Flowery, bright, sweet with good mouthfeel and some head qi.
Honey, floral, Stable, slightly herbal | Honey, caramel, sweet, fruity, flowery scent, lilac
Herbal, oily but not thick, honey sweetness, berries. Bright tea, sugar coating, honeymelon and flowery notes, Qi in the heart and in the head. no astringency, hunch of bitterness after a few steeps, together with a bit of herbal base, Quite nice overall.
Isle of flowers in a stormy water.
Nice herbal oily coating, w. Bright notes
Waterlike, smooth
Sugary Sweetness
3 first qi kick noticeable in the beginning, but does not accumulate as others do
2025-12-05
Looking through the cupboard I discovered yet another sample of this Walong. This morning I brewed it in the Zini, while muting some of the brighter flowery notes, it makes for a nice round mouthfeel.
First up I noticed faint herbal bitterness, together with a creamy texture and lovely sweet peachy aftertaste. After about 2 steeps the bitterness also recides a bit and leaves for a flowery, honeyed cup with gentle herbal notes. A very nice tea, especially with its aftertaste and feel. Right from the beginning I notice a very centering energy with a nice âgrown upâ depth. Gushu leaves, according to the seller.
In the documentary accompanying the book Ancient Caravans and Urban Chicâa great read for anyone curious about Yiwu and Puer productionâZheng Si Long (ZSL) emphasizes the importance of verifying true forest material. Even in well-known regions, Gushu maocha is often blended with terrace tea, and terrace leaves may be sold as forest tea due to the substantial price difference.
After sampling various black teas last week, I was reminded how differently forest tea behaves in the body. Puer is much more about energy and sensation, and Gushu in particular has that centering quality that originally drew me into tea.
Itâs good that this level of quality is now so easy to find in Europe, also thanks to producers like ZSL.