2019 Low Rider is a Crimson Lotus Tea custom blend of 2019 Spring material. Back at the 2019 NW Tea Festival, I tried Low Rider sheng puer and blurred in the background vs the heavy hitters of Altered State and Dangerzone. I felt Low Rider needed a test drive away from all the other flashy teas, so I was happy I was given a 200 gram cake to play with.
Leaf and Steeping Method
The dry leaf has a soft and gentle floral scent.
As usual, I went with a gongfu ratio of 1 gram of leaf per 15ml vessel size, steeped in boiling water. Steeped up, the leaf has a warm honey floral scent.
Tasting of Crimson Lotus Tea’s 2019 Low Rider Sheng Puer
First and Second Infusion: The early infusions are just warming up the car. Low Rider sheng puer sips in with a gently sticky texture and approachable flavor of honey and floral, with a finish of lemongrass.
Third, Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Infusion: Now that we got this tea rolling, Low Rider has more bite, drinking more like lemongrass and strong floral orchid finish, with a lingering floral aftertaste. The texture has thinned to silky rather than sticky. There are sips that are concentratedly floral with a slight touch of bitterness, but I found I remedy that with shorter than usual infusions, though steeping at 200F/93c might have helped too.
Seventh and Eighth Infusion: After the sixth infusion the hangry set in. Low Rider sheng puer is making me hungry and I need some salty greasy snack to cut the rumble in my stomach. Despite six infusions in, Low Rider is still going strong with the clear lemongrass and floral flavor that lingers.
Ninth, Tenth, Eleventh, and Twelfth Infusion: 2019 Low Rider sheng puer is starting to downshift with a gentler flavor that leans more lemongrass than floral – though the floral still appears in the aftertaste if drinking slowly. With each infusion, Low Rider is quickly losing gas as the flavor drops more and more, leaving a squeaky lemon drop floral flavor in the dust. I am finally experiencing some astringency but it is quite low, just leaving a sticky feeling in the back of my tongue.
Comments
Crimson Lotus Tea’s 2019 Low Rider Sheng Puer is an approachable, floral heavy tea with low bitterness and astringency. I would call this an excellent new puer drinker or oolong lover tea.
Low Rider is a great young sheng in the $50 price bracket for reliable, high resteep ability, and pleasant floral flavor.
If you are familiar with other Crimson Lotus Tea’s shengs, I would say Low Rider is more balanced and lemongrass, while having less bitterness and astringency, but similar orchid notes of Moon Princess.
(tea provided as a gift from Crimson Lotus Tea)
