Last year I mixed up the White2tea club order so I can drink the yearly, club only, XXXmas huangpian sheng puer near Christmas. My 2020 December White2tea club arrived on Christmas Eve, and I really like my teas to rest from shipping. This tea had 3 weeks of rest – not enough for my liking but at least I got a baseline for it fresh. ‘
Leaf and Steeping Method
Well, this is undoubtedly a huangpian – it is so yellow! 2020 XXXmas sheng puer has a light nutty grassy scent.
As usual, I went gongfu style with 1 gram of leaf per 15ml of vessel size, steeped in boiling water. After an infusion, this tea still has a light scent of rice, charred nuts, and pungent vegetables.
Tasting of 2020 December White2tea Club’s 2020 XXXmas Sheng Puer
First, Second, and Third Infusion: XXXmas is light tasting, with notes of straw, and bitter green pepper with charred skins, looming pungency. The aftertaste goes vegetal sweet, like raw sweet corn. There is bitterness from the fresh sheng notes, but also immediate astringency, drying out the tip of the tongue. Despite the dryness, XXXmas sheng has a buttery texture.
Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Infusion: 2020 December White2tea club XXXmas Sheng is proper bitter now, drinking like pan charred green pepper, pungent and stewy, scratchy dry texture, but with a switch to a sweet apricot smoky finish. The aftertaste is fruity and aggressive, just like the tea.
Eighth Infusion: For the final infusion, I did an extended infusion and XXXmas sheng is mostly just bitter peppers with bitter apricots.
Comments
2020 December White2tea club’s XXXmas huangpian sheng is a stewy bitter and needs much more time to age and settle down. That said, this sheng has nice potential with the burly notes, and a great price through the White2tea club.
