Country of Origin: China
Leaf Appearance: dark green, loosely compressed
Water Temperature: 212 degrees
Steep Time: 30 seconds
Preparation Method: gaiwan
Liquor: orangish gold
White2Tea has been experimenting with smoked puerh, which sounds like it should be an abomination but has been surprisingly good so far. I reviewed Smokeshou a while ago, so it’s time to try a smoked sheng. Pyrolad was grown, processed, and blended in Yunnan and then smoked in Tongmuguan village using a traditional Lapsang Souchong smokehouse. White2Tea’s wrapper art is always thought-provoking. I particularly enjoyed the unnerving Victorian boy playing marbles on this one.
Leaf
2021 Pyrolad was dark green with visible buds scattered throughout the loosely compressed ball. There was a smokey aroma, but it wasn’t overpowering or unpleasant. The leaves unfurled quickly in my gaiwan after a quick rinse. They were surprisingly whole and intact. I prepared this tea gongfu style in a porcelain gaiwan using fully boiling water and a starting infusion time of 30 seconds. That was gradually increased for later rounds.
Liquor
Pyrolad steeped up an orangish gold liquor that deepened in color with subsequent infusions. The initial infusion was very sweet and almost fruity, with an intense but pleasant smokiness. All I could think of was grilled peaches. What the heck? I’ve never encountered a tea quite like it. The second infusion was full-bodied with some added astringency and a lingering smoky sweetness after each sip.
The third round was every smokier and almost mouth-numbing, while the fourth twitched up by being less intense but seriously sweet. Later steeps tended to follow that same trajectory. This tea is definitely a wild ride from beginning to end. You probably need to already be a fan of smokey teas to get into it. There was enough nuance to keep me sipping even when it became a bit much. It’s not nearly as intense as western-market lapsang souchong, so if you can drink that stuff, you’ll get along just fine.
Have you ever tried 2021 Pyrolad? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below!
2021 Pyrolad sample provided for review by White2Tea.
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