Sorry, I’m not very good at explaining what I like about tea. I can tell you that the Changtai goes a long way, with 5g in a 100ml Gaiwan I do 5-7 flash steeps and add 5s or so on later infusions. I usually stop at 1L of brewed tea just because...though it can probably go longer. The Xiang Ming is sweet, complex and just a nice flavour profile. That’s all I got in terms of elaborating!oolongfan wrote: ↑Mon Dec 30, 2019 8:03 pmI have thinking about trying both of those teas, so feel further to further eleborateNoonie wrote: ↑Mon Dec 30, 2019 7:46 pmSo I've been rotating between 2013 Yunnan Sourcing Xiang Ming Wild Arbor Raw and 2005 Changtai 'Top of the Clouds' from Crimson Lotus. They're of course very different given the 8 years and numerous other reasons, but I'm enjoying both of them. The Changtai is mellow/smooth, in a good way, though still punchy.
What Pu'er Are You Drinking
Thanks for the additional details, much appreciated. Like yourself, I am still rather new to puerh. I remember seeing a TeaDB review about the Changtai from Crimson Lotus's; specifically that it had a lot of apricot notes. At the time I had a lot of fruit forward young shengs, so it did not grab my interest.Noonie wrote: ↑Tue Dec 31, 2019 4:45 am
Sorry, I’m not very good at explaining what I like about tea. I can tell you that the Changtai goes a long way, with 5g in a 100ml Gaiwan I do 5-7 flash steeps and add 5s or so on later infusions. I usually stop at 1L of brewed tea just because...though it can probably go longer. The Xiang Ming is sweet, complex and just a nice flavour profile. That’s all I got in terms of elaborating!
Fast forward a year later, my puerh collection and explorations are more varied. I d recently tried the lovely 2006 Changtai Tian Xia Tong An from YS. whcih had lovely tobacco and tobacco notes with hint of saline from the wetter storage.
After this lovely introduction to Changtai, I am inspired to try the Changtai from Crimson Lotus, curious if it will age in a similar or disimlar fashion to 2006 Tian Xia Tong An. Your post inspired me further, hence my interest in more details
You’re welcome. I have watched that TeaDB video as well. It does have a sweetness to it, versus woodiness. I like both favours in moire aged Pu’erh.oolongfan wrote: ↑Wed Jan 01, 2020 7:06 pm
Thanks for the additional details, much appreciated. Like yourself, I am still rather new to puerh. I remember seeing a TeaDB review about the Changtai from Crimson Lotus's; specifically that it had a lot of apricot notes. At the time I had a lot of fruit forward young shengs, so it did not grab my interest.
Fast forward a year later, my puerh collection and explorations are more varied. I d recently tried the lovely 2006 Changtai Tian Xia Tong An from YS. whcih had lovely tobacco and tobacco notes with hint of saline from the wetter storage.
After this lovely introduction to Changtai, I am inspired to try the Changtai from Crimson Lotus, curious if it will age in a similar or disimlar fashion to 2006 Tian Xia Tong An. Your post inspired me further, hence my interest in more details
So... I tried this tea in the aged Puerh sampler. I've tried it twice, and I hope that there's some left for a third tasting. My initial reaction was little taste. I think I read some reviews about it and like everyone was oooh la la with excitement and I tasted it for the second time. Again lackluster for a 'new' pu drinker. I read your guys post and it's like I'm missing something... so I looked at my order to make sure that I knew what I was talking about. Yup the Top of the Clouds was included in the aged puerh sampler... then it struck me. Aged. Not RIPE. I think I looked at a couple of the samples and they were all shou pus. I was expecting all the teas in the sampler to be shou. No wonder the tea was lackluster. LOL. I really hope I have enough for a third tasting. I also had the thought that every bing/cake is different and within the cake/bing there could be differences, maybe I just got a bad sample. But no. It's a sheng... not a shou.
Wow... was I ever wrong. I did buy the aged sampler which contained the 2005 Changtai "Yun Pu Zhi Dian / Top of the Clouds" sheng. However, what I think I have already sampled was the 2013 Jingmai "Lucky Cloud" as I found the empty sample package here at work. I still have to check at home to make sure I haven't tasted the Top of the Clouds. I may have already sampled both.thommes wrote: ↑Thu Jan 02, 2020 6:34 amSo... I tried this tea in the aged Puerh sampler. I've tried it twice, and I hope that there's some left for a third tasting. My initial reaction was little taste. I think I read some reviews about it and like everyone was oooh la la with excitement and I tasted it for the second time. Again lackluster for a 'new' pu drinker. I read your guys post and it's like I'm missing something... so I looked at my order to make sure that I knew what I was talking about. Yup the Top of the Clouds was included in the aged puerh sampler... then it struck me. Aged. Not RIPE. I think I looked at a couple of the samples and they were all shou pus. I was expecting all the teas in the sampler to be shou. No wonder the tea was lackluster. LOL. I really hope I have enough for a third tasting. I also had the thought that every bing/cake is different and within the cake/bing there could be differences, maybe I just got a bad sample. But no. It's a sheng... not a shou.
Thommes,
Where are you located at and are you trying to get into shou and sheng both or one of them?
Where are you located at and are you trying to get into shou and sheng both or one of them?
I'm in central Ohio. I pretty much have drank what Stash Tea called Puerh for 20 years. Just started getting into real puer a few months ago. I THINK I'm going to be a shou guy, but I'm doing samples of sheng to make sure I don't miss out on something good.
Got plenty of shou around here. I can send you some if you want in a week or so. We can message the details if you want.
Ok I have gotten my story right. What I have already sampled was the Lucky Cloud and I"m going to stick with my impression that it was lackluster for a shou. I still have enough tea for one more session. I've read a lot of good reviews on it, though with me it's not clicking. Not sure if I got a bad sample. However, I am just starting out with learning about shou and have sampled only a half dozen or so.thommes wrote: ↑Thu Jan 02, 2020 10:50 amWow... was I ever wrong. I did buy the aged sampler which contained the 2005 Changtai "Yun Pu Zhi Dian / Top of the Clouds" sheng. However, what I think I have already sampled was the 2013 Jingmai "Lucky Cloud" as I found the empty sample package here at work. I still have to check at home to make sure I haven't tasted the Top of the Clouds. I may have already sampled both.
Today I broke out the Top of the Clouds. I have even less experience with sheng. Only at my fourth steeping of this tea, but I will have to agree that this is a pretty good tea. I steeped 7g in 120ml for 10-15 seconds. I'll most likely be drinking from it til late tomorrow.
I would really appreciate some samples. I've been buying some from CLT and YS but I'll be honest I'm jealous of the pics I've seen of your teas and figure you have stuff that isn't available anymore and with your experience, I doubt you have a 'bad' tea.
I'll send you a message.Good to hear! Like I said in a previous post, I enjoyed it enough to order a second cake. Although I do want to order another cake aged 15 years or so, but from the previous samples I've had not a lot was to my liking. So I either have to buy a cake and see how she goes, or try more samples (likely the smarter option!). For now though I will get through the first cake. I rotate this with a 2012 for balance...and I quite enjoy this approach to drinking pu'erh (having it about 5 days a week).thommes wrote: ↑Fri Jan 03, 2020 2:14 pmOk I have gotten my story right. What I have already sampled was the Lucky Cloud and I"m going to stick with my impression that it was lackluster for a shou. I still have enough tea for one more session. I've read a lot of good reviews on it, though with me it's not clicking. Not sure if I got a bad sample. However, I am just starting out with learning about shou and have sampled only a half dozen or so.thommes wrote: ↑Thu Jan 02, 2020 10:50 amWow... was I ever wrong. I did buy the aged sampler which contained the 2005 Changtai "Yun Pu Zhi Dian / Top of the Clouds" sheng. However, what I think I have already sampled was the 2013 Jingmai "Lucky Cloud" as I found the empty sample package here at work. I still have to check at home to make sure I haven't tasted the Top of the Clouds. I may have already sampled both.
Today I broke out the Top of the Clouds. I have even less experience with sheng. Only at my fourth steeping of this tea, but I will have to agree that this is a pretty good tea. I steeped 7g in 120ml for 10-15 seconds. I'll most likely be drinking from it til late tomorrow.
2010 sticky rice sheng mini tuo. This a big crowd pleaser, I'm down to the last few tiny tuos.
Struggling to find any info on the herb: https://www.babelcarp.org/babelcarp/bab ... o+Mi+Xiang
Struggling to find any info on the herb: https://www.babelcarp.org/babelcarp/bab ... o+Mi+Xiang
Not 100% sure what you mean by rotating this tea with another. I've found that I have a sheng in my gaiwan and a shou in my travel mug. I pour water in whichever I'm in the mood for and when the tea stops steeping, I move on to another tea. If it's a shou I haven't sampled before I'll use the gaiwan to see the differences in the steeps.Noonie wrote: ↑Sat Jan 04, 2020 6:55 pmGood to hear! Like I said in a previous post, I enjoyed it enough to order a second cake. Although I do want to order another cake aged 15 years or so, but from the previous samples I've had not a lot was to my liking. So I either have to buy a cake and see how she goes, or try more samples (likely the smarter option!). For now though I will get through the first cake. I rotate this with a 2012 for balance...and I quite enjoy this approach to drinking pu'erh (having it about 5 days a week).
LOL about buying samples. I was buying samples and then rushed to place an order in early december to take advantage of the holiday sales. Some of the cakes/bings I've bought are ones that I have sampled and some aren't. I say the same thing about a bottle of scotch especially when the price gets $$$. I'd prefer finding the scotch in a bar and taste it first but a lot of bars just don't have a good selection of scotches and the ones that do charge $$. So I typically just buy a bottle after I research. I figure it might be easier with the puers. Find a sample or do a teaswap for a sample.