I first tasted Crimson Lotus Tea’s Intrigue Sheng Puer before release at PDX Tea Fest and it was my favourite tea out of the haul. Something, like the art, called to me. I recall the tea was thick with a great aftertaste, but something also just mysteriously sang to me in this tea, making it a standout. I was ready to buy it then but had to wait. When this tea was finally released, I made the purchase ASAP.
I love this wrapper. I don’t know why, but the texture just vibrates with my brain, making it pleasing to the eye. The wrapper art was done by Bev Bynes. I had the honour of visiting her studio space and having tea with her a while back and she is mega collector of puer.
Leaf and Steeping Method
The dry leaf smells like fall leaves and my own drool.
I used 1 gram of leaf per 15ml of vessel size, gongfu steeped in boiling water. The hot leaf smells like sticky rice and charred peaches.
Tasting of Crimson Lotus Tea’s 2018 Intrigue Sheng Puer
First and Second Infusion: Intrigue’s flavour starts off brightly peachy, a bit mossy, and brassiness on the roof of my mouth. The puer tastes well rounded balanced in flavour, with a thick body. I can feel this tea travel the digestive tract. The texture is slick and coating, and somewhat sticky. Wait a few moments and the aftertaste is dried peaches and somewhat like sandalwood incense. Wait a bit longer and there is a soft cooling feel too.
Third, Fourth, and Fifth Infusion: Intrigue is an Intrigue. There is a lot going on and a mystery to unravel it all. Some sips I breathe an interesting grassy note. It chugs down like whole milk and has a herbaceous fresh contrast. Other sips lean like sweet peas. I get a tickle of bitterness at the end of the sip to keep things interesting. The aftertaste is also shifty with a cool grassy honey vibe. I have started to get a pleasing head massage feeling.
Sixth, Seventh, Eighth, Ninth, and Tenth Infusion: These tasting notes are just a scramble. For this bracket, I got a back to brassy, but also some tip of tongue dryness tickle. Intrigue sheng puer has a savory brothy, soup on a cold day hug to it, with a cooling refreshing chill breath after. Then next steeping I get thrown for a loop and it tastes like there are gardenias in the distance.
Eleventh, Twelfth, Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Infusion: Now Intrigue tastes like lemon curd. It is citrusy without the tart, a bit brassy, and sweet. The aftertaste is citrus sweet too. Some sips have a bit of a floral aftertaste. Intrigue slipped in flavour a lot at the fourteenth infusion, so I went in for the extended steep for the final infusion. Final steeping was brothy but not that citrusy with a mineral and floral essence.
Gut rot level – low. I did eat a bit of toast with goat cheese before entering this tea. I didn’t feel a thing after drinking this tea stomach wise.
Comments
Out of all of the new Crimson Lotus Tea’s 2018 Spring sheng puers, Intrigue is my pick. I know there’s more buzz about Honeymoon and Daydream, but Intrigue is just a cut above the rest for the price. 2018 Intrigue is a complex sheng with a long laundry list of flavours that evolve as you drink. If you love your tea to make you think and put a puzzle together, this is the perfect tea for you. This is a great group tea session too as I can see it being fun to drink and compare notes. Intrigue is also pretty easy to drink as it is only a touch bitter and dry at some infusions, but never gets overcooked bitter or bad at long infusions.
Tea writers like me who drink so much stuff love a tea that has gone bananas. It just seems I can’t write enough about this tea as there is so much to unravel and process as it is complex AF. Intrigue is incredibly balanced in flavour too, everything floats well without overpowering the other flavour, so this isn’t a vomiting of the tea flavour wheel.
2018 Intrigue Sheng Puer is priced at an eye-raising affordable $44.99 for a 200gram cake (at this time of writing). That is a good deal for this tea as the quality and complexity taste higher priced.
