasting masters in Bingdao to polish his skills. 
His 'royal' hands were responsible for roasting this tea. The material is good to begin with, but in his hands we felt it became something extra special. We decided to call this one "Midas Touch" because we feel he has the skill to turn his leaf into gold.
This tea is strong despite the young age. It has the beginnings of the honey aroma Jingmai is known for. This tea brews both gentle and strong at the same time. It can surprise you. Stick this on a shelf for 10 years and you will have a truly amazing tea!
·         Prefecture: Simao
·         Village: Mangjing / Manghong
·         Tree Age: ~600 years old
·         Elevation: 1300+m
·         Wood Fired
·         Hand Rolled
·         Indoor Sun Dried


Dry Leaves: My sample is loosely compressed at first I thought it was maocha, but after viewing the image on CLT’s website it looks like the cake is pretty unique, it looks like there is a lot of variety in this cake. There are what appear to be some large leaves as well as some twisted leaves. Visually it reminds me of Bai Mu Dan because of how varied the tea appears to be. It looks like there are a few stems in the cake, but my sample is all leaves.


First Steeping
Temperature: Boiling
Brewing Time: Five Seconds
Aroma: Smoke and Fruity
Flavor: Apricot, Green Beans, and Hay
Tasting Notes: This was rather interesting, but simple start. While it does not have that smoky taste a lot of young shengs can have it does have a bit of a smoke/char aroma. It does have a nice bitterness that disappears around the sixths or seventh infusion after that it becomes very sweet. Other than that there is a wonderful apricot taste as well as some green bean and hay notes.



I know green bean flavors in young shengs can be a warning sign, but this tastes very different from any of the young shengs I have had before. I don’t feel confident in predicting how this will age or even if it is worth aging (since it is a very drinkable tea as it is), but this stands out to me for some reason that I cannot exactly put my finger on.


Second Steeping
Temperature: Boiling
Brewing Time: Ten Seconds
Aroma: Burnt Wood, Camphor and Fruity
Flavor: Apricot, Green Beans and Hay
Tasting Notes: Still there is some bitterness, but not a lot to turn off someone off this tea; but not enough to be that memorable. There is quite a lot of sweetness that dulls the initial bitterness. The flavors of this sheng are pretty similar to the last infusion still very simple, but at the same time very nice.



The aromas have changed a little. There is a new Camphor smell that was rather nice, the fruity scent is pretty much the same; but the Smoke/Char of the last infusion is more like Burnt Wood. Not necessarily like burning wood, but more like the smell of a living tree that has been hit by lightning.


Third Steeping
Temperature: Boiling
Brewing Time: Fifteen Seconds
Aroma: Burnt Wood, Camphor and Fruity
Flavor: Apricot, Green Beans and Hay
Tasting Notes: Again the flavor and aromas are pretty much the same as last time, the strength of the Camphor smell is a little stronger, but the Burnt Wood smell is still the primary aroma. The bitterness is still there, but it quickly disappears. Overall this is a rather nice experience; it has a nice bit of bitterness, not necessarily kuwei, which is balanced by the sweetness.  So far this tea is meandering somewhere in the middle of the road, it is not one of those supper easy sweet and floral teas that probably won’t age well nor is it one of those rough teas that may have a bright future.




While this sheng takes a while to become more complex the early infusions have these amazing simple tastes. While I do focus on the early experience with any tea that I look at for this blog, this tea may sound a little like a daily drinker because of its simplicity and relative slow start, but it doesn’t start to shine until the fifth or sixth infusion. At the time of writing this Crimson Lotus Tea is currently selling 200g cake of Midas Touch for $80 and I hate how much I like this tea. While the price and lack of samples may defer those who are interested. I do not know if I’d purchase an entire cake of this since Crimson Lotus Tea has quite a few shengs that I want to sample, but this is definitely one of their nicer 2015 teas. 

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Yuuki-Cha Organic Miyazaki Kamairicha Tsuyobi Shiage

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Origin: Hinokage Town, Nishiusuki District, Miyazaki, Kyushu, Japan
Harvest: Blend of Spring and Summer 2014


I am sad to say Yuuki-Cha is out of stock of this current tea, I did not notice before publishing this, but I decided to keep this up in case Yuuki-Cha has a 2015 version of this tea since it was a very interesting experience and I would have recommended purchasing this. It’s not often that a tea store admits they are selling a tea blended from multiple harvests or multiple regions. I do have a couple more reviews of older teas that are out of stock in my backlog that I may or may not post if I believe they are amazing. Yuuki-Cha describes this as:
Tsuyobi Shiage, meaning high flame/heat finishing, combines leaves from both the first spring harvest and the second summer harvest which are given a stronger than normal firing during the finishing stage.
The combination of the tender first flush leaves with their delicate sweetness, and the slightly coarser second flush leaves that contain good proportions of catechins gives this organic kamairicha an excellent balance of taste, while the stronger firing done on the leaves during the finishing stage really draws out some very delicious, savory, juicy, full flavors that totally enlighten the taste buds, makes for one highly aromatic green tea, and also makes it easier on the stomach, too!
At the low price we're offering this organic kamairicha for it's a really excellent green tea that you can enjoy daily, and one we would recommend without hesitation if it's a tasty, aromatic, daily organic green tea you are looking for.


Dry Leaves: The leaves are dark and curled, a little reminiscent of Korean greens more so than a typical kamairicha in my opinion. It has a rather interesting corn aroma; I could distinguish a lot of fresh green and vegetal smells, which was a little strange for a kamiricha where I normally smell the roast more than anything else. The leaves are very green and very fresh despite being almost a year old.


First Steeping
Temperature: 167oF
Brewing Time: Thirty Seconds
Aroma: Roast Corn and Peas
Flavor: Sweet peas, corn, asparagus and floral.
Tasting Notes: It feels very fresh and clean, not at all like what I expect a kamairicha to be. I was surprised at how floral this is! I was not expecting to be reminded of a Chinese green so much when trying this, but it is much more flavorful than the typical Chinese green perhaps because of the astringency. There is a bit of astringency in this, but this is a very smooth tea nonetheless.



I cannot help, be reminded of a yellow tea, I already mentioned when I was describing the dry leaves it reminded me a Korean green, perhaps because of the corn aroma, but at the same time I am starting to be reminded of a nice yellow Huoshan Huang Ya although it lacks that nutty taste many yellow teas have.


Second Steeping
Temperature: 175oF
Brewing Time: Forty-Five Seconds
Aroma: Roast Corn and Vegetal       
Flavor: Corn, Asparagus, Bamboo and Floral
Tasting Notes: The fresh pea aroma is gone instead there is a murky vegetal scent that while nice is nowhere as pleasant as the pea scent from the previous. It’s starting to feel more like a pan fried tea, still not exactly in that typical kamairicha area, but more like a Chinese green with a deep unami taste. It still is a very sweet tea even though greener flavors are starting to develop.



It is a little more astringent than the previous infusion, it’s definitely reaching the point that it may turn some people off, but I don’t mind astringency in my tea and it has some nice clean flavors.

Third Steeping
Temperature: 180oF
Brewing Time: One Minute
Aroma: Roast Corn and Vegetal
Flavor: Corn, Asparagus, Bamboo, Floral and Coconut
Tasting Notes: Pretty much the same as the last infusion, the astringency is growing and still very sweet, but there is a new coconut taste that was rather strange. I did not necessarily find it a bad taste, but it did clash with the vegetal notes. I do not think it detracts from the tea since it is a nice contrast to the dark vegetal notes, but I did enjoy the fourth and following infusions more than this because I was not as startled by the coconut taste.



I did get another six or so steepings out of the leaves, but there was nothing as out of place as the coconut flavor that suddenly appeared. While this tea is no longer available I purchased this for $6.48 for 100g and that was an amazing deal, if Yuuki-Cha stocks a new version of this tea I’d definitely check it out. While it does not feel to be the typical kamairicha it is rather interesting.

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