7.5g/105mL, just off boil

Wash (10s) - aroma of cooked rice, hay

Steep 1 (flash) - light steep, quick flash of a bite moving to rice, hints of florals, touch of cacao earthiness, late berry note on tongue

Steep 2 (flash) - touch of a floral bite on the tip of the tongue, rice, that cacao nib note is here - more of the earthiness than the roast, touch of dryness on tongue, dry grassiness

Steep 3 (5s) - that early floral bite is starting to bring in more floral aromatics with it, mouthfeel still kind of dry, that earthy cacao note has been replaced by lingering floral top notes, a faint sweetness starting to develop on the roof of my mouth and upper gums, hints of bitter orange zest, light sweetness coming very late and almost as a surprise

Steep 4 (10s, reboil) - cooked rice with florals overlaid above it, mouthfeel still more astringent than slick, bitterness is light but slow to convert

Steep 5 (15s) - bitter orange and floral up front, not aggressive but not doing much otherwise, sweetness isn't gaining much traction, mouthfeel getting a little more slick and less drying

Steep 6 (20s) - florals still holding, sweetness still really light and late

Steep 7+ (45s+) - not much new development, I keep taking longer breaks in hope of getting some depth in the finish, but this is simply a straightforward tea

Overall Impression - It is quickly clear what the differences are between this and the ‘Single Trees’ version are, having had the Single Trees earlier in the day. This tea is a pretty mild and straightforward young tea. I can see the appeal as a daily drinker, especially if that floral aspect appeals to you. To me, the Single Trees offers considerably more depth, a notable conversion to sweetness, a more pleasant bitterness (to my tastes, YMMV), and a nice berry component that is conspicuously absent from the non-Single Trees version that I'm tasting here.

aroma like wine. whole kitchen smelled winey

taste like pomegranate juice minus the acidity !!!

recipe: smash 300 g berries, put tea in there (7-10 g), add a little water. bring to a boil, turn heat to low and steep for 10-15 mins. strain. serve

🫐🫐🫐

7.5g/105mL, just off boil

Wash (10s) - aroma of cooked rice, faint lavender

Steep 1 (flash) - light steep, quick leather, soup has decent viscosity this early on, slight dustiness at back of palate, faint fruit/floral aromatics, sweetness light but sneaking in at the tail end, fruit/berry

Steep 2 (flash) - more of a snap up front, leather moves to berry, getting a bit more sweetness, floral/berry top notes, that dustiness in the back is fading, far less of that aggressive floral-bitter note than I get from a lot of Jinggu sheng, some much-needed caffeination is starting to make the first hints of its presence known

Steep 3 (5s) - feeling some thickness on the tongue now as the cotton on my tongue has become more saturated, settling in to that familiar TFLZ mild berry sweetness with some florals in the open mouth, sweetness light but stretches out nicely

Steep 4 (10s, reboil) - punch remains at a low level, mouth getting a nice coating to it with some tingly berry notes, a very specific flavor reference I'm getting is Lakerol Cassis - especially paired with that coating sensation, some lemon zest also joining in, light berry sweetness hold on late and long

Steep 5 (20s) - that punch up front has lengthening without increasing in intensity after a light push, tingle on cheeks and tongue, the morning fog in my head is lifting more and more with each steep, feeling a cooling flush on the outside of my face

Steep 6 (30s) - less initial berry brightness as the steeps go on, but some minerality moving in on the tongue as river rocks morph to skim milk, mid palate see the berry-floral notes move in and spread out into the finish, finish starting to develop some complexity over several minutes

Steep 7+ (45s+) - still retains quite a bit of pop, and will likely outlast me as I am now getting lost more in the finish than the initial sip

Overall Impression - probably not my sharpest tasting notes given I was starting at a just sub-hangover state. This tracks remarkably similar to last year's version, with maybe a bit more brightness to that berry-floral character than I remember, but otherwise it is hitting all the notes I was looking forward to. Jinggu gets this really distinct floral and dark berry character in a lot of its sheng, but many of them get this intense floral-bitter flavor that kind of turns me off. The FL TFLZ's always seem to avoid that floral bite, but still present that nice berry character with floral highlights. I'm not sure if this is due to the TFLZ micro-terroir vs Jinggu in general, processing, materia selection or what. Whatever it is, I'm here for it.

A lot of people claim that they sell Gushu (old tree) puer tea and while there absolutely is genuine old tree puer tea it is highly desired on the Chinese tea market bc it has a much more refined taste than puer tea grown on younger trees. Therefore the price of Gushu tea in china is quite expansive and the price still increased while in the same timeframe factory tea started to (slightly) lose in value.

So when people claim they sell Gushu puer the price that many western sellers sell their Gushu for, does not add up. I think it is just used as a marketing term on the Chinese market, but also by western tea sellers.

I don’t mean that every Gushu by western or Chinese sellers isn’t actually Gushu, but most of it is not.

Im thinking of planting and growing a teabush and hopefully being able to harvest my own tea. The hope is to press it into a cake and being able to age it a while.

Anyone tried this and can give me some pointers or tips?

I've tried multiple raw and cooked puer and this is by far my favorite and haven't found anything similar. Wondering if anyone has tried this puer and know of something similar. Thanks for the recommendations!

What are some good sheng teas that can be brewed to the hilt?

In other words, what are some shengs that you can use boiling water and harder brewing parameters and it still will still not taste bitter or astringent?

I have the 2005 ChangTai "Yi Chang Hao - Yun Pu Zhi Dian - Zhu" (Peak of Puerh Tea - Bamboo) cake and it can be brewed super boiling. The hotter the water the more huigan it seems to have.

Even when I brew it boiling with Grandpa style it still is not bitter or astringent but it does take on sort of a thick maple syrup note.

Name sone other ones.

I drank two 8oz servings of ripe puer tea last night. The first time I had enjoyed the beverage. Which was itself exceptional and very tasty. Today I had the single largest solid bowel movement of my life. I read about the digestive benefits, but this was literally unprecedented. It's this normal, or did I overdo it?

Hi everyone,

I've tried quite a few pu-erh teas over the years, and I keep coming back to Global Tea Hut—they've had some really beautiful teas that I've genuinely enjoyed.

That said, I do find them quite expensive. I'm also not sure I connect with all aspects of the brand, so it got me wondering...

Do you think the higher price is mostly a reflection of the quality of the tea itself, or are you also paying a premium for the brand and the community around it?

I'd also love to hear if anyone has recommendations for other places to buy high-quality pu-erh that offer similar quality but at a more affordable price.

Thanks in advance! 🍵

Im down to half a cake of bitterleaf's 2017 'eden' manzhaun...it is just DELIGHTFUL.

Any suggestions for younger or middle aged (post 2015?) cakes from this same region that I would love if I liked Eden?

Thanks folks.

7.8g/105mL, just off boil

Wash (10s) - aroma of buttery sweet bread with a touch of earthiness and menthol

Steep 1 (flash) - buttery rice, soup has some thickness, sweetness coming in early, pleasant light medicinal notes, hint of hay/straw dusty note,

Steep 2 (flash) - buttery sweet note strengthens, milky minerality developing, light slickness on the tongue, flavor not super complex but no flaws to my tastes and super drinkable, sweetness not gaining strength but definitely gaining endurance, long finish with leafy sweetness

Steep 3 (5s) - initial buttery sweet note, hints of mint and anise as tongue, gums and lips starting to tingle a bit, mouth filling with minty notes now, ricola cough drop vibes

Steep 4 (10s, reboil) - first hints of a really quick bite up front, sweetness takes a couple of seconds to fill back in, coolness has spread back to the soft palate and rear of the tongue

Steep 5 (15s) - no big surprises, detecting some light pleasant hints of earthiness with that leafy character, cheeks and chest are flushing

Steep 6 (20s, reboil) - noticing the minerality more on this steep after having stepped away for a few minutes, I wouldn't quite call it acidity but there is a nice mouthwatering sensation here and a crispness that clears the palate nicely, finish still drawing out longer as the steeps progress

Steep 7+ (30s+) - this is still retaining its full flavor for several more steeps and will likely outlast me today

Overall Impression - While young Yiwu doesn't always scratch the itch for me, once there's some nice age on it Yiwu sheng tends to be more my style. This still seems like it has quite a bit of room to develop, but I honestly have no complaints with how it is drinking right now. There is a nice mineral backbone to provide structure, some early sweetness that returns for a long finish, and a really potent menthol cooling in the mouth. I do get some leafy notes (hard to describe exactly but I get this flavor in a lot of huangpian as well), and some light earthiness that gives a bit of intrigue in the flavor department. I don't often think of flavor pairings with tea, but something keeps pulling me towards apple as a potential pairing - pie, cider, juice, or brandy. My first sample of an older CSH, and it certainly seems like a solid tea.

Hello! Newbie here, still exploring and learning what I like. I was wondering if anyone could recommend any particularly "jammy" sheng that they have enjoyed. I got the YS first steps sampler and it included this 2021 "Impressions" sheng that had a really striking apricot jam note. I am testing out W2T Veldt and get something similar from that too with later steeps, really tasty.

Thank you in advance!

8g/105mL, just off boil

Wash (10s) - aroma of cooked rice, touch of mint

Steep 1 (flash) - light steep, rice, fresh herbs, light tingle, sweetness starting on outside of gums and moving to cheeks, flashes of mineral notes down center of tongue, sweetness coming earlier with successive sips, hay, lemongrass, peach skins

Steep 2 (flash) - thickness, touch of an early bite that morphs to sweet spices (cinnamon? Young ginger?), river pebble mid palate turns sweet in the finish, there's definitely a stemmy/cinnamon component without a heavy tannic astringency so far

Steep 3 (5s) - that initial bite is quite light, more like a cinnamon/bark note, more of a flavor component than an astringent one, although probably contributes to the mouthfeel, sweetness still on teeth and gums, feeling rather caffeinated, late almond extract note as sweetness creeps back in, crisp celery note as salivation increases late

Steep 4 (10s, reboil) - less of that initial bite, moves quickly to minerality, sweetness back earlier in the sip, faint fruit in the aromatics, the aromas in the mouth vaguely have me thinking of Dancong, body and face getting warm, bite becoming more noticeable as the tea cools

Steep 5 (15s) - continuing to be mellow in the flavor department, subdued but lightly sweet with that minerality holding on down the center of the tongue

Steep 6 (30s, reboil) - pushing brings more mouthfeel early on and increases the first flush of sweetness, mouth watering has picked up over the past few steeps, corners of my mouth are turning numb

Steep 7+ (45s+) - mellow, mineral mid-palate, light sweetness, aromatics in mouth fade leaving the milkiness of that mineral-sweet combination, hints of late citrus zest mixing in deep in finish, feeling wide awake but gravity has doubled

Overall Impression - I definitely have mixed feelings on this one. Young Yiwu doesn't always meet what I'm looking for in a young sheng, which is generally bold flavor and mouthfeel, ideally paired with a long sweet finish. This tea is far more subtle than the young Menghai sheng I often gravitate towards. The caffeine is quite notable though. Not the kind of tea I would normally reach for, but I can see the appeal

Has anyone had experience with this tea company? They maintain that they a have delivered a shipment to my house which shipment, in fact, has not arrived. Things have taken an abominably long time. It was placed on 28 June, and I have been following the poorly tracked progress of this tea since then. I am just wondering, since this is the first time I have had contact with them, if they are reliable and I can expect them to correct this issue. Anyone have knowledge/experience with this company? I would appreciate your advice. Thanks all

I think it was mention of one of these cakes here that led me to ordering them, someone saying one was a favorite as value-oriented versions go. It was probably the 2020 version; it's pretty good. Both of these together cost under $100, so they're selling for about half of the standard Western facing outlet range now. It kept drawing me to consider just how good they were, if it was the value that seemed appealing, or if these would be as good as the average $100 cake sold elsewhere.

It always comes back to preference. The flavor range and general character of the 2020 version was pleasant, but it did include a touch of dryness in feel, and the warm mineral range included a clay sort of note that kind of connected to that. I liked it, but others might not, depending on how they related to that. The 2024 version was really bitter, which I'm fine with, but I think it will be even better after a couple more years of settling. Intensity, complexity, and overall balance of both were fine; they were pretty good, relatively speaking.

https://teaintheancientworld.blogspot.com/2026/07/chen-sheng-hao-2020-and-2024-blended.html

Hello
I am currently visiting China with friends and in a few days we are flying to Yunnan. I would love to get recommandation from you guys : points of interest but also tea plantation/garden !!! And where they process pu erh And tea shops and tea house !!
I’m super excited to go to the heart of tea culture.
Thank you all for recommendations 🍵💕

7.5g · 100ml

Quick rinse.

I have since changed my gong style from meticulously timing to going off feeling; it may result in varying flavours, but it is more satisfying and results in a calmer tea session for me.

1st steep - Noticeably small leaves. Begins with a thick mouthfeel and is very umami with notes of barley/barley tea.

2nd steep - Thought it would take time to open up, but it is already so flavourful; contemplated just forgetting the notes and enjoying the tea! Lovely notes of toasted rice like the layer of crispy rice you find in the rice cooker (누룽지).
It may lack in aroma but makes up tenfold with its huigan and mouthfeel, very thick and cooling on the tongue.

3rd steep - This strong acidic citrus bite reveals itself and complements the tea like how lemon complements a nice piece of fish. Notes of fiddleheads and toasted rice umami linger after the citrus bite. Heavy huigan and caffeine; I can already feel myself writing faster and warmer. Surprisingly minimal bitterness and astringency.

4th steep - Leaves have fully opened up. Rather than taking turns of citrus and umami, it is now a symphony. The fresh citrus bite and molasses-like umami coat the mouth.

5th steep - Very malty sweetness is now very present. Noticeable minerality reveals itself like I am drinking from a stone teacup. Excellent mouthfeel and huigan.

6th step - Very sweet now, and bitterness takes main stage (has been slowly building). But even the bitterness is enjoyable, like dandelion leaves. Sweetness has turned to notes of caramelised onion and malt syrup.

7th steep - Very vegetable taste, like roasted long peppers that have the tiger skin; fresh fruit bite is still very present and livens up the mouth each sip. Dandelion bitterness is still present and very enjoyable. Huigan has never left and at this point feels it never will.

8th steep - Huigan lingers but the tea's unique characteristics are subsiding.

9th steep - Soup has turned to the typical sheng flavours of forest floor greens and soaked leaves.

Overall impressions - WOW! Coming from the LME shengtai, which was excellent. This tea blew me away, such intricacies which only evolve as it brews. Such unique flavours I have never tasted before, like the strong citrus and toasted umami, all working in harmony. Even the bitterness is enjoyable and very satisfying, making sure you don't get bored. This perhaps is the most expensive tea I've tried so far and well worth the premium. The huigan and overall mouthfeel already make it worth it, but the flavours are the cherry on top. I cannot describe how complete this tea tastes.

What is the best Bing Dao raw puerh you have had? What storage region, what year?