Hello hello! Today is the start of something brand new. Change can sometimes be a good thing, and depending on the change, things have potential to turn out for the better. As you may know, I’ve spent a lot of time drinking my vice while reviewing and analyzing tea. However, tea isn’t just meant to hoard and drink by yourself. When you drink tea with others you have the opportunity to learn from and share with others — rather that be a viewpoint or new factual information. So for this change, I’m starting a new segment called ‘Tea Time With…’ where I drink tea and have a conversation with someone unique or notable to our society. Notwithstanding, this journey is a journey that has an expiration date. When is that? I can’t tell you a specific date and time, but this journey of tea with others will end when I reach the goddess of my heart — the one and only Lana Del Rey. So until the day happens where Lana and I drink tea together, go with me on this journey to meet new people, gain new perspectives, and hopefully take something new away from joining us as we drink tea together. A few Saturday’s ago I was fortunate enough to meet with Asa Graeff — an up and coming artist whose also doubles as a local Karaoke DJ legend. Asa pulled up to find a gong-fu session laid out on a table between two chairs. Unaware of the gong-fu process, he was quickly introduced to the options of oolong, sheng, shou, and white tea for him to choose from. After going over the description of each tea, Asa gravitated towards the white tea cake that laid out in front of him. For this session, he picked the 2018 Censers by White2Tea. After heating up the kettle, and measuring 6.5 grams of tea for the 100ml teapot, the first infusion went underway. Asa grew up in the mid-west and breathed music from a very young age. To Asa, growing up with music included his sister’s talent for the piano and his father’s passion for the banjo. Besides playing the banjo, his father sang in their churches choir to which he quickly followed suit by singing his first solo to the congregation at the age of three. Besides being apart of a family that lived the art form, he grew up listening to music everywhere he went. This including being introduced to a wide-variety of artists while riding in the car with his parents at the radios controls. His parents kept him and the entire family engaged with each other, and connected through what they were listening to. And that engagement turned into him picking up a wide-variety of instruments, including being self-taught with the harmonica, learning percussion, and even mastering the guitar. Upon the opening steeps of Censers, Asa continued to talk about growing up listening to classics like Rod Stewart, Simon and Garfunkel, and the Beetles. But with time, and with developing his own personal tastes, those early influencers turned his interests into Santana and The Moody Blues. While developing his sound, he found other connections through artists such as Breaking Benjamin, A Day to Remember, and Suicide Silence. While sipping on the first infusions of Censers, Asa confessed that his first introduction to loose-leaf tea was an earl grey at age seventeen. While recounting his first experience with loose-leaf tea, we trailed the conversation back to music. Besides writing and singing his own music, he became a Karaoke DJ along the way — which began with him winning a local singing contest that sent him to Nashville. While in Nashville, he got his first hands-on experience with recording his own music professionally. Me: Being a karaoke DJ, I’m sure you’ve seen it all. And as far as seeing it all, there’s a lot of songs that people sing from all over the spectrum. So I must ask, what’s the worst possible song choice for people to sing? Asa: Don’t sing Picture [Kid Rock feat. Sheryl Crow]. There’s not a Karaoke DJ in the US that has not hard that song every night they work, for however long they’ve worked. So is that — That is a terrible song. Kid Rock is a terrible artist, and nobody wants to hear you sing Picture with your third boo of the month. Nobody wants to hear it. [laughs] Don’t sing that song. Besides Kid Rock, what kind of music do people choose that people absolutely shouldn’t choose, because they cant sing it but try it anyways? It always comes down to the person with your abilities and your history. For example, there’s somebody that come’s into my bar that when they sing, it doesn't matter what it is because they’re phenomenal. She could walk in and sing ‘Creep’ by Radiohead and her very next song is an operatic-like number. And she nails both of them with ease. There’s some people that just needs to stick in their lane. But I’m not the one to tell you what your lane is. Coming from a karaoke DJ, what songs would you recommend that people should sing/pick to get the whole atmosphere in a good mood? Well there’s the classic karaoke songs like Bohemian Rhapsody [Queen] or Sweet Caroline [Neil Diamond], but they’re overdone. If you want to get people in to what you’re doing/what you’re singing, you need to read the crowd. If you’ve got a crowd of forty-to-one hundred college kids, you don’t need to go out there and sing Billy Joel. But sing stuff that’s appropriate for the age group that you’re seeing. If you got a big mix, throw something random in there such as Tennessee Whisky [Chris Stapleton]. It’s about engagement with the audience, not about singing the right song. Its about performance /capturing attention. There’s singers out there who can’t really sing their music but because they perform really well, they get away with it. Don’t just sing. Perform. When it comes down to the song, according to Caleb [other local karaoke DJ], you should never sing The [US] National Anthem. I once chose a song called ‘National Anthem’ by Lana Del Rey and he had a moment where, “Is this the actual National Anthem? No one should sing The National Anthem.” Why is that? The whole job of a karaoke DJ is to maintain. Maintain the crowd, maintain the energy, etc. If you sing The National Anthem everybody is going to stop what their doing, like stop drinking and stop their conversations. Because if you don’t give respect to it, you’re insulting people and you’re basically taking that energy and telling everybody to pause and stop what they’re doing. And you expect people to go back to what they’re doing. That’s not going to happen. You’re going to kill the crowd/energy, and that should never be the goal of singing karaoke. [Photo credit: Matt Loveland Photography] Asa and I were on infusion four of Censers, and according to him, he could see and taste the difference. Asa not only pointed out that tea was getting thicker with each infusion, he even pointed out that the flavor profile kept expanding in the mouth. Despite that the rinse/first infusion was week, we traded notes back and forth between what we were experiencing with this tea. Nonetheless, after losing our train of through to the liquid in hand, we found our conversation back towards the music industry… So being an artist in the music industry my next question to you is going to be… Did Courtney Love do it? [laughs] Ummm…. [laughs]. You know, to be completely honest, I don’t care. And there’s a couple of reasons why I don’t care. One, I have to stake in it. Two, does it really matter? Kurt Cobain is gone. It’s a fun conspiracy theory. But I hate Nirvana. They’re awful; they’re not a good group. I don’t understand the hype beyond Kurt Cobain being dead. But I do respect them for the band that they were. I respect them for doing their sound and doing it their way. And that’s awesome. Speaking of artists who’ve died before their prime, and back to Nirvana, is there an artist who died before their prime whose more deserving of their fame? Amy Winehouse is a phenomenal musician… Was a phenomenal musician. Was a phenomenal Vocalist. She had mental health issues. Drug issues, and addiction issues that inhibited her ability. Of course, we can talk about Jimi Hendrix — phenomenal guitar player. But he served his purpose. The thing you understand about music is that you get what you get. You could ask anyone for more music, but maybe they didn’t have it in them. Maybe the people who died so young like Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix, Amy Winehouse, Jim Morrison of The Doors, etc… didn’t have it in them. You know, you got what you got and we love it. You may love it for the fact that they died. Or you may love it for the musicality, or you may love it because everybody else does. But that’s what you got. So it seems now that with the rise of social media, there’s a line of ambiguity that seems to be crossing the mystery behind who an artist is with the rise of Facebook, Instagram, twitter, etc. Kanye West is a good example of someone who really crossed that line of being in the media where people saw past him being an artist. Do you think that the rise of social media is helping or hurting the music industry? It hurts it. In what way? Well, actually it does both. It helps it in the fact that sharing music is a lot easier. You can get more of a crowd and you can get yourself out there better. Music sharing and promotion. You can hear bands you may have never heard of without the use of social media. Luke Combs got started online. Phenomenal. Phenomenal artist. But like you said, Kanye or Three Doors Down almost hurt theirselves musically with social media. And in my opinion, and in my personal approach, social media will not be for anything more than promotion. There’s a song that I wrote called ‘Dark Road’. If you sit down and read the lyrics, you’re going to realize that I wrote it when I wasn’t necessarily in a good place mentally. It can be a very scary song if you just read the words. But the way I deliver it with the emotion and with the music backing behind it, it gives it a different kind of delivery that enhances the reason why I wrote it. Instead of just being words that are locked to me forever. Back to that song you you wrote whenever you were in a very dark place, whenever you listen to it or play it now, does it bring you back to that place? Or are you able to appreciate it for the time that you were in when you wrote it? Um. Ohh [sigh]. That’s a really good question. Music has an affect on me that’s very strong. Preforming the song, I never go back to that place. I might visit it while singing it to get that emption out of it that I need, but it’s not about dragging me back there. It’s about me realizing that his is where I’ve been. The song is called ‘Dark Road’ because it’s about a decision at a fork in the road, and I made my decision so going backwards isn’t going to help anybody. It’s not a song for me to rewind and listen to and sing. It’s a song to remember why I was where I was. Or why I made the decisions that I made. Censers was at a point where its strength was at its peak. And with the tea hitting its peak strength, Asa pointed out that he felt a sharpness on the tongue. It reminded him of what it felt like to notice the differences between levels of spicy food. Censers was not only helping create a calm atmosphere, it was creating the tone and the feeling of relaxation. After turning down an offer to part with this tea and dabble into trying shou, Asa and I continued sipping on Censers and carried on with our conversation… Now that we’re in a time of ‘Me Too’ where more things are being shed to light, such as artists personal lives, where we see Kanye West’s political views or R. Kelley’s actions coming to light, do you think it’s still a good idea to support these artists and listen to them? Like when the accusations about R. Kelly came out, Lady Gaga pulled [Do What U Want] from every platform she had the song on. It’s no longer apart of her album. This reverts back to the previous question about what social media is doing to music. I don’t think any song should be pulled. I don’t think anything that has been done and recorded should not be allowed to be listened to. And in my opinion, it’s a personal opinion if you’re still going to support someone after they’ve done something of the sort… And the whole problem with social media, the whole problem with pulling a song after it comes out, and the whole problem with Kanye becoming a political figure of sorts is the fact that people are judging everybody based off what is now the media — instead of what they actually stand by or what they want to talk about. Nobody actually knows the conversations that happened between Kanye and his close friends about what was happening. The only people who can really judge are those who actually understand everything and have taken the time to sit down and listen. For all we know, Kanye being all political could have been a marketing tactic just to get his name back in the media and make him more relevant, but we’d never know if that’s what he really believes in or not. Exactly. You and I are very different people and we probably have very different opinions on things because we come from different places. And if I were to share my opinions in a manner that was a definitive end, especially beyond any reasonable doubt, that’s going to change your opinion of me. That’s what social media is doing, and that’s what this all stems from. We don't have conversations anymore. Its always ‘this is it’. And this is what harms music at it’s core because now we have lost artists like Kanye. Or people have shunned Three Doors Down. Or a lot of people wont give Nickelback a second chance. A lot of people won’t listen to Lady Gaga, or Katy Perry, or whoever it is who has made a statement. Taylor Swift is now getting into the political side of things and that’s when we start losing the true meaning of music. If you want to listen to music that’s going to influence you, then listen to music that’s going to make you happy. You’ve got to find that you want to listen to, regardless of what people have done. So when the Dixie Chicks made their comments about Bush, or when Sinead O’Connor ripped up the photo of the pope on SNL, do you think when artist’s make these kind of statements that it’s justified that their careers gone down? Or even if they lived in a time of social media, would their careers have even gone down? Nobody’s career is going to end, unless it is ‘the final action’ like killing yourself. You can go to prison and still make music. You’re going to gain or lose fans based on everything you do. You’re going to be criticized on everything. Your career doesn’t hinge on one moment. Your career hinges on how you carry yourself beyond that moment. That’s the easiest way to put it. Nobodies careers has just completely shut down, because you’re still going to hear about them. And if you still hear about them, then they’re not shut down. They may change what they’re doing, but that doesn’t mean their career is over. So ‘Cancel Culture’ isn’t really ‘cancel culture’. Think about it — Elvis died and he still came out with an album. Johnny Cash is now having another album coming out of previous unreleased recordings. So even death isn’t necessarily the end of a music career. Michael Jackson for instance. When he died, his album sales jumped by forty-fifty percent, and look at all of the shit that he did. People still bought his stuff despite the allegations and the trials. It didn’t matter. You have to decide rather if you’re going to support or listen to someone based on how you feel about something. Because in the end, they don't necessarily need that one person to listen to them because of all of the other people they’re influencing already. It’s about what makes yourself feel good. That’s what music is all about. It’s about the listener. It’s all about the listener. If you want to keep listening to Kanye, then keep listening to Kanye and go for it. If you want to keep listening to The Dixie Chicks, even after the Bush comment, go for it. Or if you don’t want to listen to them, then don't. It’s your choice. A person’s career isn’t going to hinge on one flash of a moment. It’s not going to matter. Nipplegate ended Janet Jackson’s career in a flash of a moment. [Laughs] One final question about where you fit into the musical landscape. You write music, you perform music, and you are very talented. Now when you get larger, you realize that the name Asa isn’t going to work very well. Someone already took your name. Who? The actor Asa Butterfield. How do you feel about him making the name ‘Asa’ popular in the media? How do you compete with that. …Never heard of him. [Photo credit: Matt Loveland Photography] It was evident by this point in the session that a caffeine rush was already put into place by Censers. The kettle went on for one last boil. Then the tea went on for one last infusion. And upon pouring the last infusion, my mis-targeted pouring made the tea tray overfill onto the table that it was placed on. After our mouths echoed with the floral and faint honey notes of Censers, and after dabbing off the overfilled tea liquor, we went in for our last impressions of this particular white tea and wrapped up our conversation. So I took to social media to take in a few fan questions. The first question reads: Brendon Urie and Taylor Swift collaborated for the new hit song ME!. Do you think spelling is fun? No…[laughs] A viewer asks are there any pop artists that you should never sing at karaoke? Don’t try and sing Mariah Carey. You’re not Mariah Carey. And don't sing Whitney [Houston]. Unless you know you can nail Whitney, don’t sing it. Everybody knows Whitney. Don’t sing her. The next question asks: Is it better to sing karaoke when drunk or sober? Are you more confident when drunk? Are you going to give a better performance when drunk, or are you a better singer when sober? Do what you want — it’s karaoke for a reason! Next reader asks: What artist do you want to collaborate with? In the music genre that I’m apart of right now, it would either be with Drake White or Chris Stapleton. The music genre I want to move to would be Mark Tremonti, or Miles Kennedy — Hands Down. The next one asks: Whenever you get more big and famous, would you ever perform the Super Bowl Halftime Show? Probably not. The reason why is that I feel like there’s too much conflict surrounds it. It doesn’t matter how good an artist is or how popular they are, there’s always going to be conflict around it. I would just rather not. The last question of the day: How would you resolve the civil conflict in Yemen? Uhhhh… Asa stood up and stretched as he continued to comment about how he was pleasantly surprised by the overall setting of the gong-fu session. After a bit of small talk, he made his way back to the car. In fact, Asa’s journey as a Karaoke DJ was about to and end as that specific night was his last night to host. The next morning, Asa continued his music career in St. Louis; starting a new life altogether. As I looked back and started cleaning our tea session, I began to reflect on what it means to sing karaoke, be an artist, and what it even means to drink tea. I even reflected on his journey along with my own. In his journey, he helped connect people with each other over karaoke along with connecting others with himself through his own art. Where as for tea, as it is for music, it allows us to bond over something that we share as a whole. People from all walks of life and all kinds of backgrounds can put everything aside to just let themselves connect, and just be with each-other. When I looked out the window and saw Asa drive away, I thought about how this was the best way to not only enjoy music — but tea as well. Not alone. Together…… ~ Blissfully Tea Drunk ~~~~~ You can listen to Asa’s music here: https://www.facebook.com/asa.graeff.music/ Photos provided by Matt Loveland Photography: https://www.facebook.com/mattlovelandphotography/ Disclaimer: Some parts of this interview were cut short for the length of the article. However, none of the dialogue presented has been altered or manipulated in any way. ~~~~~

Hello hello! This past month, Crimson Lotus Tea introduced me to a new tea company called Soyuz Chai. This tea company is based out of Russia, and at the moment, all they carry is black tea… As many of you may know, black tea isn’t my first choice for drinking tea and is something I recently just got into liking. So when they sent me their line-up, I was hesitant to see that it was only black tea. However, since I’m trying to get more into hong, I figured it would be best to be open minded and try it anyways. After trying and enjoying their sample of their ‘Navy’ and ‘Army’ black tea, how does ‘Air Force’ hold up? After all, it’s the most expensive tea on their site. Let’s dive in! Dimensions — 5.3g of tea for an 80ml shibo Water Temp. — 190ºf Number of Steeps — 12 Price — $17.58 USD for a 150g brick Steeps 1 - 6 For this session, I broke-off a square section of the brick — which measured to 5.3g. For the first infusion, the faint tasting notes of caramel flew their way in, which trailed a creme-like hint on the sides of the tongue. After a few more infusions, the notes of creme and caramel became more prominent in the mouth and left an echo of flavor in the mouth for a small period of time. After the fourth infusion, a new profile of bell pepper and hay crept forward with the base of freshly-cut wood. By the sixth infusion, there was a light astringency that orbited the tip of the tongue and the insides of the cheeks. Steeps 7 - 12 By the seventh infusion, Air Force was carrying a strong jet-propelling punch in the mouth as the notes of creamy wood ejected a mild bitterness on the base of the tongue. After two more steeps, an Unidentified Flavor Object (UFO) of creme jetted back into my pallet, which mixed beautifully with the woodsy notes of hay. Despite this tea’s strength, the ninth infusion proved that this tea’s notes were ready to make its way to a landing pad. By the twelfth infusion, this Air Force’s satellite was ready to come to a full stop and fall safely back to Earth. Conclusion Air Force is a 150g tea brick which was the top-tier black tea in Soyuz Chai’s Russian 1950's militia-style line-up. After their debut, I was intrigued to see what this tea company was about. Air Force started out faint and sweet, and as the session progressed, it became more powerful with the taste of lumber. One thing I liked about this tea was how bud-heavy it was. This is a great aspect because it contributed to a good balance with this tea’s aggressiveness. Another aspect I liked about this tea was its ability to still have flexibility with the water temperature used to brew it. Overall, Air Force is a new favorite on my (very) short list of favorite black teas. However, one thing I’m excited for is to see what Soyuz Chai comes up with next. After being in the tea community for a period of time, you start to notice that a lot of people get into tea and seem to fall out of it. There’s a lot of companies that try and without the right amount of passion, seem to fail and move on. Soyuz Chai is transparent through their posts on social media and communication through messaging that they’re passionate about what they’re doing, and this is one tea company that, if chosen to continue this path, will end up being very successful…

Hello hello! I’m back! I apologize for the delay in updating this blog Life has been hectic and it got to a point where drinking tea wasn’t an option. This was largely due to the fact that I moved across several states. Now that I’ve been settled, now seems like a more than perfect time to dive into some Fu Ding Shou Mei White Tea from Path of Cha! This tea has been aged since 2012, and yet eight years later, here we are. Does an aged white tea really taste as good as aged puer? Let's find out! Dimensions — 4.7g for a 70ml Shibo Water Temp — Boil Number of Steeps— 14 Steeps 1 — 6 Usually, with aged teas, some people recommend doing a rinse of the leaves to rid of dirt or dust. However, I dove right in! Upon the first infusion, there was a faint sweetness along with a light amber color. After a few more infusions, this tea opened up to a woodsy note that left a sweet-like finish on the back of the tongue. At the fifth infusion, the tasting notes of a rum-barrel came through along with a brown sugar-like sweetness. Despite the sweetness, the sixth infusion brought a strong punch that almost left a bitter impression on the sides of the tongue. Steeps 7 — 14 This tea was in full swing as the infusions kept making this tea stronger and stronger. To help balance out the strength, I repeated an infusion. Even at that, the powerful punch this white tea possessed was enough to surprise me. Around the tenth infusion, this aged white tea started to let up as the brown sugar notes because more and more noticeable. However, despite this teas earlier strength, the tea session was ready to come to an end at the fourteenth infusion… Conclusion 2012 Fu Ding Shou Mei White Tea is a tea that came from Path of Cha. This tea started out light, and after a few infusions, became stronger and stronger. One thing I liked about this tea was the fact that it was very clean and crisp. Another aspect I liked about this tea was it’s the ability to last more than ten infusions. Along with the lasting infusions, this aged white tea had a unique sweetness that was very pleasing to the tongue. However, Path of Cha no longer carries this tea as of now. Despite being gone for around six months, I’m more than happy to be back. I’m glad to be back and re-pick up this journey with an aged white tea, especially from Path of Cha. For now, I’ll be sitting on the porch and taking tea photos in the cold, and remind myself that at the end of the day, aged white tea is just as good as an aged puer…

Hello hello! Earlier in the year, Glen of Crimson Lotus Tea and I began talking about different tea regions, and what would happen when blending different tea material. After a few messages back and forth, Glen came up with a blend idea that he would later press into a cake. After talking to a tea friend (Steph — @evilducky77 on instagram) about creating a wrapper design based on several different ideas, and after a few messages back and forth, she created the wrapper for 2018 Honeymoon Sheng Puer — a sheng puer that’s made of Manzuhan based material which uses old tea tree material. So after all of the communication between Glen, Steph, and I, how did Honeymoon turn out? Let’s find out! Demensions — 4.7g of tea for a 70ml vessel Beeng Price — $94.99 Water Temperature — 190ºf Number of Steeps — 14 Steeps 1 - 6 Honeymoon first opened up to the light grassy tasting notes of wood, which left a faint impression of oil on the tongue. After another infusion, a sweet fruity undertone of moss made itself known on the back of the tongue. By the fourth infusion, Honeymoon continued to thicken. However, by the sixth infusion, this tea was a full on broth. Steeps 7 - 14 By the seventh infusion, Honeymoon’s tasting notes reminded me of a thick wooded forest. Its texture was broth-like, and after another infusion, it didn’t let up. This tea’s tasting notes seemed to transform from a grass-like tasting note into a hay-like tasting note, which left behind the sweet notes of moss, wood, and an autumn leaf pile. However, despite the heavy and thick tasting notes of moss, there was still a light undertone of sweet fruit that still tried to come though this tea. However, by the tenth infusion, this tea began to lighten up on its thick texture. By the fourteenth infusion, Honeymoon was finished and was ready to be put away… Conclusion Honeymoon was a collaborative project between Glen of Crimson Lotus Tea and I, which began with the two of us talking about different blends of tea regions. Honeymoon is a 2018 sheng puer that is a Manzuhan based blend, and is a tea that also contains old tea tree material. One thing I liked about Honeymoon was its energy, because after having a session with this tea, I felt very relaxed and mildly sedated. Another aspect about this tea that I like is its tasting notes that continually changed throughout the session. However, despite that this tea sits at a higher price tag, it certainly reflects the qualities of a tea that’s higher end. In conclusion, Honeymoon is a great experience to have regardless if you’re a new tea drinker or not. Despite that it was a collaboration that involved me, I’m very surprised at how the final product turned out — which really points to how talented Glen is of Crimson Lotus Tea. So next time you have dreams of sitting on the beach with no where to be, spend time on yourself and give yourself a little honeymoon….

Hello hello! Around a month ago, I was fortunate enough to meet Scott and his wife of Yunnan Sourcing! Besides drinking a lot of tea together, we filmed two youtube videos as well! One of those videos was of Scott and I drinking a 2013 Shou Mei white tea. This white tea is a tea that has been aged for over five years, and is a tea that will be released in a 100g beeng for around $10.00 USD. Since the tea has yet to be released (as I only have a small sample that was gifted to me rom Scott), what can we expect whenever it is released? Here’s all you need to know! Dimensions - 4.7g of tea for a 70ml vessel Beeng Price - 100g for around $10.00 (estimated) Water Temperature - boil Number of Steeps - 12 Steeps 1 - 6 Right off the bat, this 2013 Shou Mei gave off light tasting notes of sweet sugarcane and honey. After another few steeps, the tasting notes became more and more woodsy. With the caramel-like sweetness, it heavily resembled a rum barrel. By the fifth and sixth infusion, this tea’s texture thickened like a beef broth, and started to heavily resemble a roasted GABA oolong. Steeps 7 - 12 By the middle of the session, this tea began to lose its gentle sweetness as its texture became thicker and woodsier. It still lightly resembled a rum barrel, but still left a broth like texture in the back of the throat. However, towards the end of the session, I started to feel a head-rush of energy that came from this tea. This head-rush made me feel a bit tea drunk, as its energy made me break out in a sweat. However, by the twelfth infusion, this tea was finished and it was time to be put away… Conclusion Yunnan Sourcing is about to release a 2013 Shou Mei white tea, and while the tea is not out yet, Scott and I were able to film a youtube video of us drinking it together! First off, one thing I liked about this tea was its wide array of tasting notes. The tasting notes of a rum barrel pleasantly surprised me, and it also held a sweetness the came from within the rum barrel tasting notes. Another aspect about this tea that I like is the fact that it’s affordable. Although it’s not out yet, Scott did speculate that this tea will be around $10.00 upon its release. However, despite that it’ll only be around $10.00, this was a very easy tea to drink and could potentially be a gate-way white tea to get others interested in aged whites. In conclusion, this tea is affordable and will certainly warrant a purchase from me. So while I had this tea originally with Scott of Yunnan Sourcing, when I had this tea again (for this review) I was reminded of the hospitality that I was shown when I paid my visit to Scott and his wife.… Below is the Youtube video I got to appear in with Scott!

Hello hello! Bitterleaf Teas released their 2018 productions earlier this year, but a few weeks after the big release, they released another tea called Outlier. Outlier is a 2018 spring tea that’s harvested in Myanmar, but since it’s not made in Yunnan, it has to be called heicha. This tea was only rolled into dragon balls and doesn't come in the form of a cake. However, this tea sounds interesting as I haven’t had too many puer style teas that are grown outside of Yunnan. So is this tea as unique as it looks? Does it taste like traditional puer? Lets find out! Demensions — 4.6g of tea for a 70ml shibo Dragon Ball Price —$ 3.25 USD per dragon ball Water Temperature — 190ºf Number of Steeps — 12 Steeps 1 - 6 Outlier first opened to the savory and faint medicinal tasting notes, which trailed behind a light aftertaste of sweet green grass. After a few more steeps, this teas body began to thicken up as its savory tasting notes quickly resembled a lightly tart chicken broth, while leaving a floral and lightly sweet nutty aftertaste echoing in the mouth. By the sixth infusion, this tea carried a punch as its body was full-on broth, which let out a soothing bitterness on the sides of the tongue. Steeps 7 - 12 Outlier continued to thicken up as its body resembled more and more of a chicken broth, while leaving tart dense nutty aftertaste of hay and flowers. However, around the eighth infusion, Outlier began to lighten up, and despite that it was still leaving a bitterness on the tongue, it brought back its sweetness which seems to linger in the sides of the cheeks. After a few more steeps of a broth like bitter sweetness, Outlier kept softening up and became lighter and lighter. By the twelfth infusion, this tea had given it its all and it was time to be put away… Conclusion Outlier is a 2018 spring tea from Bitterleaf Teas, and since it can only be called ‘puer’ if its grown in Yunnan, this tea has to be called a ‘heicha’ since it’s grown in Myanmar. Anyhow. Outlier first opened up to a soft body and it quickly thickened up. One thing I liked about this tea was how quickly it thickened up. Another thing I liked about this tea is its energy, because its qi was very meditative and relaxing. However, one drawback to this tea is the fact that it doesn't come in the form of a beeng. But despite that, dragon balls are a lot of fun and you can get a lot out of them. Overall, this tea is certainly different from what I’m used to and was certainly unique in its own way. This tea had a lot of characteristics of puer that’s from Yunnan, but certainly followed the beat of its own drum. So while Outlier is technically called heicha, this tea was a unique and fun experience and is one that I’ll be looking forward to having again in the near future…

Hello hello! It’s been a while since I’ve updated this segment on my site, and to be honest, I’ve missed it and I’m glad to be back. Speaking of being busy, I got to meet Scott Wilson and his wife of Yunnan Sourcing!! After months and months of trying to meet up (and missing each other), we finally got to collaborate on a few youtube videos for Yunnan Sourcing’s youtube channel! So keep your eyes peeled to see a guest appearance from me. Anyways, let’s move on to your questions! Q: Is competition grade ‘Tie Guan Yin’ oolong really the best oolongs as some say? - Hauke A: So first off, we need to define what ‘competition grade’ tea is. Basically, according to a tea shop owner, competition grade tea is a tea that’s produced for competition and is part of a batch, which requires a certain amount of kilos produced. There are also rules for which it is produced, so not any regular ole tea can be called ‘competition grade’. Anyhow, I’ve personally only had a small handful of competition grade Tie Guan Yin, and they were from Yunnan Sourcing (I even reviewed one here). Overall, it was one of the best oolongs that I’ve ever tried, but Im not sure that I can attest that to the fact it was a competition grade tea, or the fact the village it comes from just makes really good tea? I need to explore more into that category. ~~~ Q: Since puer needs time to acclimate [after shipping], does it matter for oolong? - Will A: So in my experience, you should certainly let puer acclimate to wherever you store your puer after shipping. Since puer tea easily absorbs odors, there’s a chance that it picked up something during shipping. Even if puer is shipped in a sealed bag, you’d probably want it to get accustomed to your climate since it’s used to being in Yunnan’s climate. Does that mean that I let puer settle in my pumidor every time I buy it? Nope — I’m usually too impatient and dive right in. Anyhow. In my experience, oolongs don't absorb odors like puer does. To add to that, oolongs are typically shipped in sealed bags (sometimes vacuums sealed), so there isn’t much of an opportunity for the flavor to change in shipping. If the oolong is green/unoxidized, then you’ll probably want to drink it right away so that you can taste its freshness. ~~~ Q: Which cultivars are grown for dancong production and which flavor differences do they imply? - Leonardo A: Dancong oolongs are from Guangdong. There are so many different areas in Guangdong and so many differs factors that play into the processing of dancong that there isn’t really a concrete answer to this question. Dancong can have a wide-array of oxidization levels that can also affect how it tastes. Further, the age and location of some tea trees will affect the tea’s end result taste (such as the age of the tea tree, the care of the tea tree, and especially if the tea tree came from a farm, as well as the elevation of the tea trees itself). ~~~ Q: Are there any good aged white teas available that wont break the bank? - Jerrod A: For those of you who don't already know, white tea can age in the same way that puer can! And just like puer, the older it gets, the pricier it usually is. Aging white tea seems to be a more and more popular trend than it used to be, and since it’s becoming more popular, the more expensive it’s going to get. As of now, White2Tea carries a small variety of aged white teas on their site. As of this year, they released two new ones and are planning on releasing a third one (based on White2Tea’s Instagram story). However, when I visited Scott and his wife of Yunnan Sourcing, we filmed a youtube video for an aged white tea that’s going to be posted very soon. I can’t really say much until it’s released, but it will be the most affordable aged white tea that I’ve come across, and to add, it’s really tasty. Hopefully with this new trend of aged white tea, more and more tea shops will be releasing their own versions of white tea as time goes on. In my opinion, this is one tea trend that I like and one tea trend that I want to see stick around for the long haul…. ~~~ If you have any questions that YOU want to see answered on the next segment of ‘Ask The Oolong Drunk’, you can drop me an email at contact@theoolongdrunk.com!

Hello hello! Earlier last month, I was fortunate enough to meet Yunnan Sourcing in the flesh! I got to hang out with Scott and his wife, along with another tea friend, and we brewed many teas. We even filmed a few youtube videos together as well! After spending a great afternoon drinking tea with Scott, he and his wife broke out a large chunk of 1992 Tibetan Kang Brick Tea and sent me home with a small sample! Today, I took it out of the sample bag and decided to dive right in. This brick is a Tibetan tea from 1992, and is considered hei cha (which means 'dark tea'). So what’s so special about this tea? Let’s find out! Dimensions — 6.5g of tea for a 100ml vessel Brick price — $80.00 for 450g Water Temperature — boil Number of steeps — 12 Steeps 1 - 6 Kang Brick opened up to the soft earthy tasting note of dirt, followed by an autumn leaf pile. After a few more infusions, the leaf pile tasting note turned into the tasting note of hot hay, which brought out a light sweetness that lingered on the sides of the tongue. By the fourth infusion, Kang Brick’s sweetness became stevia-like and became stronger and stronger. As well as the stevia-like sweetness, a light undertone of fruit punch made itself known which came out from under the earth and hay-like tasting notes. By the sixth infusion this tea was savory and mouthwatering. Steeps 7 - 12 As this tea got stronger, it turned gold in colour and developed a new tasting note of cotton/fabric. However, the sweet and noticeable tasting notes of stevia began to lighten up, as well as the fruity undertone. The earthy and hot hay tasting notes became mellower and softer, as this tea’s body continued to lighten up. As this tea’s body continued to lighten up, its tasting notes strongly resembled a shou puer. However, by the twelfth infusion, Kang Brick was showing signs of being too mellow and it was time to be put away… Conclusion 1992 Tibetan Kang Brick is a brick of hei cha, sold by Yunnan Sourcing, which appeared to be made with larger leaf material. One thing about this tea that I liked was its many different tasting notes, and for being an older tea, was surprisingly sweet. Another aspect about this tea that I liked was its ability to resemble shou puer. Despite that it reminded me of shou puer, and the fact it’s from 1992, I was surprised at how strong it became halfway through the session. Overall, my experience with Kang Brick was a positive one and is one I’ll be having again in the near future. Thanks to Scott for getting me hooked this tea, I’ll certainly be ordering more of it in the near future. So when I drink this tea in the future, I’ll reminisce about the time I had meeting the wonderful people of Yunnan Sourcing…

Hello hello! In 2016, Bitterleaf Teas released their first spring production and part of that production was 2016 Secret Garden — a tea sourced from right outside of Yiwu and made from an actual secret garden, and is a 2.5 hour hike into the forest to reach these 100 y/o tea trees. However, due to a price increase in material, Bitterleaf Teas sourced a Manzuhan region tea tree material for their 2017 version of Secret Garden. However, due to popular demand, they went back to the original secret garden for their 2018 version of this tea. Since I drank the entire 200g beeng of the original Secret Garden in just a few months, I knew I had to buy the new version of this tea. So how does it hold up to its original version? Is it really worth the near-double price increase? Lets find out! Dimensions - 4.6g for a 70ml vessel Beeng Price - $135.00 USD for a 200g beeng Water Temperature - 190ºf Number of Steeps - 12 Steeps 1 - 6 2018 Secret Garden first opened up to a light medicinal forefront with a faint sweetness in the back of the mouth. After another few steeps, the tasting notes of milk and cream made itself known as its soup was clean and clear. By the fourth infusion, this tea kept opening up as it held a light green-grass base that mixed with the medicinal forefront, which left a light lingering stevia-like humid sweetness in the throat. Steeps 7 - 12 2018 Secret Garden was in full swing, as its medicinal creamy body was hitting heavier than before. It’s green-grass tasting notes turned into tasting notes of hot hay, and left a very faint fruity aftertaste on the sides of the tongue. Although this tea was getting thicker, by the ninth infusion, it felt like it wanted to keep pushing a thicker mouthfeel forward, but still tasted relatively wet (from recent pressing) and couldn’t go forward. Despite that, it left a everlasting steamy sweet impression of sugar in the throat, and seemed to last for a lengthy period of time. However, by the twelfth infusion, this tea was starting to lose stamina and was time to put away. Conclusion 2018 Secret Garden is a new sheng puer released by Bitterleaf Teas, and is a come-back from their 2016 production of the same name. Right off the bat, when brewing this tea, I was reminded of the 2016 version due to its tasting notes. One thing I liked about this tea is how clean and clear the soup was. Another thing that I liked about this tea was its ever lasting throat sweetness which seemed to linger longer and longer as the infusions went on. However, despite that this tea has a lot of positive attributes, it came up a little thin and still showed evidence of being wet from recent picking and pressing. Overall, 2018 Secret Garden is still very fresh and could heavily benefit from resting for another few months before being consumed. You see, when it comes to teas that are on the more delicate side, they seem to be more affected by pressings and need to cool off for a while. However, despite it still being wet tasting, I still broke out in a hot sweat from this teas energy — which is something that I don't remember from the 2016 version. So while this tea is nearly double in price, is it worth the money? Well, since the 2016 version of this tea was one of the very first beengs that I ever bought (when I first started drinking tea), it brought up many memories of being a young tea drinker. So I must ask, can you really place a price on nostalgia? To me, it’s priceless….

Hello hello! First and foremost, I want to congratulate Nicole of Tea For Me Please for winning Tea Blogger of the Year at the 2018 World Tea Expo! Anyways, last month, Bitterleaf Teas released their new version of their 2017 ’In Bloom’ (which I reviewed here), called 2018 In Bloom! In Bloom is a sheng puer tea which is harvested from the Jingmai region of Yunnan. The 2017 version of this tea, as I recall, was woodsy and sweet. However, this year, Bitterleaf Teas released 2 versions of this tea — one sheng puer version and one huang pian version (larger leaf material). So how does this year’s In Bloom compare to last years? Lets find out! Demensions — 4.6g in a 70ml shibo Beeng Price — $60.00 for 200g Water Temperature — 190ºf Number of Steeps — 14 Steeps 1 - 6 Upon my first infusion of In Bloom, the wet leaf sitting in my shibo gave off a strong fruity aroma that seemed to leave a memorable presence. Anyhow — the first impressions of this tea left a medicinal and green grass forefront with an aftertaste of a orchard grove. After a few more infusions, a new sweet warm undertone of ripe plums quickly made itself known. By the way, when I say warm, I mean ‘warm’ in the same way that cinnamon is warm. After another few infusions, In Bloom’s body became more and more floral, as the warming plum-like undertone became stronger and thicker. By the sixth infusion, this tea’s texture was frothy and slightly oily. Steeps 7 - 14 By the seventh and eighth infusion, In Bloom’s body was stronger with its medicinal floral body, and was as rich and thick as a chicken broth. In Bloom’s grassy tasting notes were completely gone, but lightly resembled hay at this point in the session. By the tenth infusion, this tea was smooth, and left a faint astringent mouthfeel on the sides of the tongue. By the fourteenth infusion, In Bloom began to settle down and began to dilute in taste. However, despite going for fourteen steeps, this tea was ready to be put away. Conclusion 2018 In Bloom is a new sheng puer released by Bitterleaf Teas and is a sequel to their 2017 version by the same name. In Bloom is a Jingmai region tea, and is blended with both small and big tea tree material. One thing that stood out with In Bloom 2018 is its tasting notes were more floral, sweet, and fruity than it’s 2017 counterpart. One thing I like about In Bloom was how noticeable and upfront its floral tasting notes are. Another aspect about this tea that I like is how much depth it held as far as tasting notes and body goes, becuase for a single origin tea, I felt like it could have been a blend (which is really saying something). However, without making claims that the 2017 version of this tea was bad, 2018 In Bloom was noticeably different and is an immense improvement. Overall, when I first saw that 2017 In Bloom was getting re-vamped, and just based on how memorable the 2017 version was, I decided to blindly beeng the new version of it. Without a doubt, I can say that I made the right decision and don’t have any regrets with it. In Bloom highlights the Jingmai reign so well that all Jingmai lovers across the board will fall in love with this tea. So if you’re into sweet sheng and want to own one that wont break the bank, while still tasting like it might, In Bloom might just find its way into your cup next time around…

Hello hello! Bitterleaf Teas released their 2018 spring productions just a few weeks ago. After teasing their new releases for the past few months on social media, I had no other option but to dive in and buy a few things from their site… Okay, to be honest, it was one hell of a doom-cart (which means shopping cart of doom). So my doom-cart included three beengs, five dragon balls, two mini bricks, and a lot of samples. A part of this mega-haul included one of their most expensive offerings to date — 2018 Naka sheng puer. This tea comes in two different forms: a beeng and a dragon ball. Since i’ve been a fan of this region, I decided to snag some of the dragon balls and an entire beeng for myself. Since it’s Bitterleaf Tea’s second most expensive tea in their 2018 spring lineup, what’s it all about? Well, lets find out! Dimensions — 7g tea ball for a 70ml shibo Beeng Price — $128.00 Water Temperature - 190ºf Number of Steeps - 22 Steeps 1 - 10 In this session I brewed a dragon ball of Naka. Anyways, on the first infusion, Naka immediately gave off an oil-like texture with a faint tasting note of green grass. After another infusion, this tea ball quickly thickened up, and brought forth an undertone of sugarcane which left a thick and humid impression on the back of the throat. Naka continued to open up with a thick and viscous body, which brought a medicinal forefront with a light floral and sweet undertone. By this point (around the 6th infusion), this tea already hit a bliss point with its combination of flavors. However, by the 8th infusion, this tea continued to change, as its texture turned more milk-creamy and vegetal, as compared to it’s oiliness. By the tenth infusion, Naka was leaving a steamy aftertaste that continued to linger longer and longer in the back of the throat. Steeps 11 - 22 Naka’s creamy medicinal body kept leaving a trail of light green grass, sugar-snap peas, and a very faint tasting note of flowers behind it. Infusion after infusion, this tea kept going and didn’t let up. Its bliss point kept going on and on, and by the fifteenth infusion, it was just as creamy and rich as it was in its earlier infusions. However, by this point, I was starting to feel heavy in the head and broke out in a hot sweat. This tea’s energy was creeping its way all over my body as I was overcome with a sense of placidness. However, by the 20th infusion, this tea was already at the 8 minute mark and was starting to dilute. By the 22nd infusion (the 12 minute mark), this tea had given its all and it was time to be put away…. Conclusion 2018 Naka is a spring tea released by Bitterleaf Teas, and is the second most expensive tea in their 2018 spring production. One thing I liked about Naka was that its hella complex, and right when I though I figured it out, it subtly changed again (for the better). This tea’s body was right-off-the-bat thick, which continued to get stronger and creamier as the infusions went on. Another aspect about this tea that I liked was that it left a heavy fragrant aftertaste in the back of the throat, and the longer the infusion, the longer the aftertaste. However, I tried this tea at a boiling temperature for one infusion and it came off very aggressive. Since this tea is still so fresh, I highly recommend brewing it at a lower temperature (like 190ºf). In conclusion, Naka is a tea that needs a lot of careful attention when brewing. Considering that this tea is so complex (and when considering its price point), this isn’t just something that you can brew on the go. This tea needs careful attention to be fully appreciated. While that might be off-putting for some, taking your time with this tea will only add to your experience because the more you put into it, the more it’ll give back. So when you go to brew this tea, close the curtains, put on a favorite record, turn off your cellphone, take a deep breath, and close yourself off from the world and let yourself be consumed by Naka…

Hello hello! Yunnan Sourcing’s Jingmai Sun-Dried “Three Aroma” Bai Mu Dan is a 2018 spring tea that was released earlier in the year, and is a tea that I’ve been drinking a lot of. After going through 50g of it in less than a week I placed an order for 300g more a week later. Now that I have a large stock-pile of this tea (and since I keep raving about it on social media), you must be wondering what all of my hype is about. Well, what is it all about? Let’s find out! Dimensions - 4.6g of this tea for a 70ml shibo Tea Price - $5.75 per 50g or $21.00 per 200g beeng Water Temperature - 190ºf Number of Steeps - 14 Steeps 1 - 6 At first, Three Aroma was light and watery, which left a faint echoing floral aftertaste on the tongue. After a second infusion, this tea’s body quickly thickened up as it left a sugarcane-like sweetness lingering on the lips. Three Aroma continued to thicken up and by the fourth infusion, turned into a distinct broth-like texture that left the mouth feeling dense and humid. By the sixth infusion, this tea kept expanding into a brass-like base tasting note that kept getting reflected in its body. Steeps 7 - 14 Around halfway through my session with Three Aroma, this tea’s body kept expanding further and further into the mouth. It seemed that the longer the steeping time, the longer this tea lingered a brass-like floral sugarcane tasting note in the mouth. However, within this brass-like tasting note and broth like body, a faint undertone of agave nectar and bell pepper skin made itself known. After a few more steeps, and around the tenth infusion, this tea began to settle down and lighten up on its viscous body. By the fourteenth infusion, Three Aroma gave it its all and it was time to be put away. Conclusion Yunnan Sourcing’s Jingmai Sun-Dried “Three Aroma” Bai Mu Dan is a 2018 spring tea that was released earlier in the year. One thing I liked about this tea is how flavorful and how complex its tasting notes are. The tasting notes kept changing throughout the session while maintaining a strong yet meditative backbone. Another thing I liked about this tea is its adaptability to maintain a flavorful profile regardless of how long or how hot you brew it for. It seemed to be easily accessible, and although being complex, is quite easy to drink. Overall, I’m a fan of this tea. In the past three to four weeks, I’ve consumed over 100g of this tea — quicker than any other white tea or sheng that I’ve ever come into contact with. Am I just going through a phase, or do I simply like this tea because of how fresh it is? It’s too early to tell. However, I am fairly certain that my admiration for this tea is something that wont go away anytime soon. So next time I visit Yunnan Sourcing, I might just grab a few beengs of Three Aroma to see what a bit of aging does to this tea. But in the mean time, I’m just going to sit back, relax, and enjoy tea tea in the present moment, and of course, be blissfully tea drunk….

Hello hello! Earlier this year, Yunnan Sourcing released a 100g mini-beeng of Mengku Sheng Puer — ‘Tofu’ Village to be exact. According to Yunnan Sourcing, this tea was pressed from 2017 autumn sheng material, and was pressed later on in the year. It was harvested from 20-30 year old plantation tea trees that grow naturally without the use of pesticides. However, this tea is $5.00 USD per a 100g beeng. So for the price, is this tea worth bothering with or is it going to be an unexpected surprise? Lets find out! Demensions - 4.3g of tea for a 65ml gaiwan Beeng Price - $5.00 USD for 100g Water Temperature - 190ºf Number of Steeps - 14 Steeps 1 - 6 Tofu first started out light and medicinal, and left a freshly cut green grass aftertaste on the tongue. After a few more steeps, a broth-like texture arose from this tea’s body, which gave off a cotton-like mouthfeel. Despite the thick mouthfeel, there was a light undertone of sweet moss that lingered in the back of the throat. Steeps 7 - 14 Tofu continued to press on as its thick body seemed to mellow out a bit, but still retained its medicinal backbone. Its green grass tasting notes from earlier turned richer, which best resembled an autumn leaf pile. By the tenth infusion, this teas texture turned from cotton to oil along with a light sweet undertone. However, by the fourteenth infusion, this tea was finished and I was ready to move on… Conclusion 2017 Tofu Village is a autumn sheng puer sourced from 20-30 year old tea tree material from Mengku, and is from Yunnan Sourcing. One thing I liked about this tea was how clean and clear the material was. Another aspect I like about this tea is its surprisingly thick texture — especially considering this tea’s price point. Although I didn’t get a lot of qi (energy) from drinking this tea, it proved to be a relaxing session nonetheless. Overall, Tofu is a great daily drinker that’s easy to drink and hard to over steep. I think that new tea drinkers will find this sheng to be very accessible. I also think this was worth the $5.00, and turned out to be an unexpected, yet pleasant surprise! Although Yunnan Sourcing didn’t pay for this review, or send me this tea for free, I can say that this was a fun experience and is one Ill look forward to having again in the future.

Hello hello! Many tea companies are getting puer productions underway, and some have even started releasing new teas! One of the companies to release new tea is Crimson Lotus Tea. Last week, they released a new beeng of multi-year tea material, which was sourced from multiple different mountains. Crimson Lotus Tea called this blend the Jade Rabbit. Luckily I was able to obtain a 7g sample of this tea, provided buy Crimson Lotus Tea, right before they pressed the material. So what makes the Jade Rabbit so special? Since Crimson Lotus Tea hasn’t released any new teas since last year, was it worth the wait? Let's find out! Dimensions - 6.5g of tea for a 100ml vessel Beeng Price - 200g for a $79.99 beeng Water Temperature - 190ºf Number of Steeps - 15 Steeps 1 - 6 Jade Rabbit first started out light and savory, and held a soft and fluffy texture. After a few more infusions, Jade Rabbit gave off a hay-like tasting note with a light undertone of mushroom. As the steeps went on, this tea became richer and more smooth, and had a body that was velvety to the tongue. By the sixth infusion, a faint sweetness appeared on the sides of the tongue, but didn’t last long. Steeps 7 - 15 By the seventh infusion, Jade Rabbit unleashed one hell of a beast and became heavy and burly. It turned more aggressive and carried a heavy punch that brought forth the broth-like tasting notes of hay with an undertone of mushroom. Along with the undertone of mushroom, Jade Rabbit left a mild bitterness on the base of the tongue. However, by the eleventh infusion, Jade Rabbit seemed to mellow out into a smooth and sweet-like nectar which left a lasting sweetness on the tongue. Jade Rabbit continued to hit this bliss-point up to the fifteenth and last infusion. By that point, this tea had no more to give… Conclusion Jade Rabbit is a new puer blend released by Crimson Lotus Tea, and according to them, this is a blend that they will never be able to recreate again. One thing about Jade Rabbit that I liked was its complex tasting notes which seemed to continually change throughout the session. Another thing about this tea that I liked was the number of infusions I was able to get out of it. Hell, if my kettle didn’t run out of water, I probably could have made this tea last for a sixteenth infusion. However, I obtained the maocha (loose leaf) version of this tea before it was pressed into a beeng, so since it was so recently pressed, the beeng version of this tea might be more humid and might come out with slightly different results than I did. Overall, Jade Rabbit was another memorable experience for the books and is a tea that I would recommend for puer lovers alike. If this tea is any indication for what Crimson Lotus Tea has in store for the rest of us with their 2018 productions, then I can say with confidence that we’re going to be in for a real treat.

Hello hello! Earlier this year, Yunnan Sourcing released two new certified organic shou puer teas! One of them is a 200g beeng, while the other one is a 100g beeng. Whenever I placed my last Yunnan Sourcing order, two of them were included in my order — one for me to keep and the other one to give away! So for today’s review, we’re going to go over Yunnan Sourcing’s 2017 Gong Ting Certified Organic Shou Puer! Dimensions - 4g of tea in a 60ml gaiwan Beeng Price - 100g for $13.80 USD Water Temperature - boil Number of Steeps - 12 Steeps 1 - 6 At first, this tea started out light and earthy, which left an undertone of dirt and stevia in the mouth. After another few infusions, this tea’s color quickly turned dark as the texture turned rich and frothy. The tasting notes of sweet dirt took over this tea's palate as it left a distinct light aftertaste of cola (soda). After a few more infusions, this tea was so thick that it started to become minutely bitter. Steeps 7 - 12 Around the sixth infusion, this tea’s base consisted of dirt with the lingering sweet aftertaste of cola. This tea’s texture was still thick and soft, but around the eighth infusion, this tea’s color and body began to lighten up. Around the tenth infusion, this tea began to quickly taper off and only tasted like cola. By the twelfth and last infusion, this tea was completely used up and was ready to be put away. Conclusion Yunnan Sourcing’s 2017 Gong Ting Certified Organic Shou Puer is a 100g beeng that was released earlier in the year. One aspect about this tea that I liked was that its texture was soft and smooth. Another thing I liked about this tea was that it had a strong, yet pleasant, distinct aftertaste that reminded me of soda. However, this tea shows evidence of being recently pressed because of how humid it is, and can greatly benefit from resting a bit longer before drinking again. Overall, this shou was a memorable one because of its distinct tasting notes, and is a shou that I would recommend to anyone. Beside needing more time to rest/air out, this tea has a lot of promising signs of being great as time goes on. So now that I have a second beeng of this tea in my possession, I might as well give it away (randomly). Below is a link to my Instagram post with more info. on how to win it… https://www.instagram.com/p/BiX5PGlnHvr/?taken-by=theoolongdrunk -Blissfully Tea Drunk