Hello Hello!

Not too long ago, Yunnan Sourcing posted two 2017 Menghai mini tongs of sheng and shou puer. Fortunately for me, I was able to acquire an ultra mini tong of sheng puer! This mini tong includes seven mini coins (weighing around 7-8g each) which are pressed into the yin and yang shape. These coins are supposedly great for brewing whole or breaking apart to be brewed for a mini session. Since this tea is mini, I thought ‘why the hell not’ and decided to split my coin apart for a mini session. So is this tea as fun as it looks? Let's dive right in!

Tong Price - $11.50

Steeping Parameters - Half a coin (4g) for a 60ml gaiwan

Brewing Water Temperature - 185º

Steeps 1 - 4

At first, this mini coin gave off a light grassy tasting note, which held a light fruity aftertaste on the tongue. After a few more steeps, the grassy tasting note became stronger and thicker, as a light medicinal tasting note began to make itself known. This tea had a light sweetness that seemed to linger in the mouth.

Steeps 5 - 8

The grassy tasting note began to transform into a hay-like tasting note which left a stronger medicinal aftertaste in the back of the throat. After another few steeps, the fruitiness began to slowly disappear behind a broth-like texture that continued to develop. By the end of the eight steep, the fruitiness was gone and the tea started to taste a little musky.

Steeps 9 - 12

The mini coin’s texture was full-on broth and was more powerful than before. It was so broth-like that it was almost meaty. Anyways, the medicinal tasting notes were strong, as the musky body became heavier and heavier; It could almost be described a light smokiness. By the end of the twelfth infusion, this mini coin was full-broth and was no longer a tea. It was time to say goodbye and end the session here…

Conclusion

Yunnan Sourcing posted an ultra mini tong of sheng and shou puer, and fortunately for me, I was able to come across the mini tong of sheng. One thing I liked about the mini tong of sheng is that its tasting notes kept changing throughout the session, as this coin had more than two faces. Another thing I liked about this coin was that it was heavy in texture, and yet, easy to drink. One aspect about these coins is that they’re pretty easy to break apart for single-brewing, and the material was very clean. However, despite this tea’s size, it was easy to make a lot of tea dust, which could make this session incredibly strong early on in a session.

These mini tongs posted by Yunnan Sourcing are as unique as they are fun, and they have a lot of strength too. Personally, I didn’t feel much energy from these coins. However, they were strong in the mouth and very fun to brew. Overall, this was a new experience, and for around $10.00, you now have an excuse to say that you own a tongs worth of tea…

disclaimer - This tea was sent to me by Yunnan Sourcing for review. Although this tea was sent to me, this review was not paid for, and wasn't shown any mercy when reviewing ;)