2018 Honeymoon by Crimson Lotus Tea

Hello hello!

Earlier in the year, Glen of Crimson Lotus Tea and I began talking about different tea regions, and what would happen when blending different tea material. After a few messages back and forth, Glen came up with a blend idea that he would later press into a cake. After talking to a tea friend (Steph — @evilducky77 on instagram) about creating a wrapper design based on several different ideas, and after a few messages back and forth, she created the wrapper for 2018 Honeymoon Sheng Puer — a sheng puer that’s made of Manzuhan based material which uses old tea tree material. So after all of the communication between Glen, Steph, and I, how did Honeymoon turn out? Let’s find out!

Demensions — 4.7g of tea for a 70ml vessel

Beeng Price — $94.99

Water Temperature — 190ºf

Number of Steeps — 14

Steeps 1 - 6

Honeymoon first opened up to the light grassy tasting notes of wood, which left a faint impression of oil on the tongue. After another infusion, a sweet fruity undertone of moss made itself known on the back of the tongue. By the fourth infusion, Honeymoon continued to thicken. However, by the sixth infusion, this tea was a full on broth.

Steeps 7 - 14

By the seventh infusion, Honeymoon’s tasting notes reminded me of a thick wooded forest. Its texture was broth-like, and after another infusion, it didn’t let up. This tea’s tasting notes seemed to transform from a grass-like tasting note into a hay-like tasting note, which left behind the sweet notes of moss, wood, and an autumn leaf pile. However, despite the heavy and thick tasting notes of moss, there was still a light undertone of sweet fruit that still tried to come though this tea. However, by the tenth infusion, this tea began to lighten up on its thick texture. By the fourteenth infusion, Honeymoon was finished and was ready to be put away…

Conclusion

Honeymoon was a collaborative project between Glen of Crimson Lotus Tea and I, which began with the two of us talking about different blends of tea regions. Honeymoon is a 2018 sheng puer that is a Manzuhan based blend, and is a tea that also contains old tea tree material. One thing I liked about Honeymoon was its energy, because after having a session with this tea, I felt very relaxed and mildly sedated. Another aspect about this tea that I like is its tasting notes that continually changed throughout the session. However, despite that this tea sits at a higher price tag, it certainly reflects the qualities of a tea that’s higher end.

In conclusion, Honeymoon is a great experience to have regardless if you’re a new tea drinker or not. Despite that it was a collaboration that involved me, I’m very surprised at how the final product turned out — which really points to how talented Glen is of Crimson Lotus Tea. So next time you have dreams of sitting on the beach with no where to be, spend time on yourself and give yourself a little honeymoon….