Tea

  Opening the bag, I was greeted with a thick fruity aroma like grape juice and ripe melons! Brewed 3.5 grams in my 110 mL late 70s hqsn. Flash brewing of course. Wow is this green tea or sheng? Very juicy fruity flavors like white grape juice and some honey. Is this really young sheng? Where is the bitterness??? Where? Can't find it in this tea. There is the slightest throat prickle of astringency...or was that from drinking the tea while it was too hot? Felt very energized after drinking - 3.5g is more than enough! Could actually drink this on a daily basis! Update : after a few sessions, it is clear the tea "changes" quickly once exposed to air, shedding its fresh fruity aromas and gaining more oolong like characteristics. 3.5 g per session quickly becomes too flat - and I find myself progressively using more leaf. On the plus side, the tea gains body and properties that remind me of good gaoshan. The aftertaste is exceptionally robust and comes back in strong waves. V

 At 0.8/g from da xue jia dao Steeped 8g/110 mL boiling Flash/ 10s/15s/20s/25s/30s/40s/55s/1min30s/2min/3min/5min/7min/10min/15min/ steeped out in large volume A stunning tea like a velvet hammer. Soft and rich yet presenting a strong but pleasant astringent note that establishes a firm flavor structure. Taste is difficult to describe but includes rich milk chocolate and strong minerality as steeps progress. The early steeps include a bright plummy note that balances out the darker flavors. There is a sensation of walking into an ancient church and seeing a dusty canvas in the shadows layered with little mountains of paint - defined by strong textures and a vague impression of old, long forgotten madness. The minerality is bound tightly with flavors of dried ginseng and ginger. .

 Western method using indian whites: 1.5-2g per 85 mL 3.5min with 85C water to start  Chinese white- large leafed bai mu dan or shou mei can  brewed like chinese green:  is 3.5-4g in 100 ml boiling water starting at 1 min.  Chinese Silver needle or smaller bai mu dan: 5-7g/100 ml starting at 15-20s - this is preferred method

Ceylon Starting with 1.5g/85 mL for 3 min as a test and go from there. Boiling water of course. Side by side tasting at this ratio can be very revealing. A second steep would need at least 6 min.

 Vendor: We asked a champion of less well-known cultivars, Mr. Nalin Modha, for this exceptional example of the Tukdah 383 cultivar, which he processed at peak second flush in June 2020 at Temi estate in Sikkim, India. This tea, from an east-facing garden at 1300m, has thick leaves and midribs, and is very well processed, with relatively intact material for the Darjeeling style.  Review: Brewed 2-2.5g/100 mL, 90-95C 60s Alternatively, 4 g/ 100 mL 30s Grape must, old barrels filled with port wine, strong rose aromas. Gets sweeter as i brew harder. An unbelievable tea.

 Vendor: Hand picked, gokoh varietal from uji. Shaded 20 to 30 days by tana (straw/bamboo shading). Review: Enticing floral aroma in the long intact leaves. This tea is able to withstand hotter and longer infusions. The aroma and aftertaste are complex and persistent with citrus rind, menthol and savory herbs. The taste is citrusy and slightly tropical with a hoppy character from some terpenes.  Best way to brew is using don mei's cold brew method. The 15 min infusion is out of this world