Despite 2018 Spring teas almost ready, I still have 2017 Spring teas untouched. I’ve been plowing through my queue and it is great when I find some wins. Todays’ review is Crimson Lotus Tea’s 2017 Jinggu Bang Sheng Puer. This is a spring tea and described as a “fantastic representative of Jinggu area material.”
Crimson Lotus Tea has the best sample wrapping. I love that I can just stuff these in my pumidor.
Dry Leaf and Steeping Method
Jinggu Bang has a big, twisted vibrant green leaf. The tea smells of baby powder, sticky medicinal, and sweet grass.
I went my usual gongfu steeping method of 1 gram of leaf to 15ml of vessel size, starting with flash steeps in boiling water. The hot leaf smells like fresh asparagus.
Tasting of Crimson Lotus Tea’s 2017 Jinggu Bang Sheng Puer
First, Second, and Third Infusion: Early infusions of Jinggu Bang are bright and crisp with a light flavor of sweet clean wet stones. It is lightly sweet grass on some sips. The body is thick and creamy feeling, but fleeting as it sips thick, but thins out as you swallow it. Some sips I get a bit of a driftwood aftertaste, otherwise, most are clean sweet vegetal, like a crisp green pepper without the bitter skin.
Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Infusion: Jinggu bang has some interesting complexities here. It has a sweet, clean, spinach vegetal flavor, but also some rustic notes of wood and a bit of bitterness. It has a thick texture but thins out the end of the sip to give a refreshingly crisp sip. I am getting a lightly peachy floral aftertaste. The intensity of flavor is perfect here, I didn’t find this young puer too light or face punch strong.
Jinggu Bang steeps up a beautifully clear pale gold too.
During these steepings, I notice it has the energy to perk me up but also chill out, a relaxed awake. I feel like I am getting a spa treatment in the morning, being able to be primed for the day.
Eighth and Ninth Infusion: I did long 10 minute+ infusions here. The tea finally shifted to a stewy bitter spinach, but still has that thick thin and clean refreshing quality to it. There is a slight dryness leaving me with squeaky bottom teeth and a bit of a cheek pinch feeling.
In Silver: For many of my reviews, I drink the tea and take my notes at least a week in advance. I was having a more casual drinking session with my knitting and decided to revisit this tea but with a silver cup. Jinggu Bang reacts exceptionally well with silver! The grassy and later bitter notes are toned down, and the tea becomes brighter and sweeter.
Comments
Crimson Lotus Tea’s 2017 Jinggu Bang is a sheng puer for those who prefer a clean vegetal leaning taste. It has a pleasing amount of bitterness, some thickness, and aftertaste. It is certainly energizing yet focused with the chill energy. Jinggu Bang has a little of everything and a solid puer tea for (at this time) $44 a 200g cake. I would say its strength is the purity clean aspect to the flavor, plus a good balance of great qualities a puer could have.
I found Jinggu Bang pretty approachable as it isn’t too bitter and the refreshing quality would appeal to drinkers who mostly have focused on greener teas. Starting with this tea would get you on the right foot for showing what a good middle of the road puer tea is. For more seasoned drinkers, this is a solid drink now young puer for a chill tea session. For myself, a crazy owl with too much tea and a full pumidor, I would buy a cake if I had room and the time to drink it now. I’ve been focused to buy for aging as I have so much, otherwise, I could be convinced to snag a cake.
(tea provided for review)
