Friday, January 7, 2011

Shou Pu-erh, 1996

Today was my second cup from my recently opened Pu-erh. I took a visit to Red Blossom Tea in San Francisco back in April 2009. I picked up the Shou Pu-erh, 1996 as well as other teas that are long gone.

My Brewing Method:
I brewed 2.4 grams of tea with 8 ounces of 205° F water. I steeped it for 2 minutes.

The Tea:

When I took a whiff of the leaves I was almost immediately relieved. The tea has a very refreshing smell to it. Most pu-erhs I've come across have a deep "fresh earth" scent to it, yet this one is more pleasing than most. To me the scent of this tea comes across as a more healthy tea because of how pure it smells. The leaves were a bit golden black/brown. The color was enticing.
The tea didn't have as dark of a liquor as Rishi's Pu-erh Tuo Cha.
The tea wasn't as intense as other pu-erhs. This one is without a doubt more mild than most pu-erhs. However, it was slightly more sweet on the second steep.
I'm not used to pu-erhs that are as mild as this one. Perhaps it is because I used less tea now that I have started measuring by weight rather than volume causing me to actually use less tea.



The Retailer:
I look for every opportunity to go to Red Blossom Tea because their staff is so knowledgeable about tea. I truly mean they are very knowledgeable people there. I learned more about tea from Alice (I think she is the owner) in a five minute conversation then I did from reading the entire book titled The Story of Tea by Mary Lou Heiss and Robert Heiss. That is not to knock Mary Lou and Robert Heiss at all. I love their books and highly recommend them to all tea enthusiasts. That statement is just to say how highly I view Red Blossom and all that Alice has done there.
All that to say that if you are ever in San Francisco then by all means stop by Red Blossom Tea Company for a great tea experience. When I stopped by I got a free tasting of the Dragonwell Panan Supreme, April 2010, which is the highest quality Dragonwell I've had to date. Undeniably, I bought as much as I could afford. You can not go wrong with free tastings. Especially, with beautiful tea ware and tiny thimble-like cups to cup each steeping with. Red Blossom Tea is a must go to all tea enthusiasts.

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