1990s Special Order Red Mark

Wet Leaf Aroma

old wood, dark malty dried fruits, animal, wet wool

Tasting Notes

starts off malty, with layered fruity depth and a faint smokiness in the throat. There’s an herbal bitterness throughout, actually more of a sweet-herbal bitterness woven between woody notes, with touches of incense, mineral and Chinese-herb character and a distant zesty feel in each sip. Early steeps appear a bit dry and boxy, later it gets progressively juicier. The aging feels settled, but still has some (sour) edges to it. There’s a particular dark fruity note that I enjoy, with a sweetness that sits nicely and is not one dimensional. In general it has an enjoyable complexity.

In a Sentence

Layered woody-fruity complexity, anchoring depth.

What it feels like

Has the sense of vertical depth to it. Anchoring, nuanced, centering. Not ideal for sensitive stomach.

Quick

Sheng ★★★ The Essence of Tea

Details

Entry Date

01.02.2026

Country

China

Region

Blend

Tea Master

Kunming Tea Factory

Price EUR/50g

Link

essenceoftea.com

Rating (1-5)

3,2

Properties

Kōu Gǎn i Mouthfeel: texture, density, softness, or dryness.

coherent, medium-light,

Hóu Yùn i Throat resonance — the depth and length of the finish.

more of a ‚boxy closed grip‘ with a light drying sensation.

Huí Gān i Returning sweetness after bitterness, perceived after swallowing.

mouthwatering, slighty sour, slow returning sweetness

Qi (1-5) i The tea’s felt effect on body and mind.

Noticable from the 1st cup, poignant with a felt depth, and still a kind of lightness to it. Calming and rooting

Journal

2026-02-20

What comes across strongest with this tea is a deeply layered dried fruit and medicinal herb flavor, present upfront and lingering quite a bit on the palate after swallowing - that's the most dominant impression.

There's also good complexity, with sweetness woven in, a slight zesty note along the side of the tongue, and some herbal astringency somewhere in between. A tea whose edges aren't fully polished yet. What balances that is the aftertaste: it stays mouthwatering and sweet, and over time the session slowly resolves into more sweetness.

A lot of what this tea offers is hard to fully articulate - more like a sense of woody boxiness in the mouth, as though the tea is somewhat closed in.

Worth noting is that across two recent sessions it's been a little unsettling to my stomach, right away from the first steeps and especially on an emptier stomach.

Energy-wise it's quite interesting - a strong centering quality with the feeling that the energy goes quite deep, more vertical than horizontal.

Tastewise it’s nicely rich, fruity and complex.

That slight stomach unsettledness, and scratchyness in the throat is the reason it ranks lower for me.