White2Tea’s 2017 Sloppy Jimbo Shou Puer is described as an easy drinker. I can’t remember how I got Sloppy Jimbo, but it appears via my email history I sneaked two 8 gram minis in one of my tea orders. I was warned this shou is cheap and funky, then I plain forgot about them, so they should be plenty aired out of the funk by now.
Leaf and Steeping Method
The scent of the tea is dirty whiskey and earth that makes my nose wrinkle.
I used one 8 gram disc in a 100ml gaiwan. After 2 rinses the compression crumbled with my fingers. Sloppy Jimbo steeps up cloudy, though my experience these discs and weird shaped mini teas tend to have extra dust in them.
Tasting of White2Tea’s 2017 Sloppy Jimbo Shou Puer
First and Second Infusion: Sloppy Jimbo is in the middle in terms of flavour intensity – not too light but not motor oil heavy. The notes are buttered wood and black soil. Some sips have a mystery fruity taste. The aftertaste has echos that this used to be funky fishy but is not now.
Third and Fourth Infusion: Sloppy Jimbo is now pretty woody tasting. There’s a subtle sweetness, but mostly wet dirty wood of a shou. Some sips have a bit of vanilla, but its most wet petrichor wood. It tastes how my husband’s woodpile smells from a distance, but nowhere near as woody as White2Tea’s Lumberslut shou. The texture is kinda slick, but this is certainly a mindless chugger daily drinker.
Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Infusion: Sloppy Jimbo is pretty samey now. It still that soggy woodpile note, but the flavour is lighter as the leaves lose their flavour. For the sixth infusion, I did a long 5 minute steep and it is petrichor damp wood that’s been left for months in the rain with a touch of sweetness and mineral salt. It is not motor oil strong, nor dry or astringent. I power steeped the seventh infusion for 20 minutes and it was sweet and woody. There was a slight essence of shou funk, but it is very light. Still not dry or bitter.
Comments
2017 Sloppy Jimbo shou puer is a daily drinker shou that leans on the sleazy wet wood, dirty and savory side. Sloppy Jimbo is affordable, one of the cheapest shous on White2tea. If you need a no-fuss shou that’s woody, savory, and easy to drink, Sloppy Jimbo is good to drink now.
Though I would say White2Tea’s Waffles is superior as it has a good sweet balance to it, the same price, and more convenient, though Waffles gained more traction early because it is been ready to drink out the gate unlike Sloppy Jimbo here.
