I recently tried the 2024 Great Blue Heron by white2tea. Here’s my detailed review of the experience:
Preparation:
- Temperature: 194°F / 90°C
- Time: 2-3s, 5s, 10s
- Tea Amount: 7 g
- Water Volume: 6 oz / 180 mL
Nota Bene
I brewed this tea using my new Yixing “小西施” (Small Xishi) teapot.
First Infusion (2-3s)
Smoked goodness, very pronounced smoked taste already.
Second Infusion (5s)
Anise, biltong, algae, and most importantly, charcoal. No astringency whatsoever, incredibly balanced tea.
Third Infusion (10s)
New astringency, but it’s not predominant yet. What an incredible personality this tea has, it’s very complex, and it constantly evolves. I don’t see the point in going any further, this is great.
Overall Impression
Flavor Complexity: 30/30
This tea is consistently great, with a diverse profile that dares to go rather far. This young sheng puer impresses by its ability to be as interesting as its older brothers.
Brewing Forgiveness: 15/20
I have not tested the brewing forgiveness thoroughly, as per my small sample size, however I am going to assume this is a high quality tea that can be pretty forgiving. I’d still stay around 90-95°C.
Quality Across Infusions: 20/20
The flavors evolve constantly but maintain a coherent profile, perfect mix of evolution and stability.
Overall Enjoyment: 25/30
Incredibly enjoyable tea, with lots of personality and complexity. I cannot recommend it further, I truly was impressed by it and will certainly be buying a cake, it tastes even better than the 2024 Spring Old Arbor Raw Puer by white2tea I tried recently.
My recommendation: Ooooh get this one, perhaps one one of the only teas I will get in a cake form soon!
Rating: 90/100
Flavors: Algae, Anise, Charcoal, Smoked, Tobacco
- yaro