Back in early 2020, during the height of the pandemic and post Lunar New Year sales. Bloody everyone I know, including myself, lost tea packages coming from China. All the packages circled around China, before settling in Shanghai on May 19, 2020 (2020-05-19 上海市, 已交航空公司运输 Shanghai, has been handed over to airline transportation), then no news ever again. There were a lot of tea packages in that had the 5/19 Shanghai tracking stamp, but I also knew of those buying products from China getting hit too – so many businesses were affected and as far as I know, no seller got money back from it.
Crimson Lotus Tea pressed a commemorative cake – “519 Shanghai” and recently held a promo for those who lost an order to get one for free. I was lucky enough to have one dropped off locally.
Leaf and Steeping Method
The sheng cake smells a bit acidic flowery hay.
I was warned to eat beforehand and don’t overleaf. I didn’t listen to either as I fast till the evening (after tea drinking time) and I leafed about the same as usual. My gongfu ratio for this session is 1 gram of leaf per 15ml of vessel size, steeped in boiling water. After a rinse, 519 Shanghai smells sweet marigolds, acidic, and charred peppers.
Tasting of Crimson Lotus Tea’s 519 Shanghai Sheng Puer
First and Second Infusion: The initial steeps of 519 Shanghai are soft and sweet, like saltine biscuits without the salted tops. It creeps in a gentle wave of buttery, osmanthus, and buttercups floral, then a slightly bitter dry peach peeks through. The aftertaste is the continuation of floral. Texture wise, the sheng is silky soft.
Third, Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Infusion: 519 Shanghai is punching back. The tea is astringent and pushes a lightly charred sweet peach and jasmine incense. These steepings really get their stride, in a punchy, floral fruity flavor with a heavy lingering aftertaste. With each infusion, 519 is slowly getting bitter green peppers, but it is taking its time – though I am steeping a bit quicker than normal to prevent it.
The energy in this tea is fairly chill to me. Crimson Lotus 519 Shanghai is lulling me into a false sense of security that my missing tea order will arrive after months of waiting.
Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth Infusion: 519 Shanghai is brothy bitter here but shifting to sugar violets and jasmine with bitter peppers. Some sips are of bitter blades of sweetgrass. This tea has a fun play that something can be bitter and sweet – they aren’t opposing sides of flavor. After drinking, the heavy aroma slinks in.
The final infusions go bitter and mineral butter soft but I keep getting the aroma after drinking. Interestingly, the energy shifts to fuzz brain, so I’m a zombie and I need a snack to treat myself.
Comments
Crimson Lotus Tea’s 519 Shanghai is an intriguing blend – it is punchy, heavy floral, and fruity, but also an interesting sugary sweet scent. This sheng is bitter and astringent, but in a good way, though might be too intense for a newer young puer drinker.
I kept thinking about Crimson Lotus Tea’s Moon Princess while I drank 519 Shanghai. Both teas have a lovely floral and sweet nature, but 519 is stronger, punchy, and not vegetal. 519 Shanghai is a higher quality tea. I’m generally not a fan of sweet young sheng, but 519 Shanghai hits different as it is multi-dimensional and punchy.
If you were lucky to get 519 Shanghai as a promo – you won! I would have purchased this one after sampling as I enjoyed it.
(tea received free as part of promo | Owl got it early for review/ local to tea vendor)
