While looking through the Pu’er section of Aliexpress I found this cake. It’s full name is “new product Flowers and plants in puer tea Snow mountain ancient tree camellia Pure and fresh and sweet honey Beauty care food” (I guess to use the entire character limit on the title). I’ve never had a Camellia flower tea before and the appearance is quite pretty.
However, what got me was the description of the tea. Here’s a screen shot to immortalize this Camellia Flower Cake (if it wasn’t already immortal and saintly already). Please click on the photo to read the seller description of this tea.
I do love some bad Google translations and this one seems godly. God of Night Sweats Godly. For $8, 200 gram cake, hilarious translation – why not? After linking this tea at Steepster Chat, it has been nonstop jokes about God of Night Sweats, prolonged Bear Soaks, Resistant to Impact tea, Shelf life of “jumps over Chen yue sweet”, good back to gan, “fat and moisture”. By the way, other listings from this seller have plenty of translation fails, referring to one tea as “coffin sweepings” and pu’er “curing poison”.
The wrapper of Camellia Flower Cake is very pretty! Oddly, when I gave the cake a squeeze it felt kind of squishy, like it had a bit of give to it – very weird as I’m used to compressed teas being very dense.
My cake came with a bracelet of some sort.
It fits perfectly on Teal “pu’er pick” Owl! He has become a Owl Priest of God of Night Sweats! HOOT!
Dry Leaf
Camellia Flower Cake / God of Night Sweats Tea unwrapped is a tightly compressed cake with a gorgeous yellow, reddish browns, and olive greens. There are many teeny stamen things glittered all over the cake.
I love the look of the top of cake as it looks like compressed flower petals with a watercolor washed color.
As I pick up the cake to smell, it leaked out lots of little flower bits and stamens. The scent of Camellia Flower Cake aka God of Night Sweats Tea is light, similar to a dry raw Puer like earthy floral scent.
Breaking off pieces of the Camellia Flower Cake aka God of Night Sweats Tea was interesting. It was really easy to pry off pieces that one probably doesn’t need a pu’er pick. Admittedly, picking this cake freaked me out – it pried apart like I was pu’er picking a chewy granola bar – the flowers were compressed like large flaked oatmeal and it was kinda stretchy, without being sticky.
We struck gold! A golden corn kernel! Uhh is this supposed to be here? Must of been from the bears before they went in for their prolonged bear soak. I know bears like corn as bears ate my mom’s corn field. At least all I found that was weird was a corn kernel, no bear fur or fat and moisture.
Steeping Instructions
I have no steeping instructions. I tried looking and most I could find is what others have done for similar cakes – but those cakes are usually a pu’er and camellia flower blend, not straight up blinding insanity of this resistant to impact tea.
With that said, I just let the inspiration of the God of Night sweats guide me to steep – boiling water, 7.5 grams of cake, no rinse. I started with 15 second steepings using a 200ml glass teapot, pouring through a gongfu tea strainer before serving. I increased steeping times up to additional minute.
Tasting of Camellia Flower Cake aka God of Night Sweats Tea
The tea steeps up a light cloudy yellow – like the bear peed in the hot springs while soaking. Strong float scent coming from my cup, like hot steaming tulips.
First Infusion: “The Enlightened Steeping.” Would you be surprised if this tea didn’t taste floral? Camellia Flower Cake aka God of Night Sweats Tea sips in a A 6/10 on the floral meter. The Camellia Flower Cake is like drinking pure flowers, but so far it’s not intense or violently perfume. The body is slightly thick, “thickened soup” description was accurate.
There is also a sweet honey flavor. The floral notes are complex and different to what I’ve tried before – sweet and almost buttery vegetal, with the thick texture drinking this tea is like nibbling on a flower petal. The floral notes seem to be a mix of tulip, marigold, crocus, dandelion and chrysanthemum. End of sip, Camellia Flower Cake aka God of Night Sweats Tea has a little sour of a finish, 2/10 on the Tart Meter.
Second and Third Infusion: “Divine Intervention Steeping”. This steeping looks fantastic with the expanded flowers filing most of the pot! Inspiring!
The Camellia Flower Cake aka God of Night Sweats Tea flavor got even more floral. So much floral! 8/10 on the Floral meter, so the taste is now bordering drinking liquid perfume. The background is quite earthy – bit of forest floor earth notes.
Fourth Infusion: “Resistant to Impact” steeping. Camellia Flower Cake aka God of Night Sweats Tea still tastes like so much floral. End of sip has a more sour of a finish 3/10 on the Tart Meter. Man, this tea is intense, it is like the God of Night Sweats is testing me – seeing if I can stick with the faith.
Fifth Infusion: #PraiseHim Steep. Camellia Flower Cake aka God of Night Sweats Tea is getting lighter in flavor finally. With the intensity down the flavor is still a sweet honey floral 5/10 Floral Meter, with hint of tart end of sip. My mouth feels really creamy after all these infusions.
Sixth Infusion: “The Revenge of the pruney over soaked Bear” steeping. Camellia Flower Cake aka God of Night Sweats Tea has lost much of its flavor, with just a hint of pepper spice note and its distinctive floral sweet tart taste.
Camellia Flower Cake aka God of Night Sweats Tea looks impressive with the light – awe struck! Like seeing a glistening wet brown bear!
Comments
This tea was majestic! Divine! Floral! Please let me be night sweat free tonight, God of Night Sweats! The flavor was like drinking from a hot spring, raining flower petals, with a couple big fat bears soaking in it!
Look at this tea bubble!
In all seriousness – this Camellia Flower Cake would be much loved by someone who regularly drinks herbal floral teas like chamomile, chrysanthemum and jasmine. The price of this tea cake is cheap (for the $8 sale price I got it for), you get quite a bit of re-infusions (many herbal teas you can’t re-infuse as the flavor gets weak right away) and has a pretty appearance. Camellia Flower Cake would be a great tea to serve before bed.
I found Camellia Flower Cake to be really heavy floral for my tastes – and I enjoy floral teas! For my future steepings, I will be cutting this tea with a raw pu’er or a strong white, like a Shou Mei. In the end, an interesting and fun tea find from Aliexpress!
Bonus: Time to worship the God of Night Sweats!
**EDIT!**
This cake has a short life span. After a year or two, I found it completely covered in bugs and tossed it.
A couple tea vendors told me they are not for aging. They are prime targets for bug eggs and attracting critters.
Drink this one ASAP and inspect it before drinking!!!
