SOTD- sheng of the day

[shah8]

This was a pretty good tea weekend, didn't take any notes on anything...

The EoT Douyizhai thermosed better than the XZH Yuanshilin, tho' the later was basically dust, so may not be fair comparison.

The shu of Friday was the 2007 Dengshihai shu, one of its better outings--pretty high end shu. Thin taste without any fermentation depth, but aromatic wood and camphor in aroma and taste, some sort of cherry-ish fruitiness in taste. Good mouthfeel with a certain kind of juiciness in the texture. Mild-mod astringency that's aging and getting slicker. Good mouthcoat. Good qi. Drank a ton of brews, will go a long way.

The first tea of Saturday was the 2022 W2T raw spring liubao. This reinforces my impression that Thaipu and Liubaos are fairly close in character. Thaipu are less concentrated in taste and with more of a penchant for fruitiness. Anyways, this liubao had a notably thick viscosity, with a hayish, dark herbal sort of taste. There's a little bit of qi and aftertaste. This is better than when I drank it soon after I got it. I sort of wish this was sold in a cake format because even so, it's still sort of hard to drink and these guys are near obligate agers in my book.

The second tea of the weekend was the 2013 Baifuzangcang Guzhai Xiangyun again. Clearly more rest was needed because this session was substantially better than the first try, and performed like a very high end tea. The aroma was sort of like before, a kind of musk, wood, and herbal aroma, but it had a lot of depth and nuance. There was a strong and interesting aroma fairly deep into the session. The taste was notably different from the first session in that there was usually a kind of citrus fruitiness, and the dried fruit wrapped around a (still present) bitter core was not there. I didn't pay much attention to mouthfeel, tho' it was quite obviously good enough. The aftertaste was also significantly better in this session than the first, being a rather full range. There was a yiwu huigan segueing to mouthcoat. There were much stronger set of feelings down throat, with a light pungent huigan back up, but also a strong yun at the top of the throat. Probably some mouth aroma as well. The qi was strong and of high quality. Durability was very high, easily made it sixteen brews and still feels like it has more as I put the pot in the fridge after two days of brewing.

The tea of Sunday was an early aughts Liubao from a Malaysian collector, bought privately. It was really good for a Liubao with a notable strength of taste and depth that isn't typical of Liubaos. Most of these teas have a core betel nut/plummy middle. This tea has a bit of plumminess that is subordinate to a depth not unlike what you get with shu made with first or second grade leaves like a Dayi Dragon Pillar (or an aged 7532/0622), and that strong middle has a very nice woody aroma and taste rim wrapped around it. Good mouthfeel with good viscosity and a bit of substantive texture. Aftertastes aren't that impressive, but the qi certainly is. Durability seems to be pretty good. All three teas this weekend had a won't-quit attitude...

 

[shah8]

The two teas continued to not quit through much of the week.

I got some new samples in this past Saturday and did a couple of them this weekend and will do more subsequent weekends.

The shu of Friday was the 2010 XZH Court Shu. This was a tea I've never really have been that fond of and I found a chunk while still thinking of what to drink and went with this. It's pretty good in some senses, but leaves me meh--to a degree. It's a gongting-first grade tea that has the deep punch of such teas, but unusually has a kind of old tea medicinalness that you get from warehoused 7581s--not all of it, just an elbow, so to speak. Along with that, the taste just has a lot more nuance than other deep punching shu. One thing it isn't, is, sweet. I don't really forgive it for not being that sweet in the same way I do the XZH '09 Blessings shu. Good viscosity, a bit of aftertaste and decent qi. Durability is also good. This is expensive and there are a number of better XZH shu at around that price, including '14 Huangyin.

The sheng of Saturday was the 2007 XZH LongFeng. Basically behaves like a ramped up northern Bulang forward 7542.

Aroma is good, and dynamic across the session, again, much like a 7542 would smell, but with an amped up aspect of tobacco and aromatic wood. Taste is very standard northern Bulang profile of plummy, barnyard, bitter-tart tobacco, wood. Mouthfeel is pretty good, with good viscosity and velvet texture early on, while later viscosity improves while the texture is a less stiff pudding. Generally light astringency with a couple of spikes to moderate, all of it productive for aftertastes. The aftertastes are notably superior to the much more expensive XZH '07Yuanshilin even as that tea has a more potent taste and tobacco-woodiness in taste. Good, strong, and lengthy mouthcoat, a bit of yiwu huigan, a bit of mouth aroma, oftentimes good and strong yun, and a slight bit of pungent huigan, so relatively full featured. The mouthcoat lasts deep into the session. Relatively strong qi. Very durable, did something like sixteen or seventeen brews. Very enjoyable session, a touch hard on the tummy still.

I did a shu afterwards, the 2003 EoT GNWL. I didn't have high expectations for this tea, otherwise, I would have bought some myself some time ago, and this session more or less proved me right. Anyways, it's not really very GNWL, but more a fairly straightfoward punch deep gongting loose shu. This doesn't have the sort of floralness/aromatic woodiness that the best of such loose fine shu that people tend to label as GNWL. Instead it's basically a more cola-ish depth with a tcm-bitter rod in it still (after 20 years) and with conventional shu-ish aromas. Good viscosity, a bit of light aftertaste, and a blend of light qi and caffeine effect on body. Decent stuff, and fair value for $100/300g. Truly good loose GNWL or similarly premium shu from the early aughts would have cost much more.

Today I did a mediocre session of Yehgu. I took the luxury of being spoiled by expectations of mindblowing goodness, but it was still good. Complex aroma. Sort of watery/transparent taste that lots of the really good stuff tends to be, has other tastes like choco, sweet herbal, fruity-plummy-blueberry, flavorful bitter, etc notes. The viscosity is very good with a plump texture. light astringency. Did not have a great day aftertaste-wise, including not having much at all of the custard yiwu huigans this tea often can do. Still, some mouthcoat, some light pungent huigan, etc. Very strong qi. Did not push durability, gunna drink this through the week.

I did another recent sample, a dragonball of 2020 XZH Fragrant Dew white tea, made with gushu leaves, or so the claim goes. How was it? Well, I judge this to be similar to something like W2T Marion and is better. I.e., this has the standard shoumei profile with a strong pear sweetness. There is a certain depth already, so, not really a very new white tea, and this depth comes with a bit of bitterness and a slight floralness. This has good mouthfeel, a bit of aftertaste and decent-good qi. It's about $110/cannister of 250g of 8g dragonballs, and is almost sold out, if I understand things correctly. I already have plenty enough baipu, and shoumei puerh has traditionally been pretty close to each other in quality tiers (much better baipu is a measure of subtle differences) so not much point in me getting more, especially since I don't drink my white tea as often as I should. Will say that if I didn't have so much white tea, I would have considered buying some, as these are indeed pretty good even if I'm jaded about it.

 

[shah8]

Yehgu and the white tea does well during the week. Thermosed the white tea as well, and found that it wasn't nearly as fruity pear as gongfu. Decent enough with the only outstanding trait in thermos being good mouthfeel.

The shu of Friday was the 2021 Tsangyun Yong BaoKang (old tree Bangbing [a Dongbanshan Mengku area village]). I did misread the label as banzhang rather than bangbing, so I set my expectations up for a "LBZ" shu like experience. Anyways, I found this tea to be very similar to W2T LoonCall In the Dark, which I was prepared to think of as a "LBZ" shu on the cheap. Even now knowing that the Tsangyun was a Mengku shu, I still think it's very similar to LoonCall. Anyways, it has a strong shu fermentation depth with barnyard and sugar cookie sweetness for aroma and taste early on. There is also a degree of tongueroot biting bitterness. Good viscosity with a bit of grainy texture. Bitterness generates a bit of aftertaste. In later brews the soup rises a bit and bitterness falls, and the core of the taste gets towards a sort of lightly milked choco. Also a creamy raspberry for which there only a hint of early in the session, is stronger in the late session. mild-moderate qi. Durability is okay.

LoonCall is better because of greater viscosity and texture, stronger qi, and a bit more aftertastes. Tsangyun has its own point in that it has a slightly deeper punch with a bitter rod, and overall taste more agreeable, sweet, and friendly. Lower astringency, is good for drinking right now. Looncall is also much cheaper. Of course, it's way too early for both teas to be really sure of the relative merits, need about two more years of settling.

The first tea of the weekend was XZH '09 Golden Needle Fengqing hongchapu. It was something of a disappointment, as that this was a tea that was slightly more expensive than the XZH '09 Godly Dew that I've had, and it wasn't really a better experience, and doesn't really outperform the other really nice hongchapus that I have. This tends to be an elegant tea that is best in the very earliest brews, when it has a nice choco depth and blanket, but when that is gone, the game tends to be that hongchapu plummy core and the nuances within

Aroma has a bit of dynamism. Fruit, wood-> elegant plummy, choco, hint of wood-> plummy, root beer->...->old tea medicinalness, plummy for roughly the rest of the way. In terms of taste, the active phase is determined by the tartness of the plummy. While that plummy is tart, you get a papery-wood rim, with your choice of choco or root beerish dark herbal. When the tartness is gone, the taste is dominated by a plummy with some nuances, often some old tea medicinalness. Mouthfeel is very good, with good viscosity and oily texture, very round in mouth with little to no astringency. Aftertaste consists mostly of a light to moderate mouthcoat (where this tea really underperforms against comparables), and perhaps a light yiwu huigan, particularly very early in the session. The qi is moderate to strong. Durability is decent enough, did about fifteen brews.

Good tea, but it's also $750/250g, and it's not $3/g good.

The second tea is the 2021 YQH Yehyun. Long and short of it is that it's pretty good, not that expensive, and this is reconciled by the fact that it is very bitter. There are aspects that remind me of Thai teas, EoT 2012 Cloud Watching, and in general, it seems to be a kucha of southern tip Bulang along Myanmar border. There are aspects that remind me of the 2010 EoT Mansai when it was young as well.

Aroma has dark herbal, sometimes with an alkaline biscuit-ness/pill-ness that fresh bulangs have, sometimes fruit, and sometimes barnyard. The taste generally follows the aroma with with a strong bitterness. This bitterness tends to have a bright acidity/slight sichuan peppercorn burn associated with it in the mouth. Good viscosity with velvet texture much of the way with light astringency most of the way with a couple of moderate peaks. Aftertaste tends to have a slow yiwu huigan to fruit (especially if you hold that bile in teh mouth long enough), along with some mouthcoats and a penchant for yuns early in the session. Qi is strong-ish of good quality. Extremely durable, it'll be dark and herbal and bitter 20 brews in.

At $135/400g, this is substantially cheaper than say W2T Astro Kittens, tho' I've not had it so I can't fairly compare. Anyways, this is a tea that has a strong and nuanced aroma, strong taste, good mouthfeel, respectable aftertastes and good qi. Teas of this nature would be far more expensive without this tea's tiger nature. As a tea to tong for a newborn's heritage, this is a good idea, even if it will still be bitter when kiddo gets married.

The sheng of Sunday was the 2018 Biyunhao Fengwangwo gushu. Mostly a slight disappointment. My expectations weren't too high, given it's a modern BYH, but one hopes to get a bit more blown away by a $2.something a gram tea. This has the sort of transparent taste as a lot of other seriously gushu teas have, but it doesn't really compare that well to EoT's Rocket Yiwu or YaoZhuDi maocha, never mind the '17 XZH TMS single tree.

This mostly a mushroom with some subtle fruit notes in aroma and taste, with some brews have a bit of a wild honey dark depth to it. Aroma doesn't last that deep into the session. Also in the taste in some brews is a bit of bitterness and wood notes. Taste tends to get more fruity as soup cools. Mouthfeel is good, particularly early, with good viscosity and a licking jade feeling for texture (as with '17 XZH ST), or perhaps you could say a runny, sticky honey texture. Anyways, astringency is generally around on the lighter side of moderate. One early brew had a bit of feeling down throat. Aftertaste game is weak for an elite tea (but then again, the '17 XZH ST also wasn't that strong). The earliest brews are respectable, with mouthcoat, yiwu huigan, mouth aroma, and one very slight pungent huigan, but it quickly decline in the session to a bit of mouthcoat if you get much at all. Qi is very strong early, but seems to fade quickly, either due to habituation or just weakening. I didn't push this tea that hard, maybe twelve brews. Kind of got bored.

Not going to make a final judgement because teas like this tend to do really well during the week, so ultimately, I'll reserve final judgement next week. One side note, the tea was very loosely compressed, so it was easy to get whole leaves, but I consider this a fault in terms of long term storage.

One probable tip for distinguishing a tea that is watery/transparent because of poor quality or really high quality--the aromas of high end gushu tends to be really good with a lot of depth and nuance to explore.

I did one more tea, a sample of the XZH purple bud fragrant dew brick. It is substantially less fruity than the dragonball version. Aroma and taste are typical of good quality white tea. Aftertastes as well. However, the qi was very strong and of good quality for baichapu. I was sufficiently impressed in that regard such that I went ahead an bought a 300g brick at $165.

 

[shah8]

An overall more high end tea weekend this weekend.

Shu of Friday was the trusty '07 Dayi An Xiang.

The first tea of the weekend was the YQH '19 Taiji (and the Yehyun last weekend was '19 and not '21). Taiji is purely a drinker, as evidenced by its relatively low $105/400g price. It has only one high end feature, being a good mouthfeel. I stopped taking notes very quickly.

The aroma tended to have a sort of alkaline consistently. Early aroma is more wild honey, while later aromas is more higher honey with a suggestion of fruit or root herbal. The very early taste had a distinctly wild honey taste with a tcm bitter pole such that I though this tea was a Wangong shengtai or something. I double checked and I see that it's Mengsong. Also, there is a consistent problem in that the taste is notably thin. Anyways, later brews just mostly have a higher honey taste, less bitterness, more mineral, and a touch of fruit. Viscosity is very good with a runny honey texture. Generally mild astringency. What aftertastes there are is generated from bitterness. The qi is light, but it does build by the time one finishes the cup, a bit. I didn't push the tea too hard, did about twelve brews before dumping the leaves. I was told this tea works best with more leaf.

I moved on to a 4g session of a much more interesting tea, the 2012 XZH Risk One's Life, which is purported to be a blend of Bohetang, Guafengzhai, Tongqinghe, and Trigemenial Qing (Walong area). The tea is kind of small and delicate, but it's still really good.

Aroma tended to be really good and dynamic, so: honey-> florals, minerals, and subtle honey->stronger, elegant, dry and savory florals, minerals, honey, fruit-> florals, honey-> florals, fruit->florals, honey-> fruit candy. Taste starts off echoing something similar to classical yiwu with honey and florals. Then a phase with florals, fruit, minerals, sugars, and where bitterness inches itself in. Then a phase of light florals and herbalness, before the last phase of tcm bitter, minerals. The mouthfeel has good viscosity with the usual licking jade sensation of really high end single/few trees productions. Astringency ranges from almost nil to very light. There is a little bit of feeling down throat. The predominant aftertaste are yiwu huigan and mouthcoat, a few brews have a yun build by the end of the cup. A couple of brews have a very subtle pungent huigan. Strong good quality qi that is a bit subtle in earliest brews. I did about twelve brews, and put the gaiwan in the fridge for anticipated weeknight brewing. Quite enjoyed. Not really as good as the 2013 Risk One's Life of the 2014 Hongyins, but still really good.

Today, I did the 2022 XZH Elegance of the Century Chawangbing, a few trees Nannuo production. Despite how low-key Nannuos are, this was thoroughly enjoyed, and consider the purchasing price fair in light of today's access to high quality gushu and how much what we actually can get generally costs.

Aroma is sort of dynamic, so: mushroom of the menghai type, light honey, alkaline-> dark herbal with choco tones-> dark herbal, Menghai honey-> mushroom with a sweet herbal hint-> mushroom and sugars->mineral, mushroom, and herbal-> sweet herbal. Taste was a pretty standard Nannuo taste, not particularly as green shengy as the age implies: Menghai mushroom, honey, slight fruitiness-> mushroom and dark herbal->rises to mushroom honey, and not as dark herbal->mushroom and choco->mushroom and herbal. The taste was generally pretty solid and nuanced, too. Viscosity is very good with velvet texture. Astringency most of the time is low with a couple of brews with higher levels. Aftertaste is generally a yiwu huigan that segues rapidly to mouthcoat, which can build nicely to oftentimes fruity notes. Some notable cooling. The qi is of really good quality and is strong. I wasn't too aggressive pushing this, about twelve, and there should be plenty left for my week.

Totally a tea worthy of being purchased for a newborn. While unlike Yehyun, it won't be super potent, it will still age into something pretty delectable. I was also thinking about gushu costs, too. This was $812 from the source. It's a bit bigger, richer in taste, and more nuanced than the EoT '11 Douyizhai, which only cost $55/400g at the time. The qi is better quality, too. However, the EoT does have somewhat better aroma and maybe aftertastes. However, the EoT is probably going to be less reliably good than this tea. I also thought about the 2009 XZH Pasha. Less rich and mellow, more potent, and capable of more dramatic aftertastes with pungent huigans. Also distinctly less reliably excellent.

 

[shah8]

2012 XZH Risk One's Life was routinely fairly bitter in weekday brewing--of course due to more casual brewing effort, but hmm, it really has a bitter core. Elegance of the Century performed well, particularly in the sense that the quality of the qi was consistently very good.

The shu of Friday was the 2018 XZH Carefree. I really like this one with strong good quality qi, relatively strong yiwu huigan, and good mouthfeel. Taste wasn't super exciting, but it was reasonably rich... Also fairly durable for a shu.

The sheng of Saturday was the 2006 XZH Youle. Relatively different from the last time, and really not like the TW stored version, and having me asking whether the magnum has different material compared to the 400g cakes. Youle tends to have a banzhang, small-leaf (yibang, jingmai, et), and yiwu poles, and this session swung a lot to the banzhang pole, with one overbrewed-on-account-of-clogged-pot brew having that dark-tart tobacco taste of banzhang and other northern bulang mountain teas.

Anways. Not a strong aroma this time around, and not that much wood or camphor in aroma or taste. Taste tends to be cooked down fruit or apricot with barnyard depth and a light wood rim. Early brews have choco, and there was that banzhangy brew. Later brews basically simplified towards apricot with some mineral. Mouthfeel was good with good viscosity and a bit velvety texture. There was really strong feeling at top of the throat and going down throat. Some pungent huigan coming back up. Very good yiwu huigan and mouthcoat. Qi was very strong and of high quality. I probably drank about eighteen to twenty brews.

This was an unusually high quality session that really has me thinking of first rank teas. Much strong feeling in throat, stronger qi, and a bit stronger aftertastes than usual. Early brews were slightly richer in taste. Only downside was the aroma wasn't big and engaging.

The sheng of Sunday was a 7542 from the time period of the 88QB, clearly dry stored, and originated from Malaysia. It was pretty good, with a very high peak in a certain way, but this session wasn't as good as Saturday, and probably not as good as my 2001 Simplified Yun.

Seems to have an aroma for about six brews before I stopped taking notes on it--anyways, wet hay, wood, mineral, and sour plumminess is the predominant character, with early brews having some choco tones. The later brews tend to be wood and plummy and declining towards a high plummy, mineral in late aroma. The taste starts off with the standard dry storage sourness for about three brews. Wood, wet hay, plummy with occasional choco in taste early, then there is a really strong peak taste of wood and a rich plummy that gives a strong sense of drinking a very rich red wine. After that, the richness declines to a plumminess with mineral and wood. Strongly brewed late brews bring back some plummy and choco for a couple of brews, before being a thin 7542 style plummy the rest of the way. The very earliest and late brews have thick viscosity with sticky pudding texture. Viscosity lowers after the first couple of brews into good with velvet texture. There is a notable light-mod astringency in a couple of early brews but most brews have very low astringency. Early brews have some feeling down throat, and one later brew had a nice lengthy cooling feeling at top of throat. The aftertaste game isn't that strong in terms of volume. Early brews have the seemless yiwu-huigan-mouthcoat. Astringency tends to produce a long lasting mouthcoat. Yiwu huigan on its own tended to be very light and subtle. After five brews, aftertaste game weakens a lot, with a light mouthcoat being the main feature. Brewing with a heavy hand late brings back some more yiwu huigan. The qi is good quality at moderate to strong level. Active phase is pretty short, but otherwise, durability is pretty good, about the same as yesterday's Youle.

Wet leaf smelled great in between brews.

Definitely worth having, but far too expensive for what it is. Also, the broadness of the taste (while the nature of the taste is relatively similar with classic 7542 plummy) is dissimilar to later 7542s--it's not super-gushu-y, but it's definitely not taidi. I certainly wouldn't expect 90's or aughts, especially post 2003 to age in an especially similar way (heh, reading Half-Dipper notes on 88QB sez same!).

2001 Simplified has better durability, better aroma, stronger qi, and stronger, better aftertastes. Lots more bitter, doesn't has the same level peak taste...

 

[chattea]

Drinking 90s 8972, considered to be a high-quality and sought-after tea among puer enthusiasts, due to its rich and complex flavor profile and the unique character that comes with aging. The tea is known to develop even more depth and complexity with additional years of storage, making it a favorite among collectors and connoisseurs.

• A dark, reddish-brown liquor with a smooth and mellow taste
• Rich and earthy notes of damp soil, leather, and forest floor
• Hints of sweetness, such as caramel or molasses
• A velvety texture that coats the tongue and mouth
• As the tea steeps, it may develop flavors of dried fruit or nuts, such as raisins or almonds
• The aftertaste is long and satisfying, with a subtle bitterness that lingers on the palate.

 

[shah8]

During the week, the 88QB didn't give very many good brews, this tea is sort of lower in durability than most elite teas, might be its weakest point.

The shu of Friday was the 2007 Dengshihai shu. It was good enough. Aroma was decent, the taste was a bit less agreeable than usual, with less refined or sweet fruity notes. Aftertaste and qi at about the accustomed level.

I dedicated this weekend on a couple of older Menghai teas to help me evaluate how valuable the 88QB is, and the degree of hype involved in inflating its reputation.

The first tea of the weekend was the 2003 Bulang Jingpin. This gave a very high end gushu performance, and is probably overall better than the 88QB.

Aroma tended to have a sort of combination rum and port character in the first half of the session along with wood. Sometime choco and barnyard depth is there as well. In the latter part of the session, it is more often a kind of dark plummy and wood. One brew had a nice tobacco and wood aroma. Cups usually retain aroma well with this tea. The taste usually has a bit of the rum/port found in the aroma, a slight bitter pole, wood, and occasionally a bit of dark tobacco. The late taste is a dark, vaguely winey plumminess with a bit of wood. The viscosity of the soup is good to very good with velvet texture, and astringency is at moderate level, but is productive. This had a strong feeling down the throat for most of the session with earlier brews having a not very violent, shallow pungent huigan coming back up. There is also typically a strong, sort of active yun. Astringency produces some yiwu huigan, lightly in the early session, but late session had some of that kahlua that I really like (that XZH Taiji Black and Xishangjiaxi shu has). Mouthcoat is pretty consistent through most of the session. Qi is strong and of high quality. Durability is excellent, with solid aftertaste game lasting at least ten brews, and many more brews with a solid taste, say for a total of about eighteen before I decide to toss it out for the next day's tea.

2003 tea beats 88QB easily in aroma, aftertaste, the qi is a bit stronger, durability is better, and has a more agreeable taste. 88QB has that super strong core taste qualities, with somewhat better mouthfeel. 2003 Bulang Jingpin, in comparison to '06 XZH like the Youle, has a mildly to moderately strong density of taste. This is easily better than '06 YQH LBZ, '05 and '07 CYH LBZ, and CSH LBZ mostly on account of outstanding aftertaste game. '05 CYH and to a lesser degree, CSH LBZ has a stronger core taste. This tea seems to have been rolled pretty hard, but is generally made up of whole leaves somewhat similar to a normal boutique cake.

The second tea of the weekend used to evaluate 88QB is my own 2001 Simplified Yun 7542. This session wasn't as good or maybe it was even with the 88QB. Most of the material came from vertical middle of the bing, so there was a lot of mash with few big leaves. The taste wasn't as dense and rich or nuanced, and the other aspects didn't compensate enough for this deficiency.

Aroma was a strong point, with aromatic wood, wood, slight wet hay, wine-plum, and less ammonia punch than there used to be in much of the session, with a changeover to wood and plummy in the late session aroma. Early taste is generally a dark mineral-plummy with a bitter-tartness to it. Later taste is a dark, mineral plummy with wood, mostly. Sometimes a hint of choco comes up. Because the material was a mash, the soup was very cloudy for the first three or so brews. Good viscosity with runny honey texture. Early session had some silty feeling. Starts off with moderate astringency and fades as the session goes on. There is some brews that give electric feeling in front of mouth as well as a bit of feeling down throat. A strong cooling feeling in a brew or two. There are slight pungent huigans early, slight yiwu huigan and a decent mouthcoat. One brew had an aggressive moving tart mouthcoat that was worth savoring. Strong qi, decent to good quality. Durability is very good. Qi does fade and not recover after a rest, and there isn't much aftertaste late, but this tea does seem to deliver a reasonably strong taste very deep into a session, and I did about fifteen to eighteen brews before being ready to put the pot into the fridge.

While it has some similarities to the 88QB in taste, like wet hay aspect, the 2001 tea is much darker and yancha minerally. 2001 isn't as dense and rich as the 88QB, tho' it does do fine in the context of general pre-2004 7542s and has a stronger core taste compared to the Bulang Jingpin as well. 2001 Aroma is much better, but has a bit less viscosity and is much more astringent. It also has more aftertastes, but not really by that significant a degree. Qi is about the same, 2001 is stronger, but less quality.

 

[chattea]

Drinking Xizihao 2014 Hongyin, a type of Pu-erh tea that has been aged for several years, resulting in a complex and rich flavor profile. Overall, Xizihao 2014 Hongyin is a well-balanced and complex Pu-erh tea that is sure to delight tea lovers who appreciate the unique flavor and aroma of aged teas.

1. Aroma: The aroma of Xizihao 2014 Hongyin is earthy and woody, with hints of dried fruit and spices. The aroma is deep and complex, with a slightly sweet undertone.
2. Flavor: The flavor of this Pu-erh tea is smooth and mellow, with a well-balanced mix of earthy and fruity notes. The initial taste is slightly sweet, with hints of dried fruit and honey, followed by a slightly bitter and earthy finish. There are also subtle hints of spices and wood that add complexity to the flavor.
3. Mouthfeel: The mouthfeel of Xizihao 2014 Hongyin is smooth and silky, with a slight astringency that adds depth to the flavor. The tea leaves a pleasant and lingering aftertaste that is both sweet and earthy.

 

[shah8]

Wonder what happens if this thread actually hits 400 pages?

Did a thermos of 2019 XZH Taiji. Renoted to myself just how similar lincangs and some menghai teas taste when young, reminded myself of my perplexed consideration of whether W2T's We Go High was lincang or menghai. This Taiji did behave like We Go High, and most of the Taijis after this one does involve banzhang. Hmmm.

The shu of Friday was the 2012 XZH loose Pasha shu. Relatively boring, and performs a bit less good than my original try. A not-particularly-sweet shu like the '09 XZH Blessings, with a more nannuo carroty base/depth, and a heavy rotten wood rim. Decent mouthfeel, a decent-good bit of mouthcoat that tends to last in mouth, and mild-moderate qi.

The first sheng of the weekend was the 2009 XZH Yinfeng Pekoe, a tippy Yangta Jinggu. It was a really good session with only a couple of weaknesses-the taste is thin as most Jinggus are, and durability, particularly of more fun parts, is not great either. Flip side is that this is pretty close to how some teas that are sold as Bingdaos are and at a high level such that any comparable Mengku (with their somewhat thicker taste, natch) would probably not be at all accessible or affordable to the large or vast majority of people. (thinking on it, 2014 XZH Lanyin, Luyin aren't horribly priced--for example, they are clearly better than the 2013 XZH Lao Wu Shan, which is the same price. XZH northern teas are priced pretty close together without much discrimination with regard to overall quality)

Aroma tends to be a light fruit (pear and plum) and wood, with dark honey showing up here and there. Late aroma is mineral with a bit of dark honey and wood, and a touch of fruit as well. Soft and subtle wild honey, chicory, fruit, and wood notes in most of the session for taste, with late session being more mineral and wood. Subtle bitter pole as well, and amount of fruit tends to follow amount of bitterness. Viscosity is at good to generally very good levels with a texture that's kind of velvet-runny honey or gelatin, maybe. The very early brews have low astringency, but this tea usually has low-side-of-moderate astringency. This sheng has potent feeling down throat in much of the session, some electric-mouth in the front of the mouth early in the session. Some brews had nice active cooling feeling in mouth. There is pungent huigan aftertaste coming back up in a good chunk of brews, along with a very nice and active feeling wine mouthcoat early in the session. Mouthcoat is more normal later in the session. The potent feeling in throat and pungent huigan tends to leave a long lasting yun at the top of the throat. Yiwu huigan tended to be subtle earlier and more overt late. The qi was pretty strong and of good quality. The durability was pretty good, but one really has about five really good brews before it kind of shifts gears to a more plain taste that still had some stuff on offer. I took a very long time with those five-seven brews, though.

The second tea of Saturday was finishing off most of the rest of the sample of W2T Zero Sum white tea sample, 4g, in order to evaluation compared to the XZH teas. The XZH teas win pretty handily as all around tea, in particular, both XZH white teas have more full-bodied taste. However, Zero Sum did not do that badly, and is more aggressively agreeably sweet in taste. I noticed a cassia element in the taste here and there, much like a Baihao or a Rougui yancha, thus, I take into consideration on whether Zero Sum has white tea made with yancha leaves, which would explain the expense of the cakes. Guizhou white is clear a large, maybe majority chunk of the blend...

Aroma and taste early has a white sweetness similar to rice pudding with a depth of dark herbal pumpkinseed and a bit of wood. White sweetness fades and is replaced by a bit more normal honey sweetness with the same depth as before and no wood. Good viscosity, round feeling in mouth with low astringency. Has a combo yiwu huigan-mouthcoat in a way similar to yancha as well, but that normally is because of roast, Anyways, the aftertaste is stronger with longer and more aggressive brews like you'd expect. Mild to moderate (more moderate level, usually) strength qi. Durability is notably good for white tea.

Generally still think this was well worth buying and storing. About five more years to go before attacking that cake. In general tho', it is very hard to make white tea that clearly stands above other well made teas. Old Whitey still performs really well compared to more expensive W2T blends like Old Arbor or The Conversation Pt 2. The difficulting in making standout tea is also why l like the Guizhou stuff--different and good on its own terms.

The teas of Sunday were more low key. 2008 XZH Shuangxi Lingmen, which was a bit on the underwhelming side, but was still a very good casual lowkey and mellow high end session. Definitely not as good as '09 Yinfeng Pekoe. Does have a bit more body in taste.

The second tea for Sunday was W2T's Inverse heicha. It's very yeast-wild-mushroomy, particularly early on, wood, and what feels like a huangpian mineral-green sheng-fruitiness in aroma and taste. A tiny bit of smoke very early. Some brews have a depth in the taste with choco tones. Good viscosity, albumin, silt for texture for obvious reasons probably relating to the golden flowers. Light astringency. Light mouthcoat. Moderate qi. I drunk each brew really fast. There isn't much in any cup that really slows me down, even if these drinks are enjoyable. Also a bit too huangpianny for me. I definitely wonder how long term aging with the aid of golden flowers will cut that tart metalic edge. I definitely will try the all-huangpian Goldfu brick at some point, tho'.

 

[chattea]

88 Qingbing is a type of Pu-erh tea that is highly sought after by tea connoisseurs due to its rich and complex flavor profile. Here are some tasting notes for this tea: Overall, 88 Qingbing is a complex and flavorful Pu-erh tea that is sure to delight tea lovers who appreciate the unique taste and aroma of aged teas. It is a perfect choice for those who enjoy bold and full-bodied teas with a rich and complex flavor profile. Aroma: The aroma of 88 Qingbing is rich and earthy, with hints of leather, tobacco, and spices. There are also subtle notes of dried fruit and honey that add complexity to the aroma. Flavor: The flavor of this Pu-erh tea is bold and full-bodied, with a well-balanced mix of sweet and earthy notes. The initial taste is sweet, with hints of dried fruit and honey, followed by a slightly bitter and earthy finish. There are also notes of wood, leather, and tobacco that add depth to the flavor. Mouthfeel: The mouthfeel of 88 Qingbing is smooth and silky, with a slight astringency that adds depth to the flavor. The tea leaves a long and pleasant aftertaste that is both sweet and earthy.

 

[chattea]

Drinking a 1950s Laocong Shuixian. This tea is highly prized for its unique flavor and aroma, which have developed over many years of aging.

• Aroma: The aroma of this 1950s Laocong Shuixian tea is complex and rich, with notes of caramel, honey, and dried fruits. There are hints of smoke and leather, as well as a subtle floral note, similar to orchids or lilacs.
• Flavor: The flavor of this 1950s Laocong Shuixian tea is full-bodied and rich, with a smooth, velvety texture. There are notes of caramel, honey, and dried fruits, as well as a subtle smokiness and a hint of mineral flavor. Some people also detect a subtle spiciness, reminiscent of cinnamon or cloves.
• Aftertaste: The aftertaste of a 1950s Laocong Shuixian tea is long-lasting and pleasant, with a sweet and slightly spicy finish. There are lingering notes of caramel, honey, and dried fruits, as well as a subtle smokiness or earthiness.

Overall, this 1950s Laocong Shuixian tea is a complex and sophisticated tea that can be enjoyed on its own or paired with a variety of foods, such as roasted meats, nuts, or dark chocolate. The aged flavor and aroma of this tea make it a special and highly sought-after variety among tea enthusiasts.

 

[shah8]

Okay, a package came this weekend, and did a few new things, and samples will be ongoing for a few weekends...

W2T Inverse heicha lasted a ton of brews during the week. Zero Sum also had a few more than expected with good sweet tastes.

The shu of Friday was the 2014 Myanmar shu that was pressed in Menghai, sold by Teaside. I have pretty consistently not liked border tea shu that much because the taste is generally "thin" in a way that is off to me. It's not thin-thin, but something something watery. This shu isn't an exception. However, it's a pretty decent shu for the money, being a sweet shu with a dried fruit core on a mild caramel background and a bit of wood. Late long infusions tend to bring forth an increasingly unpleasant bitterness. Decent mouthfeel. A bit of mouthcoat. There is a sort of a strong, but low quality qi.

The first tea of Saturday was the 2009 XZH Diangu Iron. Thoroughly enjoyed as always. Interesting to me, the 2009 XZH Yingfeng Pekoe was kind of better than the Diangu overall in the same way the '03 Bulang Jinpin was better than the 88QB--Diangu had big and strong taste, big aroma, great mouthfeel, but qi is a touch less than Yinfeng Pekoe and is dramatically inferior to the Yinfeng in terms of aftertaste game, particularly in the throat.

Aroma and taste are pretty much your standard Diangu profile with that milan dancang fruitiness, a slight tendency to woodiness, and a broad alkaline nature, say a cousin to biscuits. There is a strong capacity for bitterness, which tends to generate a little floral mouth aroma early in the session. Very good viscosity with a slightly silty, velvety texture. Aftertastes are pretty much all in the mouth. A bit of jasmine mouth aroma early, yiwu huigan to both a sugars taste and sensate sweetness, and mouthcoat. These aftertaste do tend to be at least a little dynamic. Strong qi, good quality. This is very durable, about 17 brews and wasn't done by the time I through it out for Sunday's tea.

I find it really interesting that only the '07 450g Diangu had a strong tendency for woodiness. There really is a pretty wide variance for Diangus, even for the same year. The Diangu Chen '09, for example is much more of a mangomy with a bit of wood-alkaline taste, more flat and mellow.

I got in that 300g XZH white tea brick in and promptly packed it unopened (for at least a bunch of years) with the rest of the teas, and looked at the other teas...

The other major thing I bought was the 2008 Diangu shu in maocha form, and I went ahead and tried that, despite the lack of rest. Long story short, this is a low grade (large leaf) tea with intact, not particularly firmly rolled or damaged in any other way tea. That is, this maocha is pretty reluctant to release flavors. Long brews are best.

When I bought the cannister, I was thinking of the aroma and taste probably being like the Dengshihai '07 shu that I have a tong of, but it is more like the big leaf Xiaguan shu, very herby-medicinal-ginsengy, and generally thin in taste without really long brews. Soup is unusually crystal clear and sort of pretty. Really good mouthfeel, very much like Diangu sheng, very good viscosity and a plump, juicy feeling for texture. Primary aftertaste is a yiwu huigan much like the sheng in that turn to sensate sweet sweet taste. Can develop long lasting mouthcoat after cup is finished. Qi is very strong, not many stronger shu qi out there. Very durable. Gotta note that there is a strong storage element in the first couple or so brews. May as well be an aggressive rinser of this tea. This is somewhat a novelty item, but I think I will have no regrets buying this one.

In between previously mentioned teas was the 2016 XZH poison hongchapu dragonball. It's decent enough. Aroma and taste are intensely malty/Ovaltine. Other notes tends to be choco and a bit of berry and hongcha plummy. There can be a slight bitter-tartness Very solid taste for a hongchapu. Mouthfeel is good, thick and smooth. Not much aftertaste at all, though, and not much qi. Generally not so interested in something that malty and want more aftertaste and qi. Would be happier with W2T hongchapu.

The sheng of Sunday was the 2016 Chenyuanhao Chawangshu. Much more expensive than it is worth. The big problems are that it doesn't have that much aftertaste game, and only a modest amount of qi. Next, the aroma and taste are not of traditional Chawangshu profile, instead being more like the yibangy Mansa like BHT and TMS--generally a bold dark herbal taste with a caramel-toffee sweetness. However, this isn't as elegant or as fun in general like those teas. I also compared it to the idea of a 2004 YQH Dingjipin that is fully potent with first pick leaves and more higher leaf grades and tips and with more careful selection of trees. What are the good parts? The taste is bold, strong, and big. The mouthfeel is topnotch with thick viscosity and runny honey texture. The durability seems good, and it has a rod of bitterness, particularly if you brew it hard, that suggests it will age alright. However, in my mind, there are many better alternatives--2016 XZH Wild Orchid has a deep punch early, and thins faster, but there is more going on, at least in the early brews of the sessions, and it's much cheaper. Or 2010 YQH Shenyun Tiancheng can give you much the same experience (but way better qi, aftertaste) at about the same price of about $2 per gram last I was aware of prices.

In aroma, dark herbal is present early but fades. In general the main component of the aroma is a caramel-toffee spectrum. There can be a bit of plumminess and of wood. Aroma doesn't last very long as a significant feature, about six brews. The taste is dark herbal, a touch of wood rim, and broad caramel-toffee. There can be plummy and mineral notes later in the session. With firm brewing, a bitter note will show up. There is nothing about the taste that slows me down, though, and I drank most cups quickly. The mouthfeel has a thick viscosity and runny honey texture. Early brews have light astringency before bumping up to moderate and slowly declining from there. Main aftertaste is a bit of lingering mouthcoat. Mild to moderate qi. Durability seems good but I've only done about 14 brews or so before putting it in the fridge.

I did one more tea this weekend, another XZH warehouse dumping--a 2009 Jinggu loose yueguanbai-like maocha. This has a very unusual aroma and taste that is at least partially from the storage--a sort of fried green peas, fried okra, generally fried veggie protein sort of thing, replete with a burnt bean charriness. The protein sort of gets milder and leaves a more medicinal tea with ceylon/plummy honcha underneath. There can be a slight tart bitterness that bites at tongueroots. Decent-good viscosity. Capable of small yiwu huigan to honey sweetness. Qi is at moderate. I didn't push the tea that much, while the novelty was interesting early, it wore on me a bit...

Whew! a long one.

 

[shah8]

The 2016 CYH Chawangshu didn't last that long in extended brewing...

2008 Diangu shu thermoses very well. This is a pretty high end shu, but you really need to be concerned about extracting from recalcitrant leaves. Thick pots, heated often with water, etc...

The shu of Friday was the 2022 XZH Heaven's Legacy No. 2. It's decent enough, but thoroughly in keeping within the quality range XZH is generally interested in, in terms of shu. It's interesting to me that XZH seems to be more interested in punching above the level of W2T when it comes to white tea, but not so much new shu. Anyways, it's a 70% fermented Nannuo shu that has been rested to remove much of the wodui. So it's pretty nice and has a touch of closeness to how a southern Nannuo sheng would age. Kind of dark/root herbal, dried fruit, fermentation in taste. Aroma is generally on the lighter side, but is capable of some refined wood character. Not too much aftertaste, but does have a high quality moderate level qi.

The first sheng of the weekend was the 2019 XZH Middle Path. This is a blended Manzhuan tea with Manzhuang and Walong (both maocha from 2014) in it. It starts out soft in the way of tea that's been a touch too oxidized, but the hongcha is drunk up pretty quickly so it isn't that bad. I also think that this is mostly a Manzhuang tea that went into the reject/benchwarmer pile, and brought back up later with a bit of that good Walong that propped up so many of the good 2014 teas. I had low expectations because this tea isn't that expensive, only about $.72 a gram (even though places like Tea-Encounter sells Zhensilong at around $.50 a gram), legit Manzhuan can be pretty expensive and the best stuff costs about as much as good Yiwu from most areas. However, I definitely enjoyed it more than I expected, and find it a pretty fair value. I certainly enjoyed it more than than I did the 2016 Chawangshu last weekend essentially because of stronger aftertaste game and more feeling in throat. Also stronger qi.

Early aroma had a bit of an interesting powder-musk barnyard aroma before faltering to a general low plummy aroma the rest of the way and with mineral late. Early taste is plummy with a touch of fruit accent, some of the plummy honcha-like, along with woodsap, wood, and occasional barnyard. A bit later, bitterness and choco tones enter the picture, but late brews are just plummy with a bit of woodsap in taste. Viscosity is good, with a light velvet texture. Astringency is moderate through most of the session. There is a slight bit of feeling going downt throat, especially in a mid session cup. Aftertastes starts off light with a bit of yiwu huigan and mouthcout, but while the bitterness is going, that and the astringency promotes a stronger mouthcoat with a bit more yiwu huigan. There is also a bit of mouth aroma and one cup had a yun. Late brews has a mouthcoat, which can linger after cup. Qi is moderate-strong and of pretty decent quality. Durability is sufficient, I stopped at about 15-16 brews and it might have gone more if I had time.

This is not an exciting tea, more of an elite drinker, and it does its job well.

The second tea of Saturday was the 2008 XZH Poison. It's a lower grade leaf size Fengqing compared to the '09 Golden Needle (and has relatively little to do with 2016 Poison). This was a pretty good black tea, but it costs too much at $3/g.

Aroma has a penchant to have a pleasantly sweaty shirt element with hongcha plummy, wood. There is also a tendency to have a fermented grape note. Taste tends to be hongcha plummy, choco depth, and wood. Viscosity is good, and the texture is plump and juicy with little astringency. Aftertastes include a subtle yiwu huigan often to fermented grape and subtle mouthcoat. Strong qi. Durability is pretty good for a black tea, but I didn't push that too far, maybe 12-14 brews, but it's in the fridge for the week.

The first tea of Sunday was the 2019 XZH The Reserved. It's a Yangta Jinggu done in a rustic way. I compared it alot with the '09 Xicongtianxiang sheng version and a certain Jinggu blend of spring and fall material from the early teens. I liked it fine, but not as much as the cheaper Middle Path, and I also got to wondering why this tea was more expensive than Middle Path with its more highly esteemed maocha origins. I think it's because this is a full-bodied taste tea, and it sure seems that teas with strong taste tends to be more valued than teas with great aftertaste games. Oh well, but I love teas like '09 Yingfeng Pekoe much more.

Anyways...
Aroma is artisinal clay, hint of fruit underneath it, and with a sharp wood/woodsmoke rim much of the way, with more variance towards poles of mushroom, fruit, or wood late in the session. Broad mushroom, artisinal clay, and wood/smoke rim generally speaking in taste. There is occasional bitterness, and late brew has a more dominant mushroom/toasted grain character. Very good viscosity with runny honey texture along with light astringency. Light yiwu huigan to generally sensate sweetness, and a light mouthcoat for aftertaste. Qi is at moderate to strong, but not too distinct. Durability seems okay, but it was a bit boring so I didn't push it.

My impression is that this tea is mostly intended for aging, with an eye towards something like the '07 XZH Shangpin, Changtai Jinzhushan and other aged Kuzhushans.

I did one final black tea. 2021 Laocong Diaoqiao Tongmuguan black tea from DaXueJiadao. This is also fairly expensive for my taste at over a dollar a gram. This is a low grade leaf--relatively large leaf, so more prone to be weakish in flavor? Anyways, not a surprise vendor suggest a finish-off simmer. Anyways, what special about it to me is a sort of incense wood note at the center of a thin hongcha-plummy soup. The broader character in the background is a pretty standard hongcha-made-from-oolong-varietal. Pronounced tendency for electric-mouth feeling. Viscosity is mostly just enough to a bit better than that. Very light yiwu huigan and mouthcoat. A blend of light-mod qi and caffeine.

whew!

 

[chattea]

Appearance: Deep, dark, and rich color with a slight reddish hue.

Aroma: Sweet and earthy with a subtle smokiness that lingers in the nose.

Taste: Full-bodied and complex with notes of dark chocolate, molasses, and a hint of spice. The smokiness is more pronounced in the taste, but not overpowering, providing a pleasant contrast to the sweetness of the tea.

Overall impression: This aged Zhengshan Xiaozhong is a rare and exquisite tea that has aged beautifully. Its rich and complex flavors and aromas are a testament to the care and skill of the tea growers and producers in the Wuyi Mountains. This tea is perfect for savoring on a cold, rainy day, and will leave a lasting impression on any tea connoisseur who has the pleasure of tasting it.

 

[TWoloszyn]

Appearance: Deep, dark, and rich color with a slight reddish hue.

Aroma: Sweet and earthy with a subtle smokiness that lingers in the nose.

Taste: Full-bodied and complex with notes of dark chocolate, molasses, and a hint of spice. The smokiness is more pronounced in the taste, but not overpowering, providing a pleasant contrast to the sweetness of the tea.

Overall impression: This aged Zhengshan Xiaozhong is a rare and exquisite tea that has aged beautifully. Its rich and complex flavors and aromas are a testament to the care and skill of the tea growers and producers in the Wuyi Mountains. This tea is perfect for savoring on a cold, rainy day, and will leave a lasting impression on any tea connoisseur who has the pleasure of tasting it.

Are you referencing the 1985 Yanxun Xiaozhong from DXJD in this post? Or something else entirely? It seems some of your review wasn't copied over/loaded.

 

[chattea]

Are you referencing the 1985 Yanxun Xiaozhong from DXJD in this post? Or something else entirely? It seems some of your review wasn't copied over/loaded.

While I cannot confirm whether or not the tea being described in the review is the same as the Yanxun Xiaozhong from DXJD, I can say that what I drank is a delicious and complex tea that would be a treat for any tea lover.

 

[shah8]

Poison, The Reserved, and unexpectedly Laocong Diaoqiao performed well in lengthy long brews, with the black tea upped a bit in esteem. Do think this black tea is one of those that is fairly sensitive to brewing skill.

YQH '04 Teji gave me an outstanding thermos. This is quite a good puerh with fairly strong long term aging prospects in my mind.

The shu of Friday was 2020 W2T Nameless. Again, outside of about three brews with a touch of choco and tcm bitter depth assist, sort of a thin shu. Decent aroma. Taste is primarily something between cooked down fruit sauch and dried fruit with a small nice aromatic wood rim. Relatively good mouthcoat aftertaste and good qi. In comparison, XZH Heaven's Legacy 2 shu has a much denser taste, a touch better aroma overall with specifically good moments that doesn't last, and qi about the same strength but maybe higher quality. Aftertaste is weaker than Nameless.

The sheng of Saturday was the XZH 2022 Drunk. I can find mention of a fall 2021 Drunk but no mention of a 2022 drunk in Sanhetang related links. Anyways, this is a Heshangsi (probably Dashisi?) Xiaojinggu dominated blend that is meant to stimulate Bingdao teas. Yeah, this is similar to the more alkaline Bingdaos out there. I also find it to be similar to 2017 Peach Drunk without the tweaks that give the tea peachiness. Ultimately, like my previous tries of Peach Drunk and '17 Rushing/Maniac, this Drunk, while ageable as any lincang puerh could be, I percieve to be more or less a fancy green tea when taking opportunity costs with other teas (say, last week's XZH) more suited for aging. Peach drunk is the better tea as well, obvious given that it costs more than twice as much.

Aroma often has alkaline biscuit, like many fresh Menghai teas, alkaline florals in most brews. Sweet florals are in a few brews, and sugars are in a few brews. The taste has a background of soft, green sheng, upon which a kind of thin chicory depth, and biscuit in firm-handed brews. Later infusions has a sugars/sensate sweetness aspect to it. Good viscosity with a light runny honey texture, and a generally light astringency. Tends to be good at cooling feeling. Many brews have a yiwu huigan to sugars/sweetness, as well as mouthcoats that can have fruit and lingers well after cup is done. A few have a yun. Moderate to strong qi. Durability seems okay, but I got relatively bored quickly with this tea. Also found that it does better for me with considerably more firm-handed brewing--less nuanced sophistication and more biscuit flavor.

Then I did the Daxue Jiadao 2022 Lincang Gushu Danzhu. Blurb sez it's from a single tree ancient tree. Material clearly is a wild tea. Well, could be, but it's not that potent for a quality wild tea hongcha, particularly in terms of qi. The 2017 YQH wild tree hongcha is very similar and blows this Daxue Jiadao take out of the water. Essentially the only thing today's hongcha does "better" is that it has a deeper taste with choco around that core, if not necessarily actually stronger tasting. It's otherwise inferior in every other way. Not a particularly good value in the scheme of things. I'd certainly take it over 2016 XZH Poison, but that's not saying much, and this wouldn't beat W2T Astro Red or Schedule X overall, despite the strength of taste advantage.

Aroma and taste have varying proportions of rosehip, a certain wild tea gameyness, and wood. Taste also has choco. Slight tcm bitter. Good viscosity with again, a runny honey/pudding texture with generally very light-light astringency. There is a bit of mouthcoat aftertaste. There isn't that much qi, but what qi there is does feel like wild tea qi and lasts a bit after cup is done as well. Very durable, but again, not hugely anxious to extract every last bit.

The sheng of Sunday was the 2008 ChenYuanHao Yiwu Yiehsheng Jingcha 400g. This was excellent, and I peg this as a Fengwangwo like what the 2014 XZH Hongyin mostly is, or the 2018 BYH Fengwangwo. Not entirely worldbeating, but in the scheme of things, not a lot of better teas out there, but this is a contestant for best CYH tea, and for sure, best CYH Yiwu gushu style tea. One thing I noted about Fengwangwo is that it shares with the Bohetang type teas with a very dynamic aftertaste, even if BHT types are usually much more floral and bright fruity in aroma and taste.

This is a somewhat dynamic tea in terms of aroma and taste. Aroma has Cream of Mushroom, light green herbal->wood, root herbal, light mushroom base->wood, wild honey, and root herbal->subtle dark honey, herbal, citrus->wild honey, choco, citrus, a little root herbal->mushroom, citrus, dark tcm herbal->light wild honey->mineral, root herbal->and smaller notes then on. Taste was Mushroom and sugars->cola, mushroom, slight wood, and root herbal->wood, wild honey, small tcm bitter pole->same taste as last->wild honey, dark tcm->generic soft wild honey->variations of generic wild hone, tcm bitter, mineral and plummy in a number of late brews. Viscosity is good, velvet texture, light astringency. There is feeling down throat in early brews, a couple of very soft, shallow pungent huigan back up. A bit of cooling feeling. There is usually a quick yiwu huigan that quickly segues to a dynamic and complex mouthcoat with a variety of different flavors. Mouthcoat is strong and tends to linger well after cup is finished. Yun in early brews. Qi is strong and of somewhat high quality. Durability is very good, definitely lasted past fourteen brews with plenty left in the tank for the week.

The citrus aspect is something I noticed in my first session long ago, and it's kind of surprising it's still here now in a fifteen year old tea. The 2004 YQH Zhencang Chawang had a citrus aspect when it was about 8-9 years old, and quickly lost it. Anyways, well worth acquiring, but I don't think very many people are selling.

I did a second tea, the W2T 2015 Anhua Tianjian loose. Not very complex or dynamic at all. A dark (dark herbal?) tasting tea with wood, a bit of choco and heicha pumpkinseed. Good viscosity, round. Little or no aftertaste, maybe a bit of qi, especially early in the session. Fairly durable, but more refreshing than interesting. This has me inclined to try western brews of this tea.

 

[chattea]

Yangqinghao Teji pu-erh tea

Appearance: The dry tea leaves are tightly compressed and have a dark, uniform color with some golden tips visible. After brewing, the leaves open up and reveal their full size, with a beautiful mix of dark and light leaves.

Aroma: The tea has a deep, shroomy aroma with hints of dried fruit, wood, and a subtle sweetness.

Flavor: The flavor is smooth, and a bit bland and a slight bitterness. Tastes like enriched water.

Mouthfeel: The tea has a thick, full-bodied mouthfeel that coats the tongue and lingers in the mouth. The texture is smooth and velvety, with a slight astringency that gives the tea some structure.

Overall, Yangqinghao Teji 2004 Puer Tea is a high-quality, well-aged tea but the aging potential seems limited.

 

[chattea]

Deng Shi Hai is a renowned tea master who is known for producing high-quality aged Pu-erh teas. Today I had his Fulu Yuancha 2007.

1. Aroma: The aroma is earthy and woody with a subtle hint of fruitiness.
2. Taste: The tea has a smooth and mellow taste with a rich and complex flavor profile. It has a sweet and nutty taste with a hint of honey and a subtle bitterness that gives it depth.
3. Mouthfeel: The tea has a full-bodied and smooth mouthfeel with a slight astringency that leaves a pleasant aftertaste.

Overall, Fulu Yuancha 2007 is a well-aged and high-quality Pu-erh tea that has a complex and mellow flavor profile with a smooth mouthfeel. The tea has a subtle fruitiness that adds to its overall complexity. The tea contains a blend of pickings and the weakness makes it a tea to be appreciated in the short to medium term.

 

[shah8]

None of the teas lasted *that* well into the week, but the CYH had hints of aftertaste and fairly good qi.

The shu of Friday was the 2016 Baifuzhangcang wild tea shu. I was drinking this to compare with the '08 Diangu shu, and I wasn't really quite into what it had to offer, which was consistent with previous brews. I wanted a bit more depth and oomph in taste, and it wasn't exaggerated in its best qualities. Enjoyed the qi, tho'.

Okay, on Saturday, I got in my W2T sample box from the free shipping weekend. I didn't particularly want to wait, so I tried the two heicha I was specifically interested in trying over the weekend for fast first impressions.

Goldfu. I was interested in whether the Fu brick process would tone down the bad aspects of huangpian that I didn't like much, and whether sheng huangpian would really outdo the traditional heicha leaf. The result is that it still basically tastes like sheng huangpian--the mushroom note that golden flowers impart wasn't even that present. And the thinness of taste and metalic bite is also still present. However, the huangpian is made from pretty good stuff. The aroma and taste is fruity/kind of citrus with a peppery wood rim. Made me think of W2T Hypnotrain. Mouthfeel is same as any huangpian. It has a relatively strong qi compared to any heicha, and more aftertaste as well.

the '22 tianjian fu brick. This basically tastes like tianjian with some added mushroom. Taste and mouthfeel are a lot more comfortable than Goldfu, of course, but it's also more boring, and also, I really want that qi and aftertaste in a session, so I'll probably prefer Goldfu. Lastly, as far as I can tell, the material is inferior to the leaf in the 2015 basket tianjian sold at W2T.

Alright, let's get back to Saturday Morning...

The first sheng of the weekend was the XZH '22 Elegance of the Century, the one that's not a chawangbing and uses material from areas around Xigui. Like last weekend's XZH tea, this is functionally something that is more of a drink right now tea. It'll age, but the money you spend on this for aging purposes, can be spent elsewhere better. There isn't even much to do in terms of describing...

Again, like certain other lincangs, it smells and tastes like fresh banzhang area teas. The aroma is generally alkaline, much of the time biscuit, and some floral. There can also be a generic green sheng, honey, or fruit in aroma as well. Taste is often sensate sweet, a thin chicory, honey, and biscuit alkaline. With a firm hand, there is a touch of bitterness It has good viscosity, with a velvet texture, and light astringency at first that builds a bit to moderate. A very occasional feeling down throat a bit. There is some cooling feeling. Aftertaste are relatively light, with yiwu huigan and mouthcoat. At least one brew with a bit of mouth aroma. Some qi, generic. I didn't push this that hard, because as you can see, not very dynamic or that interesting. Very sweet and agreeable.

The second tea of the day was the 2022 Qihong Songzhen Huangye from Daxue Jiadao. Another expensive black tea. The quick way to describe it is as a very choco forward jinjunmei, or maybe more properly as a yinjunmei. Very good aroma and taste, good mouthfeel, but compared to a proper Tongmuguan hongcha, it's lacking in terms of aftertaste and qi.

Aroma can be: Plummy and choco->Choco with nuances->floral and choco->floral, fruit, and choco-> choco incense-wood. Taste is: Plummy and choco-> really nice choco and florals-> choco, incense-wood, slightly bitter-> choco, subtle honey, incense. As you can see, relatively dynamic over a session as well as good. Good viscosity, smooth and round hongcha. Not much aftertaste, except for some very light mouthcoats in some brews. Not much qi.

The sheng of Sunday was the 2007 Fengqing Tea Factory Black Mountain, from 商品详情 - https://weidian.com/item.html?itemID=2984202282&spider_token=1ae1 . Long story short, it's a factory tea with a handfull of gushu tossed in, like with the '02 Tai Lian. At the sale price of RMB 2K or about $300 before S&H, it's a fair value, but not really a deal. Do note that high end Fengqing tea is expensive, but not really hyped up.

Aroma here is also relatively dynamic: wood and dried fruit->choco, dark herbal, wood-> plummy, dark herbal, wood-> sugars, a bit of dark herbal-> light plummy fruity mineral->back to earlier wood/dried fruit/dark herbal themes but very light. the taste starts off high with dark sugars, dried fruit, aromatic wood, and a slight bitter pole, then dark herbal depth with a touch of plummy and wood, then the taste rises for a higher, thinner dark herbal depth and emphasizes aromatic wood again. The taste ends up being a pretty generic darkish herbal, plummy, light sugars thingie for the remainder of the session. Viscosity is good to very good, with a sort of plump cotton texture and generally around moderate astringency. A very occassional feeling down throat, but main and consistent feeling is some electric mouth between tonguetip and teeth. First few brews have a strongish yiwu huigan along with some mouthcoat, but fades quickly to a light mouthcoat only. The qi is very strong early, but fades to a lower level by mid-session. Some of that is probably aged caffeine. Durability is sort of weak. This tea starts huffing and puffing seriously by brew five or so. It will keep going, but...I think this is because the material is seriously mashed up and cut factory leaf.

This is pretty good, but it's not as good as the XZH Boutique Fengqing or the slightly similar BFZC '13 Baiyingshan. One key to understanding the value is that for some time, like the '09 ChenShenHao LBZ brick, it's capable of a strong and deep tasting cup with a bit mouthfeeling, and people do tend to pay good money for teas potent in that way. In my book, this is really a tea that you buy to store, as Sanhetang apparently did. However, it's pretty drinkable now, and is certainly more drinkable than '02 Tai Lian International Expo, either dry or humid stored.