Dear Tea Lovers,

Hello to you all! I hope things are well with each of you, your days filled with good books, and your cups filled with great tea. Just last week, I received a mystery sample generously provided by a popular puerh tea specializing company known as Misty Peaks. The tea I received was one of their recent releases, called "The New Black." Naturally, I was ecstatic to get brewing and try this tea out. The packaging, true to Misty Peaks excellent reputation, was just gorgeous. It was almost too pretty to crack into… "almost." Anyways, enough rambling. On to the tasting review!

So this particular sample weighed in at just over 10 grams. The chunk of the cake I received seemed to actually sparkle. the layers as can be seen below show the basic composition of the whole cake. The leaf was minimally broken, keeping the leaf whole and fresh, ready to pop in the teapot! So naturally, I reached for my Shou Puerh Frog Lotus Yixing Teapot, which was approximately 6 oz in capacity and got brewing!

Keeping to the recommended brewing times as specified on Misty Peaks website, I started with all 10 grams (I tend to like my shou strong!) and did a quick ten second rinse, then proceeded with a 15 second first infusion

The scent of this tea was very much the scent of a shou puerh. There was a nice robust earthiness, like a wild forest floor, just after a light rain. The scent of wetwood heavy in the air. But there was also something else, something not usually found in shou puerh; this puerh had a distinct fruity aroma. It was like a cross between dark red cherries and wild picked blackberries. Immediately I was thrown back to times when me and my brother would wander in the woods in the back of my grandparents home in Ohio, and explore the little forest region for wild blackberries that would be just ripening in the warm early July weather. I went ahead and sipped the tea, treasuring these moments of nostalgia.

The first infusion was filled a strong fresh soil mixed with moss flavor. The earthiness was followed by a sweet chocolate and brown sugar aftertaste. There was also an almost rose petal scent to this infusion. And strangely, there was also a faint tartness more commonly found in a young or semi aged sheng puerh. Upon looking at the tea description on Misty Peak's website, this unusual characteristic is present because this particularly tea was lightly fermented over 4 months! So this would explain a shou puerh that still has some characteristics found in sheng puerh. Fascinating really! This was something I have never had the chance to try until now.

Onto the second infusion. This one, I let steep for 20 seconds. The tea retained a super sweet taste with that same delightful earthiness. There was also present a light mushroom taste as well! But the largest change in this infusion was the incorporation of a type of spice that I couldn't quite place. It was either reminiscent of nutmeg or ground cloves. The tartness was still there but kind of underscored by the powerful natural sweetness of this earthy shou.

The last infusion I have recorded I steeped for 30 seconds. This time there was a more of a wetwood forest floor taste to accompany a tart cherry flavor. The smell of crumpling fallen leaves is also present. And of course there is still that delightful rich earthiness to accompany these other flavors.

This tea went on for another 10 infusions before I decided to call it quits. This tea was an absolute delight. In the world of puerh tea, I tend to prefer sheng puerh over shou, but this was definitely an exception to that pattern. This tea really had the best of both worlds. It was tart and sweet, earthy yet fruity, and filled with aromas that took me back to pleasant memories in my past. I definitely would recommend this tea to anyone who is looking to get into shengs or shous after only drinking one or the other. It really is the best of both worlds. Thanks again to Nicholas from Misty Peaks Tea for sending me this tea to try out. If you also want to try this delightful new tea, you can buy a 100 gram cake for 29 dollars. Definitely worth giving a try, especially if you are a fan of puerh!

Cheers all!

The Tea Connoisseur Matt

PS: You can find this tea at the link below. Enjoy!

http://mistypeakteas.com/product/the-new-black/