Of all the White2Tea 2018 spring puer teas, 2018 Chirping Bird and Lucky Puppy caught my eye the most. I am ultra slow this year reviewing these new puer teas as I waited to have a bit longer time in China storage on young tea, then I waited for a sale. My tastes are expensive this year, so giving teas the best chance will make my buying choices easier. Unlike previous years, I could not sample the entire line or all of the expensive line. I would not have any money to buy a full cake if I did. 2018 is just nutso this tea for pricing due to all sorts of factors beyond a seller’s control.
Dry Leaf and Steeping Method
Chirping Bird sheng puer smells drooly sweet and pungently floral.
I used 1 gram of leaf per 15ml of vessel size. I steeped Chirping Bird with boiling water, gongfu style. The hot leaf smells like a peach that got charred.
Tasting of White2Tea’s 2018 Chirping Bird Sheng Puer
First and Second Infusion: I did drink the rinse today as I wanted to wash the taste of my lunch nachos out of my mouth. I got all up in there, swishing this tea around. Chirping Bird has a gorgeous peachy colour that I like seeing in a young raw.
The sips are floral and bitter, but a good bitter that buzzes dangerously just before that bad bitter line. Chirping Bird sheng has that kind of floral overdrive that adds a bitter crunch. The tea is oily and creamy tasting and elegant with a high aroma. I can sip and taste the tea through my nose.
Right away I think of White2Tea’s Tuhao AF, which is another high floral tea that appeals to oolong drinkers, but Chirping Bird is less gaudy perfume spray down, but more a hip, clean cute floral. The finish is sweet and juicy, causing some salivation.
Third and Fourth Infusion: Chirping Bird sheng has an interesting creamy taste to it, like the essence of White Rabbit candy, plus I got that salivation in my mouth as if I was chewing on taffy. The balance of floral, bitter, and sweet cream is awesome. There is a slight touch of citrus, which I would guess if I drank this much younger would have come out more.
The more I pay attention to this tea, the more I can feel and taste the bloom. It sips in sweet creamy, then it starts to bloom floral, then hits a maximum floral bitterness, and then I drool from the texture. Chirping Bird is a rollercoaster of perky tea feels, then a quick drop as I feel the tea sink me.
Fifth, Sixth, Seventh Infusion: I’m starting to overcook Chirping Bird sheng puer. It has gotten sweeter and astringent. My mouth feels squeaky, but the lips are still feeling oily from carryover or this tea still has some creamy texture left. The flavour is a slight apricot/pluot, with a finish of bitterness. I keep forgetting to watch for the aftertaste as I’m too busy salivating and drinking to please my mouth. The aftertaste is a crisp sugar sweetness that is glued to the cheeks. Immediately I’m tea drunken stellar jay with gullet cheeks full of sweet tea.
Eighth, Ninth, and Tenth Infusion: Chirping Bird puer is dancing in the bitter stewed mode. It is sweet and floral, but the finish is like fresh vegetables cooked too long. The tea concentrates right at the end leaving a sharp sweet and bitter taste in the mouth after each sip. The 10th infusion dropped fast in flavour, so I have to go in for the power steep.
Eleventh and Twelfth Infusion: False alarm, the 11th steep was super sweet stone fruit that slowly crept up in dryness through the sip. I did 10-15 minute infusions and the payoff was great. Not a lick of bitterness, so we are in the clear. A few moments later I got an incense dry floral aftertaste to show up. I got 2 good infusions of sweet dry tea but then my session got cut off by a house visitor who sprays on axe body spray like they are a high schooler who already blasted out their sense of smell. My guess I could get another long longer infusion or two.
Gut rot – moderate. I did have nachos to start so I was well greased before this session. I did have a craving for an early dinner.
Comments
White2Tea’s 2018 Chirping Bird sheng puer starts off very pleasing and easy to drink tea as a sweet floral and juicy tea. It gives you a handhold to enter the unpleasant territory of strong floral and bitterness but eventually will sweeten up again. I could see this one ruining new puer drinkers, who are experienced with oolongs, to good boutique puer. More experienced drinkers will like the delicate elegance of this tea, but likely those who love higher aroma would prefer it over bitter blasters. If you are familiar with White2Tea’s sheng over the years, likely if you loved Tuhao AF you’ll probably like Chirping Bird. It also has that delicate sensibility of 2015/2016 Bosch.
Stay tuned for the reviews of Queen of Clubs and Lucky Puppy.
