Dark Forest 2015 Spring

This tea has a very thick and creamy mouthfeel. It somehow seals my throat… very very gluey (and i like that). This tea is very sweet, with honey aroma… i thought i even taste some vanilla. It has a powerful elegant deepness in it`s rich sweet flavors. But, for my taste i would wish for a little bit (more, there is just very little) bitterness…. Yes i love young sweet Sheng / Raw Puerh … but this is very sweet and could have some more bitterness to make it just perfect… But, who wants a perfect world?! :-) The tea is already very good as it is.

Originally posted on Steepster by TaoTeaKing.
Note: the original rating was on Steepster's 100-point scale; the star rating shown is converted from it.

I’ve been coming home for lunch lately and getting as many small pots worth of sheng pu’er in as I can before heading back to work. Not rushing of course. And it’s doing great things for my mood. This wild Yiwu sheng has certainly changed since last sipped a few summers ago during the throes of Covid social insanity: The tea has that unique wild tea taste that I feel I can never put words to. Something like leafy medicine, or maybe yerba maté – high alkaloid content. Long-lasting bitterness moreso in feeling than in taste. This tea has more oomph than some wild sheng and less than others, sitting closer to those with a deeper, more powerful sensation. Most of the characteristics are still present. The signature-to-me Yiwu date-caramel-honeylike sweetness in aroma and on the sip has gotten deeper but this is not among the sweeter Yiwu teas. Early astringency isn’t bothersome and gives way to light oiliness later. Again, both a clear mind and a comfortable yet energizing feeling that is different from the effects of caffeine alone. My mood was lightened and concentration noticeably sharpened for the second half of the work day. Where the flavor (and leaf aroma) has made a marked change is in the development of a deepened fruitiness that spans the low to high tones along with some teenage tang. Passionfruit, bright red raspberry, orange and apricot grace the taste. The spicy leaf-and-bark impression is still present, balanced by that mossy airiness. Something I didn’t pick up on last time was cooling eucalyptus. One thing that caught me was that the dry leaf now smells like a specific chocolate bar I sometimes enjoy — Passion Fruit in Ruby Chocolate by Chocolove. The ruby chocolate tastes to me like a combination of a white chocolate and a milk chocolate that lacks strong lactose flavor; throw in a hint of berry fruitiness. What has mostly disappeared is the initial creamy mouthfeel (which I would hope returns given more aging) and the strong drying quality (which I hope has mostly phased out). The floral quality is also aging out. I didn’t take any notes today, recalling this entirely from memory. Given the amount I’ve written, I’d say this tea made a very favorable impression. I’ll consider buying a cake when I finally make a damn dent in all my sheng samples :P A handful of years ago, wild teas would almost always leave me reeling from intensity. Seems like I’ve finally grown into that energy <3

Originally posted on Steepster by derk.
Note: the original rating was on Steepster's 100-point scale; the star rating shown is converted from it.

The other reviewer summed this one up well. It’s delicious, but a little light for me. It’s super sweet, with clear notes of peaches and vanilla. There is a wonderful tingly cooling mouth feel after too. There isn’t the normal bitterness most teas have or florals most yiwus have. I could see this being a great entry puerh for people coming from green and white teas. People who like Xikong or Yiwu Beauty from last year would like this. It’s a sweeter cleaner, but less complex version of that. I think it would have a very broad appeal. The cup smells like caramelized peaches after. Delicious!

Originally posted on Steepster by Miss_Phi.
Note: the original rating was on Steepster's 100-point scale; the star rating shown is converted from it.

Sweet, light, pristine natural tea. I very like it.

Note: the original review included no star rating — the rating shown was estimated from the review text.

Just had my Dark Forest 2015 Spring Short steeps 10 -20 second steeps Wonderful honey floral nose and smooth on The palate no bitterness no harsh astringency . Being relatively new to pu-erhs I am discovering their sweetness. I do not choose to do long steeps because when I do it seems to bring out the sharpness. This is a wonderful tea to have in your collection ! Drink up

Note: the original review included no star rating — the rating shown was estimated from the review text.

Fresh-spicy,velvet-moss and slight but long-lasting Bitterness. Images and more at https://puerh.blog/teanotes/2015-dark-forest-tu Flavors: Bitter, Moss, Spicy, Thick

Note: the original review included no star rating — the rating shown was estimated from the review text.

I have found this to be a very enjoyable tea. The leaves are dark green (as in the picture) and slightly on the smaller side. The gaiwan gave a typical grassy/hay smell with sweetness emerging after my 3rd steep. However, the soup has a wonderful sweetness from the beginning. I've found it to have a thick mouth feeling with a very consistent sweet and buttery experience throughout the infusions... very much to my current tea preferences. This is my first review, and I recently ordered 8 samples from Eugene & Belle. It came with fantastic packaging and a hand written note on stationary. It is worth ordering from them just for that experience.

Note: the original review included no star rating — the rating shown was estimated from the review text.

This tea has a very thick and creamy mouthfeel. It somehow seals my throat… very very gluey (and i like that). This tea is very sweet, with honey aroma… i thought i even taste some vanilla. It has a powerful elegant deepness in it`s rich sweet flavors. But, for my taste i would wish for a little bit (more, there is just very little) bitterness…. Yes i love young sweet Sheng / Raw Puerh … but this is very sweet and could have some more bitterness to make it just perfect… But, who wants a perfect world?! :-) The tea is already very good as it is.

Originally posted on Steepster by TaoTeaKing.
Note: the original rating was on Steepster's 100-point scale; the star rating shown is converted from it.

I’ve been coming home for lunch lately and getting as many small pots worth of sheng pu’er in as I can before heading back to work. Not rushing of course. And it’s doing great things for my mood. This wild Yiwu sheng has certainly changed since last sipped a few summers ago during the throes of Covid social insanity: The tea has that unique wild tea taste that I feel I can never put words to. Something like leafy medicine, or maybe yerba maté – high alkaloid content. Long-lasting bitterness moreso in feeling than in taste. This tea has more oomph than some wild sheng and less than others, sitting closer to those with a deeper, more powerful sensation. Most of the characteristics are still present. The signature-to-me Yiwu date-caramel-honeylike sweetness in aroma and on the sip has gotten deeper but this is not among the sweeter Yiwu teas. Early astringency isn’t bothersome and gives way to light oiliness later. Again, both a clear mind and a comfortable yet energizing feeling that is different from the effects of caffeine alone. My mood was lightened and concentration noticeably sharpened for the second half of the work day. Where the flavor (and leaf aroma) has made a marked change is in the development of a deepened fruitiness that spans the low to high tones along with some teenage tang. Passionfruit, bright red raspberry, orange and apricot grace the taste. The spicy leaf-and-bark impression is still present, balanced by that mossy airiness. Something I didn’t pick up on last time was cooling eucalyptus. One thing that caught me was that the dry leaf now smells like a specific chocolate bar I sometimes enjoy — Passion Fruit in Ruby Chocolate by Chocolove. The ruby chocolate tastes to me like a combination of a white chocolate and a milk chocolate that lacks strong lactose flavor; throw in a hint of berry fruitiness. What has mostly disappeared is the initial creamy mouthfeel (which I would hope returns given more aging) and the strong drying quality (which I hope has mostly phased out). The floral quality is also aging out. I didn’t take any notes today, recalling this entirely from memory. Given the amount I’ve written, I’d say this tea made a very favorable impression. I’ll consider buying a cake when I finally make a damn dent in all my sheng samples :P A handful of years ago, wild teas would almost always leave me reeling from intensity. Seems like I’ve finally grown into that energy <3

Originally posted on Steepster by derk.
Note: the original rating was on Steepster's 100-point scale; the star rating shown is converted from it.

The other reviewer summed this one up well. It’s delicious, but a little light for me. It’s super sweet, with clear notes of peaches and vanilla. There is a wonderful tingly cooling mouth feel after too. There isn’t the normal bitterness most teas have or florals most yiwus have. I could see this being a great entry puerh for people coming from green and white teas. People who like Xikong or Yiwu Beauty from last year would like this. It’s a sweeter cleaner, but less complex version of that. I think it would have a very broad appeal. The cup smells like caramelized peaches after. Delicious!

Originally posted on Steepster by Miss_Phi.
Note: the original rating was on Steepster's 100-point scale; the star rating shown is converted from it.

Sweet, light, pristine natural tea. I very like it.

Note: the original review included no star rating — the rating shown was estimated from the review text.

Just had my Dark Forest 2015 Spring Short steeps 10 -20 second steeps Wonderful honey floral nose and smooth on The palate no bitterness no harsh astringency . Being relatively new to pu-erhs I am discovering their sweetness. I do not choose to do long steeps because when I do it seems to bring out the sharpness. This is a wonderful tea to have in your collection ! Drink up

Note: the original review included no star rating — the rating shown was estimated from the review text.

Fresh-spicy,velvet-moss and slight but long-lasting Bitterness. Images and more at https://puerh.blog/teanotes/2015-dark-forest-tu Flavors: Bitter, Moss, Spicy, Thick

Note: the original review included no star rating — the rating shown was estimated from the review text.

I have found this to be a very enjoyable tea. The leaves are dark green (as in the picture) and slightly on the smaller side. The gaiwan gave a typical grassy/hay smell with sweetness emerging after my 3rd steep. However, the soup has a wonderful sweetness from the beginning. I've found it to have a thick mouth feeling with a very consistent sweet and buttery experience throughout the infusions... very much to my current tea preferences. This is my first review, and I recently ordered 8 samples from Eugene & Belle. It came with fantastic packaging and a hand written note on stationary. It is worth ordering from them just for that experience.

Note: the original review included no star rating — the rating shown was estimated from the review text.