Review: Shi Ru (Rock Milk Tea)

日本語 (Japanese Version)

Hello. I'm going to have some tea.

Details

Name: Shi Ru (Rock Milk)

Seller: Koumechasou

Variety: Oolong

5g steeped for 10 seconds in a gaiwan (203 °F/95 °C）

Tasting Notes

Top: Aromatic wood

Middle: Milk, passion fruit, gardenia

Last: Milk, lychee

Leaves

They are tightly twisted and reddish brown, but areas tinged with green are also visible. I smell tropical fruits and aromatic wood.

Impressions

It’s a mild, sweet yancha (rock tea). The first steeping has essentially no astringency, there’s only very slight bitterness, and I can sense a distinct sourness. It has a mellow taste, but as a yancha, is also rich in its own way. its own sort of richness as a yancha. The liquor has a woody, sweet smell, like an aromatic tree, which seems to come from roasting. When I take a sip, I first taste a gentle milk note and a tropical fruit note reminiscent of passion fruit, or perhaps a thick, sweet orchid-like flavor. After swallowing, I sense a milky note and a lychee-like aroma from deep inside my nose. A light aftertaste lingers for a long time.

The second infusion is 10 seconds, like the first. Compared to the first, the flavor on the tongue has become stronger, and I can now feel a little astringency. The aromatic wood notes seem to have strengthened, and the thick, sweet flavor wafts around my mouth.

The third steeping, also 10 seconds, tastes slightly sour and astringent. The milkiness and tropical fruit flavor have become considerably subdued, and the aromatic, woody, sweet note has become dominant. Despite being on the third steeping, it’s still full-bodied, and I feel like it can keep going. After the third infusion, I transferred the tea leaves to my mug and drank it leisurely. Ultimately, I think I drank about 1 liter of tea from this amount of leaves.

Overall, it's a thick, rich tea, due to its long-lasting milkiness and mellow flavor.

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ポン太 (Ponta)

IG: @grandguignol