Here is a tidbit of info that pushes the CAKE IS A SAMPLE agenda if you are into blended regions/grades vs single origin puer. I’m sure you notice this with buying a sample, then getting a cake, or drinking through a cake or two, that there is some variability between sessions. Sometimes it is the weather, water, or the fact you forgot to brush your teeth that morning, but sometimes it is the blended material. One day you get a gaiwan full of stems, other days it is leaf shreds, whereas other days are beautiful. Maocha is weighed out in large volume, mixed, then gets pressed into cakes or bricks.
Crimson Lotus Tea got very picky about this and blended everything in the scale of just each 2018 Jade Rabbit cake instead of a mixing the entire stock of maocha. This in theory should give us a more accurate representation of what Crimson Lotus Tea wanted, as well as more consistency.
I actually had Jade Rabbit as maocha before Crimson Lotus Tea left for China. Crimson Lotus Tea had the material but didn’t press it until Spring 2018. If you were in Seattle and attending one of their tea tastings, likely this tea would have been pass around.
Leaf and Steeping Method
Jade Rabbit has a sweet baby powdery scent.
I went my usual steeping method, so 1 gram of leaf to 15ml of vessel size, gongfu steeped in boiling water. The hot leaf has a pungent pineapple sweetness to it.
Tasting of Crimson Lotus Tea’s 2018 Jade Rabbit Sheng Puer
First and Second Infusion: First impression, 2018 Jade Rabbit is soft, creamy, sweet, and mild. It has a bright crystal and honeydew melon crisp sweetness that is brimming with a sweet aftertaste. It has a juicy effect like I just finished eating crunchy melons.
Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Infusion: This is a fruit cocktail of teas! It is moderate in strength, thick dried apricot texture and taste you can chew on. The aftertaste is on the light side, with a bit mineral sweet and mystery stone fruit.
Eighth, Ninth, and Tenth Infusion: Jade Rabbit is at maximum power here. It has this stale dried apricot, frankincense, bitterness, with a slight dryness starting. Now I got the full power of the aftertaste, which is a long lingering apricot. The texture feels thick when you sip, but doesn’t leave a coating in the mouth or balmy lip feeling like some can.
Eleventh, Twelfth, Thirteenth, and Fourteenth Infusion: This is my favorite steeping right here. Jade Rabbit is sweet smooth, buzzy fruity honey, rock licking minerals, juicy salivation, and if the tea cools some, it has a buttery savory element to it and no bitterness. The texture is now creamy slick, but with a touch of dryness on the tip of my tongue.
The body feel finally hit as well. Jade Rabbit gave me a sinking feeling but with the salt water pool water buoyancy to it (but in the twisted, comfort feel possible nice way). Total dope out in an armchair mode.
Fourteenth, Fifteenth, Sixteenth, Seventeenth, and Eighteenth Infusion: Jade Rabbit is a thick chug of mineral syrup, rock sucking taste with plenty of flavor payoff.
The energy is switching to brain scrambling and I got some maniac ideas involving stuff owls riding the neighbourhood cats. But I could also just zombie out on a chair and get smothered by my rabbit. Options!
There might have been a bit more tea in it, but I’m done, I’ve been here for over 2 hours.
Young Sheng Gut Rot Level = Low. I don’t feel a thing despite drinking 18 infusions of tea, but I could go for some cheese pizza.
Comments
Crimson Lotus Tea’s 2018 Jade Rabbit is an awesome tea for those who want a fruity sweet, high energy, and good resteeper of a young puer. I will stick a “highly recommended” sticker on Jade Rabbit, especially since I like it more than a couple other offerings so far for 2018 teas. Not sure on aging potential, but I would drink it as is as there is plenty to enjoy now with little faults.
I found it interesting how Jade Rabbit was less bitter and intense than when I had it in maocha form. I found the tasting was fairly consistent when I had another session with this same sample of Jade Rabbit. I am tempted to purchase this one, but I haven’t pulled the trigger yet.
(tea provided for review)
