But I have to tell someone about this sheng.I'm only into the fifth infusion of what looks to be a long session, likely stretching into tomorrow, but the first infusion (no rinse) immediately declared itself as something unusual, it was flavorful and drying with a dull caramel impression, sweet, thick almost to the point of being sticky in the mouth. My experience is limited, but I would guess this tea has been dry stored. The taste develops into something earthy, but not earthy like shu, more like an elemental ginger root or an almond. About the third infusion I started to realize that this is a strong tea, even a little crude. It is drying but otherwise not astringent, complex but not subtle. There is a lot of energy in its qi but it is more a carpenter's or builder's qi, not the monk's or scholar's. It feels like a large, friendly hand resting on your shoulder, guiding you. It is still obviously young, but like those youths whose experience makes them wise in many ways beyond their years.
I have never really had anything like this stuff. Perhaps if Nada notices this post before his trip he can tell us something more about this unusual tea. I feel sure there must be an exotic tale behind it! It doesn't seem Yiwu-like, at least not in my dim understanding of Yiwu.
