Hello hello! Earlier this month, I released a ‘Best of 2017 Nominations' list! On this list, I nominated tea shops for their hard work in 2017. These companies are recognized for their community efforts, their ability to make a delicious and accessible product, and having an all around great shop! These people pushed the limits on what it means to run a tea company, and for that, they were nominated for 'Company of the Year'. Here are the nominees… White2Tea Bitter Leaf Teas Mandala Tea Crimson Lotus Tea Pu-Erh.Sk Taiwan Tea Crafts Yunnan Souring There is one small issue however. I can't decide who to give the award to! So I created a survey and YOU will be voting for Company of the Year. Below is the link to the survey… [Voting is Now Closed] Thank you for those who voted! You can click HERE for the full list on nominations, and winners will be announced December 28th, 2017! Good luck! -Blissfully Tea Drunk ​

Hello hello! Welcome to the next edition of ‘Ask The Oolong Drunk’! Before we start, I wanted to mention that I'm currently fundraising for a trip for me to go speak at the Houston Tea Fest. I will be speaking about the basics of puer, and how to get started. Expenses include hotel, gas, and some food. If you would like to help out, here's a link to my gofundme! Anyways I've recieved a lot of questions from our fellow reader Mark who is interested in starting discussion along a few interesting questions, so lets start! Q: How long have you been casually drinking tea? A: I’ve been casually drinking tea my entire life. I grew up in the South, which means that every meal was served with a glass of sweet iced tea. Over the years, I never gave hot tea any thought, but around three years ago, I started my addiction with an oolong that I purchased from a local grocery store. At the time, I was a weight loss consultant and was finding more ways to get my clients to release their stranglehold over soda, and I came across an article that talked about how tea was good for you. Ever since then, its been the addiction that been fueling my soul. Q: What led you to puer and oolong? A: When I first discovered hot tea, I tried a wide variety of teas such as black, green, yellow, white tea, oolong, and puer. At first, I really fell in love with green and yellow tea, but slowly started to transition over to oolongs (green oolongs to be exact). I then became so obsessed with green oolongs that I decided to call myself ‘The Oolong Drunk’. One day I was browsing the tea community of Reddit and came across White2Tea. I was very intrigued by the idea of aged tea, and thought I’d give it a try! That night, I ordered 2015 Pin, and from then on puer has been my obsession. Q: How many teas do I go through in a year? A: I don't keep a record of all of the teas that I drink, but I have at least two sessions per day. This past year, I went through 4-5 different beengs of puer and a countless amount of oolong. Q: Do you review most of the teas you drink or do you pick the cream of the crop to spend your time writing about? A: For me, I drink twenty times more tea outside of what gets posted to my blog. I drink so many different teas that it would be too time-consuming to write about every single one. However, I do often post photos to Instagram which is more accurately updated with the number of teas that I drink. For the blog, I select teas that are either really good, really popular within the community, or teas that I get asked to review. I rarely give bad review of teas because one of the only times that I did (when I reviewed Cow Cunt Puer), I was heavily questioned as to why I bothered to review it to begin with. I mean, not every tea that I review is ‘out of this world delicious’, but I try to stay away from the ones that make me gag. Q: Do you think that noobs should try a bunch of samples or buy a few recommended cakes blind? A: When I first started drinking puer I purchased my first few cakes blindly. I was very lucky and fortunate that I ended up liking what I ordered, but there have been a few instances where I drop a pretty penny on a tea that I absolutely disliked. If I had to start over again, I would only buy samples until I figured out what I liked. If I tried a tea and end up not liking it, I’d be less upset over wasting a sample compared to wasting an entire beeng. If theres a question you wish to ask, you can contact me here! "Blissfully Tea Drunk"

Hello hello! 2017 was a fantastic year for tea. There were so many ups and down, especially the late winter that Yunnan experienced that negatively affected many tea yields. Despite the troubles, many tea companies came out with many surprises. This was not only a good year for tea, it was also a good year for the tea community as well. The reddit tea community reached over 100,000 followers this year, along with the shocking news of Teavana closing down. We even received the abrupt news that veteran tea blogger Amanda of ‘Rambling Butterfly Thoughts’ hung her blogging hat. So who helped make 2017 a great year for tea? Well, there are too many people and too many teas to mention, but these are some the best of the best. These are the nominations for the best of 2017…. Note: Each nomination is provided with a link - click link to be directed for more info on the nomination... Best Tea Instagram The following are nominated for their work on social media —Instagram to be exact. These few individuals continue to impress with their photos, and impressed with beautiful photography. These are the following nominations… Tea_Tography tea.squirrell BitterLeafTeas zerozen_artlab lou_pepe Moychay Best New Tea Blogger The following are nominated for their work in the tea blogging community, and are new to the community as of 2017… Sheng Gut Its Fucking Tea Time Tea With Tristan Best Potter The following are nominated for their work in making hand-made artisan tea ware. Their work is not only beautiful and breathtaking, their work has inspired us all and even shapes the way we drink our tea... Andrzej Bero Petr and Mirka of Keramik Studio Severo Vostok Om Inge Nielsen Best Tea Blogger The following are nominated for their work in the tea blogging community for the year of 2017… Jordan of TeaTography Amanda of Rambling Butterfly Thoughts Char of Oolong Owl Nicole of Tea For Me Please James of Tea DB Cwyn of Death By Tea Excellence in Innovation The following are nominated for their creativeness in bringing new light to the world of tea. These people push boundaries for their work in tea related content, and are recognized for taking steps in a fresh direction… White2Tea recognized for their 2017 bamboo stuffed white tea Essence of Tea recognized for their hand sown 2017 puer wrappers Bitter Leaf Teas recognized for their 2017 tea ware selections Best Tea Wrapper The following teas are nominated for their wrapper’s design. These designs are being recognized for their beauty, their art, and their creativeness… 2017 Magic Mountain DNA by White2Tea 2017 Turtle Dove by White2Tea 2017 Year of the Rooster by Bitter Leaf Teas 2017 Ban Pen by the Tea Urchin 2017 Jinggu Bang by Crimson Lotus Tea 2017 Nannuo Sheng Cha by Moychay Best Oolong Source - The following shops are being recognized for their ability to source and sell oolong tea, and pushed harder than any other company in the year of 2017… Taiwan Sourcing Beautiful Taiwan Tea Company Taiwan Tea Crafts Best Aged Puer The following teas are being nominated for their excellence in quality, body, energy, and tasting profile. These teas have been aged from before 2017, and released as new findings this year. 2010 Black Gold by Crimson Lotus Tea 2014 Yiwu Iron Forge Huang Pian by Crimson Lotus Tea 2007 Tiny Orange Tea by Bitter Leaf Teas Best Shou Puer The following teas are being nominated for their excellence in shou puer, and showcased the best in quality, body, energy, and tasting profile… 2017 Flapjacks by White2Tea 2017 Sunday Special by White2Tea 2017 Strombreaker by Crimson Lotus Tea 2017 Rooster King by Yunnan Sourcing 2017 Nannuo Mini Mushroom by Crimson Lotus Tea Best Sheng Puer The following teas are being nominated for their excellence in Sheng Puer, and showcased the best in quality, body, energy, and tasting profile… 2017 Secret Garden by Bitter Leaf Teas 2017 GuShu LaoManE by Pu.Erh.Sk 2017 Fuck What You Heard by White2Tea 2017 Midas Touch by Crimson Lotus Tea 2017 Wuliang H Ancient by The Essence of Tea 2017 Plum Beauty Gold by Bitter Leaf Teas 2017 Pussy by White2Tea Tea Company of the Year The following are nominated for their excellent work in 2017. All of these tea companies worked tirelessly to bring you the best teas possible, and without their innovation, the tea community wouldn't be where it is today. These companies are shaping the future of tea as we know it. Congratulations to these companies nominated for their best year yet. White2Tea Bitter Leaf Teas Mandala Tea Crimson Lotus Tea Pu-Erh.Sk Taiwan Tea Crafts Yunnan Souring You can vote for Tea Company of the Year HERE! Winners will be announced on December 28th, 2017. Congratulations to those who are nominated, as you are all winners for making 2017 such a great year for tea Tun in to see if your favorites will win! “Blissfully Tea Drunk” -Cody ~ Disclaimer The following are nominated for their work in 2017. I’m not represented or promoted by any entity, as this is a non-profit award. This was done in part to shed light on the exceptional work done by said entities, and the winners are selected unbiasedly. Any attempt to bribe/persuade yourself to win will automatically disqualify you from running.

Hello hello! Before I start, I waned to give a huge thank you for my readers/followers for the outpouring support I’ve been receiving. This community is an excellent one, and I thank you for all of the love. In case you missed it, here’s what Im referring to. Anyways, this week I opened a brand new beeng of 2017 Yunnan Sourcing ‘Mengku Huang Shan’ Wild Arbor Raw Puer. This puer was sent to me by Yunnan Sourcing, and this is one that Yunnan Sourcing has made since last year. So is this tea as good as it looks? Lets find out! Water Temperature - 185ºf Dimensions - I used 4.5g of tea for my 65ml gaiwan Beeng Price - $41.00 USD for 400g Steeps 1 - 4 First, Mengku Huang Shan gave off a faint wheat-like body, and left a medicinal aftertaste of barley and hay. After a few more steeps, this tea kept opening up to a medicinal forefront, which left a wheat/hay like aftertaste in the back of the throat. By the end of the fourth steep, this tea was getting stronger and thicker. Steeps 5 - 8 Mengku Huang Shan’s body kept expanding as the medicinal tasting note took over. The wheat and hay-like tasting notes kept getting swallowed by the medicinal tasting notes, and after a few more steeps, continued to transform into a light mushroom note. Steeps 9 - 12 Mengku Huang Shan’s body drastically transformed, as the moss-like undertones from earlier began to take over every aspect of this teas palate. The wheat/hay undertones weren't as noticeable as before, and the medicinal tasting note took a back seat to the wood and mushroom like notes that continued get stronger and thicker. This tea’s body was a little bit astringent, and kept getting thicker and fuller. However, by the twelfth steep, this tea began to show signs of mellowing out, and I was already sweating from this tea energy. I decided to end it here… Conclusion 2017 Mengku Huang Shan Wild Arbor Raw Puer first started out light, which gave off wheat and hay like tasting notes. As the session progressed, a medicinal undertone became thicker as notes of wood and moss made their self known. One thing I liked about this tea was how the tasting notes continued to change throughout the session. Another thing I liked about this tea was it’s energy — which made me break out in a sweat. However, this tea sits at $41.00 for a 400g beeng, which means that this tea is a little over $.09 a gram. 2017 Mengku Huang Shan Wild Arbor Raw Puer is a great example that sometimes, cheaper priced teas can taste good and have excellent energy. I think that if you’re a fan of earthy and grassy tasting sheng puer, I would definitely recommend trying this tea from Yunnan Sourcing…

Hello hello! Bitter Leaf Teas recently released their 2017 Fall productions, which includes a 2007 shou puer thats been stuffed in a mini orange! These mini oranges weigh around 10g each - which is perfect for a single session (or two mini-sessions). Bitter Leaf Teas also released a tangerine stuffed shou per last year, which quickly sold out. So how does this mini orange compare to last year’s mandarin stuffed shou puer? Let's find out! Water Temperature Boiling Dimensions For this session, I gutted the entire mini-orange. I measured 4.5g of shou puer for my 65ml gaiwan and used the entire orange peel. Steeps 1 - 4 At first, this mini orange gave off earthy tasting notes of dirt, and left a light tangy aftertaste on the sides of the tongue. After a few more infusions, a tart orange like flavor made itself known, and progressively took over my tongues palate. Steeps 5 - 8 This mini orange was getting smoother and smoother. The earthy tasting notes of dirt became increasingly creamy, as the notes of orange trailed quietly behind it. As the steeps went on, this tea progressively left a bitter aftertaste on the base of the tongue, as a light tang echoed in the mouth. Steeps 9 - 12 This mini orange was beginning to get more and more aggressive with its bitterness. The smooth and creamy base notes of earth began to mellow out as the tangy bitterness progressively took over. The longer the steep - the more potent this tea became. After the twelfth steep, this tea brought forth a bitterness that left an impression in the mouth that I still tasted thirty minutes after taking a sip. By this time, this mini orange had given its all, and was time to move on from this session… Conclusion 2017 Mini Orange Tea is a new tea released by Bitter Leaf Teas, which consists of a mini orange stuffed with ten-year-old aged shou puer. At first, I was impressed with the shou material because the earthly notes were creamy and smooth. Another thing I liked about this shou is that for me, it had a great deal of energy which made me a bit tea drunk after the session was over. However, I think I used too much orange peel because the longer the steeps got, the more bitter and aggressive the orange peel became. Overall, this mini orange is incredibly tasty for what you get, and is made with a great base material. However, I would recommend playing around with the dimensions of tea for your session because if you use too much orange peel, your session might be as bitter as mine turned out. However, this was a great experience and is one that compares similarly to Bitter Leaf Tea’s mandarin stuffed shou puer… disclaimer - This tea was sent to me by Bitter Leaf Teas for review. Although this tea was sent to me, this review was not paid for, and wasn't shown any mercy when reviewing ;)

Hello Hello! Not too long ago, Yunnan Sourcing posted two 2017 Menghai mini tongs of sheng and shou puer. Fortunately for me, I was able to acquire an ultra mini tong of sheng puer! This mini tong includes seven mini coins (weighing around 7-8g each) which are pressed into the yin and yang shape. These coins are supposedly great for brewing whole or breaking apart to be brewed for a mini session. Since this tea is mini, I thought ‘why the hell not’ and decided to split my coin apart for a mini session. So is this tea as fun as it looks? Let's dive right in! Tong Price - $11.50 Steeping Parameters - Half a coin (4g) for a 60ml gaiwan Brewing Water Temperature - 185º Steeps 1 - 4 At first, this mini coin gave off a light grassy tasting note, which held a light fruity aftertaste on the tongue. After a few more steeps, the grassy tasting note became stronger and thicker, as a light medicinal tasting note began to make itself known. This tea had a light sweetness that seemed to linger in the mouth. Steeps 5 - 8 The grassy tasting note began to transform into a hay-like tasting note which left a stronger medicinal aftertaste in the back of the throat. After another few steeps, the fruitiness began to slowly disappear behind a broth-like texture that continued to develop. By the end of the eight steep, the fruitiness was gone and the tea started to taste a little musky. Steeps 9 - 12 The mini coin’s texture was full-on broth and was more powerful than before. It was so broth-like that it was almost meaty. Anyways, the medicinal tasting notes were strong, as the musky body became heavier and heavier; It could almost be described a light smokiness. By the end of the twelfth infusion, this mini coin was full-broth and was no longer a tea. It was time to say goodbye and end the session here… Conclusion Yunnan Sourcing posted an ultra mini tong of sheng and shou puer, and fortunately for me, I was able to come across the mini tong of sheng. One thing I liked about the mini tong of sheng is that its tasting notes kept changing throughout the session, as this coin had more than two faces. Another thing I liked about this coin was that it was heavy in texture, and yet, easy to drink. One aspect about these coins is that they’re pretty easy to break apart for single-brewing, and the material was very clean. However, despite this tea’s size, it was easy to make a lot of tea dust, which could make this session incredibly strong early on in a session. These mini tongs posted by Yunnan Sourcing are as unique as they are fun, and they have a lot of strength too. Personally, I didn’t feel much energy from these coins. However, they were strong in the mouth and very fun to brew. Overall, this was a new experience, and for around $10.00, you now have an excuse to say that you own a tongs worth of tea… disclaimer - This tea was sent to me by Yunnan Sourcing for review. Although this tea was sent to me, this review was not paid for, and wasn't shown any mercy when reviewing ;)

Hello hello! Earlier this year, Yunnan Sourcing released a beeng of shou per called ‘Rooster King’, which is a shou puer blend that features an angry cock on its wrapper… giggity. Anyways, Rooster King is a ripe puer blended from six different regions and made from different material aged from 2014 to 2016. So what is this tea like? Is this tea as unique as its description makes it sound? Let's find out! Beeng Price - $25.00 Steeping Parameters - 4.5g of tea for a 65ml vessel Water Temperature - Boiling Steeps 1 - 4 At first, this tea gave off the base tasting notes of earth and dirt. After a few steeps, a composted autumn leaf pile tasting note made itself known. The texture was light, but as the steeps went on, it became increasingly heavier yet smoother. However, by the fourth steep this tea turned dark brown in color — almost black. Steeps 5 - 8 Rooster King kept opening up, but still had the base tasting notes of composted leaves and earth. However, as the number of steeps increased, the body of this tea also grew thicker and thicker. Rooster King was thick and left a light syrup-like aftertaste in the back of the throat. The closer the eighth steep got, the sweeter the aftertaste became. Steeps 9 - 14 Rooster King was as earthy as ever, as its tasting notes were as heavy as it was smooth. The aftertaste was sweetest at this point, and the longer the steep, the sweeter and maltier the aftertaste became. However, the sweetness was very subtle, and to me, best resembled maple. Anyhow, after the fourteenth infusion this tea was ready to be put up, and the Rooster King didn’t rule the roost anymore… Conclusion 2017 Rooster King is a shou puer released by Yunnan Sourcing that consists of six different tea regions and made with aged material from 2014 through 2016. Anyways, at first, Rooster King started off as very earthy, but as the steeps progressed it became smoother and sweeter. Although the sweetness was very subtle, the texture and tasting notes were all around balanced. One thing I like about this tea is its energy, because for me it was very relaxing and meditative. Another thing I like about this tea is its price point, because for $25.00 you get 250g — which is one hell of a deal considering the tea’s depth and easiness to drink. However, despite that this tea is easy to drink, something about it still felt a little humid and could benefit from resting in a pumidor ( humidor for tea) and will continue getting better with time. Overall, this was nice shou that made each sip more memorable than the last. So while Yunnan Sourcing’s large selections can sometimes be overwhelming, hopefully Roster King makes for an easy choice… disclaimer - This tea was sent to me by Yunnan Sourcing for review. Although this tea was sent to me, this review was not paid for, and wasn't shown any mercy when reviewing ;)

Hello hello! Crimson Lotus Tea released a wide variety of shou puer for their 2017 productions. One of those shou puers includes a beeng titled ‘Black Gold’. Black Gold is a shou puer aged from 2010, and is made from the same material as their famed sheng puer ‘Midas Touch’. It’s also described as being very drinkable and being delicious. So one must ask, is Black Gold really as tasty as Crimson Lotus Tea describes? Let's find out! Water Temperature - Boiling Session Parameters - For this session, I used 4.5g of tea in a 65ml gaiwan. Steeps 1 - 4 First, before this session started, Black Gold was rinsed with boiling water (to wash away any bacteria). Anyways, Black Gold first gave off refreshing tasting notes of black peppercorns, which left an aftertaste of Earth and tree bark. After a few more steeps, this tea quickly became bold. Steeps 5 - 8 The base tasting notes of black peppercorns became lighter as the gritty tasting notes of dirt and tree bark became more prominent. This teas texture was on the rougher side, as its liquor was turning black in color. After a few more steeps, this tea left a light bitter aftertaste on the sides of the tongue. Steeps 9 - 14 Black Gold’s body was stronger than ever, as its strength began to make me feel lightheaded. After another steep, Black Gold still held the base tasting notes of black peppercorn, with an undertone of Earth and tree bark. Black Gold still left a light bitter aftertaste but was quickly becoming smoother than it had before. After fourteen steeps, Black Gold completely mellowed out and it was time to say goodbye… Conclusion Black Gold is a shou puer released by Crimson Lotus Tea, and is made from shou puer material that was aged since 2010. One thing I liked about Black Gold was its longevity. This tea held a lot of strength and seemed to keep going for a very long time. Even after a fourteenth steep, this tea still had fuel to burn. Another thing I liked about Black Gold is its tasting notes were easy to drink. The tasting notes were also robust and bold. For me though, this tea’s energy was enough to make me tea drunk. Overall, Black Gold is a great shou puer that’s all around easy to drink, and to me, held great energy. This is a shou that’s $89, and for that price tag, it seems that you can make this tea stretch a lot further by using less leaf in your brewing vessel. So next time you’re looking through Crimson Lotus Tea’s new shou selections, hopefully you’ll find out why this tea is called ‘black gold’… Would I Beeng This Tea? - Yes disclaimer - This tea was sent to me as a sample by Crimson Lotus Tea. Although this tea was sent to me, this review was not paid for, and wasn't shown any mercy when reviewing ;)

Hello hello! Crimson Lotus Tea released two teas called ‘Simple Sheng’ and ‘Simple Shou’. I reviewed Simple Sheng a little over a week ago, and this week, we’ll be going over Simple Shou. Simple Shou is marketed by Crimson Lotus Tea as a ‘fantastic’ first shou puer. While Simple Sheng was great for what it was and consisted of higher quality material, it was also intended as a ‘first sheng puer’. So how does Simple Shou hold up compared to Simple Sheng? Let's find out! Steeps 1 - 4 For this session, I used 4g of tea in a 60ml gaiwan and used water heated to a temperature of 185ºf. Anyhow, Simple Shou first started off with the base of earthy tasting notes along with tree bark — which left a faint sweetness on the tongue. After a few more steeps, Simple Shou kept opening up and became increasingly smooth. Steeps 5 - 8 Simple Shou kept opening up to the earthy tasting notes of bark, which got thicker and heavier. The taste of dirt grew more predominant, as the liquor became richer by the steep. Towards the end of the seventh-eighth steep, Simple Shou’s faint sweetness disappeared behind the earthiness. Steeps 9 - 12 Simple Shou began to settle down as the notes of bark and earth began to mellow out. The faint sweetness that disappeared seemed to reappear as this tea became lighter and smoother. For the rest of this session, Simple shou became lighter and lighter with each steep, which was relaxing and meditative. By steep twelve, this tea was finished and it was time to move on… Conclusion Simple Shou is a shou puer released by Crimson Lotus Tea that is marketed as a ‘fantastic’ first shou puer. First off, Simple Shou started off very faint, then became rich and powerful. Second, Simple Shou was really easy to drink and was very forgiving if over steeped. One thing I liked about Simple Shou is that it was easy to break apart and didn’t create much tea dust. Another thing I liked about Simple Shou is that it was easy to relax by. However, this tea still tasted a bit humid from pressing and could benefit from resting for a little bit longer. Overall, Simple Shou has a very traditional, yet clean, shou taste. Crimson Lotus Tea did exactly what they set out to do, by providing a tea that’s easy to drink, yet tasty at the same time. I would highly recommend this tea to someone who is brand new to shou, because although it had a very traditional shou taste, it wasn’t aggressive and didn’t have any funkiness to it. Hopefully, if you’re thinking about venturing out and trying shou, you will find this is an easy one to start out with…

Hello hello! In today’s review, I tackle 2017 Turtle Dove by White2Tea (which makes for my first white tea review — ever). 2017 Turtle Dove is a white tea brick released by White2Tea, and in my opinion, has the prettiest tea wrapper out of any tea that I’ve seen. Anyways, Turtle Dove has been raved by many people on social media, such as Instagram and reddit. So I must ask, what’s so special about Turtle Dove? Is this tea as good as everyone else says it is? Lets find out! Steeps 1 - 4 For Turtle Dove, I used 4g of tea in a 60ml gaiwan, and used water heated to a temperature of 185ºf. At first, Turtle Dove gave off a crisp floral tasting note, which was quickly followed by a malt-like flavor. After a few more steeps, Turtle Dove got progressively sweeter with each infusion\ Steeps 5 - 8 Turtle Dove unleashed a beast of a body, as its body resembled a thick syrup which brought on the tasting notes of honey. Turtle Dove’s sweetness began to disappear behind the floral notes, as it progressively became more and more bitter with each steep. At the end of the eighth infusion, Turtle Dove resembled a black tea nearly identically. Steeps 9 - 12 Turtle Dove’s body was aggressive, and left a lasting bitter tasting note in the back of the throat. At this point, it was best compared to a black tea or a Wuyi oxidized oolong. Towards the end of the session, my body broke out in a hot sweat as my head became as light as air. Turtle Dove’s aggressive body was almost too aggressive, as my head drifted off into space. It’s safe to say that by this point, I was full-blown tea drunk. Conclusion Turtle Dove is a tea brick by white2Tea, which was later handed out as samples in an 8g mini beeng form. Turtle Dove started out very fragrant and sweet, and ended up being powerful and burly. This tea became surprisingly aggressive, and seemed to turn into a highly oxidized black/oolong tea half way through. One thing I liked about Turtle Dove is that it has a wide array of tasting notes that seemed to keep transforming throughout the session. However, Turtle Dove was substantially more aggressive when brewed gong-fu style when compared to White2Tes's other white tea's (for me at least). Despite this tea’s aggressiveness, I believe that Turtle Dove was intended to be bought for aging purposes. I say this because this tea has a lot of positive characteristics that shows that this tea will age beautifully, and will probably become tamer over time. Overall, I think Turtle Dove is one hell of a deal, because for the price, I can’t hardly get as tea drunk from a tea that is as deep and rich as this. So next time I look to get tea drunk off my ass from a white tea, I'll look no further than this tea right here… disclaimer - This tea was sent to me by White2Tea. Although this tea was sent to me, this review was not paid for, and wasn't shown any mercy when reviewing ;)

Hello hello! The Crimson Lotus Tea exploration continues this week with their 2017 Simple Sheng. Simple Sheng is a 50g mini tea cake that’s iron pressed (which means that it’s extra compacted) and sold as a sheng that’s fantastic for first-time sheng drinkers. Along with Simple Sheng, Crimson Lotus Tea released a 50g mini beeng of the same style with shou puer instead (which I will cover later on). So I must ask, is Simple Sheng really that simple? Or is there more to it than meets the eye? Let’s dive in! Steeps 1 - 4 For this session, 4g of tea was used in a 60ml gaiwan, and water heated at a temperature of 185ºf. Anyways, Simple Sheng opened up to a light medicinal tasting note, which left behind the notes of freshly cut grass. After a few more steeps, the tasting notes of green grass became more noticeable and sweeter than before. Steeps 5 - 8 Simple Sheng’s grass-like tasting notes became deeper and richer. It started to transform into a more green tasting tea, and heavily resembled fresh spinach on the base of the tongue. With the spinach tasting notes, a light floral hint became noticeable on the sides of the cheeks — which humbly resembled a flower petal. Steeps 9 - 12 The floral tasting notes kept opening up, as it became clearer and more detectable. The grass tasting notes began to fade behind the notes of flower petals, and the tasting notes of spinach lingered in the throat. After a few more steeps though, Simple Sheng began to mellow out and was ready to be finished…. Conclusion Simple Sheng is a 50g mini beeng by Crimson Lotus Tea that heavily gave off green tasting notes, such as notes of spinach and freshly cut grass. Surprisingly, there was a light floral note behind all of the green tasting notes which helped tie this tea in all together. One aspect about this tea I liked was its cleanliness and clarity. Another cool thing about Simple Sheng is that the mini beeng is divided up into 6 pizza-slice like part: easy for breaking apart. However, one drawback is that each pizza slice is around 8g. By the time I broke off a pizza slice and broke it apart further to fit my vessel, I was left with around 2g of tea dust. Simple Sheng is made of high quality material and is exceptionally clean and clear for what you receive. I would highly recommend this tea for someone who is new to sheng puer because honesty, when it comes to Crimson Lotus Tea, you are guaranteed to have a high-quality product. This is when you need an experienced tea drinker’s/blogger’s opinion, because I’ve had a lot of teas across many different tea companies and I believe that Crimson Lotus Tea is one of the safest bets for buying a high-quality product. So while Simple Sheng is a called 'simple', you are for sure getting a clean and quality product — which is essential for having a great first experience with sheng puer…

Hello hello! Crimson Lotus Tea released their spring teas not too long ago. Despite getting a late start, they were able to source a wide variety of material including an $80 shou, a tea brick that weighs a kilogram, and a gas station tea cake. Yes, you heard that right - one of their cakes came from material that was sourced from a gas station. This tea cake is called TKG. TKG is a tea cake that was created as a meme from an IRC chat that Crimson Lotus Tea and I belong to, which is a tractor, a video game controller stick, and a emoji. This tea cake is also limited edition, as only 25 cakes are available. So does this tea taste like it was sourced off-road from a road trip pee stop? Is it worth grabbing a beeng before it sells out? Lets find out! Steeps 1 - 4 4g of TKG was used for a 60ml gaiwan, and was brewed with water at a temp of 185ºf. Anyways, TKG opened up to the faint tasting profile of an autumn leaf pile, which left a wood bark aftertaste on the sides of the tongue. After a few more steeps, TKG kept opening up and quickly turned into a broth. Steeps 5 - 8 TKG kept opening up to the strong wood and tree bark-like tasting notes. The autumn leaf pile tasting note was more noticeable than before, which heavily resembled a rainforest on the tongue. TKG’s body was thick, yet smoother than it was previously. Steeps 9 - 12 TKG’s wood-like body kept progressing into a more moss-like body. The leaf pile was still noticeable to the tastebuds, as its body was heavier than before. TKG was strong, heavy, and resembled damp tree bark up until its last steep. By the twelfth steep, TKG was running out of fuel. It was time to end the session here. Conclusion TKG is not only a beeng that’s deep in a woodsy flavor, it’s also rich with the flavors that it possesses. TKG is made up of big leaf material, and on occasion of having a session with this tea, I’ll often find a huang pian leaf mixed in there with it! This cake is easy to break apart, and above all, doesn't create very much tea dust when tearing into it. One thing I like about this tea is that it’s flavorful and makes for an above average daily drinker. However, despite being an above average daily drinker, it was still humid from pressing and needs more time to air out. Overall, I think that TKG is a great example of what big leaf material can do for a tea, and is a great example that you can find great puer material in the strangest of places. I think that TKG is great for what it is, and I would recommend it for if you’re looking for something to relax by. However, you must act fast before this tea becomes sold out and hopefully, you’ll be one of the lucky 25 that gets to acquire this tea cake…

Hello hello White2Tea released numerous amounts of tea this year, including a few repeats of previous years productions (such as Pound Cake and Tuhao As Fuck). However, White2Tea released wide array of new tea cakes, and one of them is ‘2017 Fuck What You Heard’. For this year, especially when trying White2Tea’s new teas, there hasn't been very many teas that I liked as much as their 2017 Pussy. White2Tea’s 2017 Pussy was mouthwatering, sweet, and all around good. You could say that its so far my favorite 2017 beeng from white2Tea this year. How will ‘Fuck What You Heard’ hold up to 2017 Pussy? Will it be just as good? Let's find out! Steeps 1- 4 For this session, I used 6.6g of tea for a 100ml vessel and used water at a temperature of 185ºf. Anyways, to start, I first picked up on the tasting notes of sweet freshly cut grass along with a floral undertone, which left a sweet milky aftertaste. After a few more steeps, Fuck What You Heard’s body began to open up more, and became thicker and thicker. Steeps 5 - 8 Fuck What You Heard kept opening up, as its grass-like body transformed into roasted hay. The sweet floral notes from earlier transformed into a thick nectar, which was creamier and smoother than before. After a few more steeps, a medicinal undertone made itself known underneath the nectar like tasting notes. With this ensemble of tasting notes, Fuck What You Heard heavily resembled a moonlight white tea at this point in the session. Steeps 9 - 12 The grassy and hay notes of Fuck What You Heard transformed into an autumn leaf pile, and left a light bitter aftertaste on the sides of the tongue. This tea’s texture turned as thick as soup and was heavier than ever. Fuck What You Heard still had its floral base, but was deeper and richer than the previous steeps. Towards the end of the session, this tea began to taper off and was showing evidence of being done. After the 12th steep, this tea was finished…. Conclusion Fuck What You Heard was a tea that was exceptionally delicate, and with a lower brewing temperature, more of these delicate tasting notes were able to come out. One thing I like about this tea was its complexity, which came as a surprise. Another thing I like about this tea was its strength, and had great body and energy. Hell, even at one point, it started to taste like a white tea! I would definitely recommend this tea for everyone to try, because everyone deserves the chance to try a tea that’s this rich and complex. However, this tea was still wet and still showed evidence of a recent pressing. With a bit of time, this tea will really grow in depth and become thicker and soupier. Overall, Fuck What You Heard was just as good as 2017 Pussy, and in some ways, even better! I hope that when you try this tea you can hear its message loud and clear, and see for yourself what makes this tea so delicate and wonderful… Rating - 10/10 Would I Beeng This Tea? - Fuck yeah disclaimer - This tea was sent to me as a sample by White2Tea. Although this tea was sent to me, this review was not paid for, and wasn't shown any mercy when reviewing ;)

Are you affiliated with White2Tea? - Multiple people Unfortunately, I am not. As awesome as it would be to be paid by white2tea, and as rad as it would be to get free tea from them, I'm not affiliated with them in any way. I write so many reviews of their tea (including writing a blog post about them) because I’m a huge fan of their company. When I first started drinking tea, White2Tea was the first company that I bought from. Every time I shop with them, I’ve never been disappointed with the teas I’ve bought. I guess you could say that I’m a hardcore fan (or #1 fan) of them, and will continue to be… *note - For transparency, I am sponsored by Farmer Leaf Tea and Teasenz though Why do you brew your tea at such a low temperature? - Jackie To clarify, I gong-fu puer tea at a temp of 185ºf. Usually, other bloggers and other puer drinkers drink sheng and shou at a higher temperature - usually to a near boiling temperature. For me, I review and drink teas at a lower temperature because I find the tea is a lot softer, and more delicate, when brewed at a lower temperature. I’m not saying that brewing it at a higher temperature is wrong or anything, but that’s just how I enjoy it. I recommend trying to brew gong-fu puer tea at different temperatures and finding out what you like best. When it comes to tea, there’s no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ way when it’s ‘your’ way. Who are some other bloggers that I like to read? - Ryan Oooh, this is a loaded question since I like to read so many other tea blogs! The first blogger that I started reading, and my own inspiration for staring a tea blog, is OolongOwl. I like reading OolongOwl because she’s really smart and has a lot of experience making tea, and I trust and highly value her opinions. Another person I like to read is Cwyn of DeathByTea. One thing I like about Cwyn is that she's wacky, hilarious, and witty. Despite that she’s a natural born comic, she also takes her passion with puer very seriously. One last person I like reading is the TwoDogBlog which is Paul’s personal blog from Whtie2Tea. Despite that I have these three favorites, there's MANY more great blogs that I like to read. Here’s a small list, with links, of the other tea blogs that are also my favorites <3... Char of Oolong Owl Cwyn of Death by Tea Paul of the Two Dog Blog Nicole of Tea For Me Please James of Tea DB Misc. of TChing Hobbs of The Half Dipper Marshal of A Tea Addict's Journal Jordan of Tea Tography Wizzx of ItsFuckingTeaTime

Hello hello! Bitter Leaf Teas released an extraordinary production line earlier this year which included their famed 2017 WMD Mansa, along with their 2017 Secret Garden. This year, they released a tea called ‘Oz’, which is a 2016 Spring Xigu Gushu raw puer. I originally got a sample of Oz, but I’ve been sitting on this sample because earlier this spring, Bitter Leaf Teas said that the tea was still humid from pressing. Now that time has passed, it’s time to dive in to see what makes Oz such a great tea. Does Oz take your taste buds down the yellow brick road? Let’s find out! Steeps 1 - 4 For this session, I used 4g of tea for a 60ml gaiwan, and used water hearted to a temperature of 185ºf. Anyways, Oz opened up to the spicy tasting notes of freshly harvested hay. After a few more steeps, a light aftertaste of sweet fruit arose on the tongue, which left a pleasant aftertaste. The tea was very soft, yet thick at the same time. Steeps 5 - 8 Oz continued to open up with the base notes of hay and grass, which left a fruity and sweet impression on the sides of the cheeks. This tea’s body was thick as soup at this point as it was savory to the tongue. After another few steeps this tea’s texture and tasting notes began to mix, creating a harmonious blend which was pleasant in every way. However, towards the eighth steep, the tasting notes of an Autumn leaf pile began to make itself known. Steeps 9 - 12 Oz started to thicken, and at this point, it was at its most powerful stage. My head became lightheaded, and grew heavier with each and every sip. The baste of this tea was a broth-like texture, which brought forth the tasting notes of an autumn leaf pile and roasted hay. This tea’s taking notes became a little more brassy and less fruity in these later steeps. After the twelfth steep, it was time to end the session with Oz…. Conclusion Oz is a tea that’s definitely not a ‘daily drinker’. First off, Oz’s body was thick and luscious in every way and held a wide array of tasting notes. Second, Oz’s price point is $95.00 for a 100g mini beeng, so this isn't something you’re going to want to drink all of the time. One aspect I liked about this tea was that, despite using a smaller vessel for this session, I was still able to get tea drunk off of the 4g of tea that was used. One set back is that, because of how complex and rich this tea is, It would easily go under appreciated by someone who’s not too familiar with drinking puer. In conclusion, Oz is an excellent sheng puer that took my tasting notes down the yellow brick road, and hopefully, will take yours down the same path as well…