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Very similar to the 2013 Yong De Blue, although maybe a little bit less aromatic. It has a balanced taste, slightly edging on the bitter and salty side, but there is some sweetness and umami too. The fishy tones are mostly gone by now. Mouthfeel is thick, creamy and a bit tingly, induces a sensation not unlike alcohol.

Even though this tea is already 1 and a half years old, I only opened the vacuum sealed package a few days ago. Right after opening the pack I am hit with a sweet aromas of grass, honey, pear and cookies, which is a little strange since there is no roasting process here. After the wash, the wet leaves also give off some sweet potato smell, which is fairly standard for GABA teas.

The body is too light for my liking though. And when I tried a more aggressive steep, I got a fairly astringent brew. This is often a problem I have with green teas, the window between a very light body and strong astringency either isn’t there or is too narrow. Nevertheless, the character of this tea is kind of what you would expect from a Jin Xuan GABA enhanced tea. It is not too milky, but you get it there. Other notes are mostly grassy and sour ones with just a hint of floral and sweet tones in the aftertaste.

Overall, it is quite a unique tea, although not surprising given the description. I like its scent a lot, as well as the GABA effects which are stronger for me in TS offerings than other GABA teas I have tried. However, since the taste and texture didn’t align with my preferences, I cannot really recommend it. I can definitely imagine other people liking this more than I did though.

This tea excels in its balanced taste and the protracted aftertaste. The mouthfeel is also nice – thick and velvety. It is surely a powerful tea as others have pointed out, but it doesn’t give me much of a rushy feeling, which is great. The leaves don’t really have a strong smell, but the aroma of the empty cup and the infusion is quite a nice mix of floral and vegetal notes, similar to the long-lasting lingering notes I get in the aftertaste, which is also somewhat peppery and refreshing.

One other noteworthy thing is the infusability. I am currently 1.4 litres into the session and still getting thick, flavourful infusions diplaying nice bitterness without much astringency. In fact the high point was probably somewhere around steep #8 or so, which is crazy. Originally, I wanted to give a slightly lower rating, but I had to increase it in the end.

Dry leaf aroma is not very strong and mostly roasty, with some floral and black bean notes in the background. After the wash, the smell becomes a bit sweeter. The aromas I get are maple syrup, green bell pepper, honey, cranberry, must, cookies, freshly cut wood and rosehip. It is not the most pungent smell, but the complexity is there.

Tastewise it reminds me of a mix of cider, rosehip tisane and dark roast coffee. The aftertaste is more floral, I get hints of thyme, lavender and honey. Overall it has a tad too much roast for my liking. One other aspect, where I feel this tea is lacking is the mouthfeel. Even with crushing a bit of the leaves (my standard practice for Dan Congs by now), the infusion is fairly thin.

This is a decent Dan Cong for people on a tighter budget or everyday drinking. If what you are looking for is complex aroma and roasty taste, then you will probably find the price/quality ratio adequate.

More than 3 months later, I am trying this again, and the experience is better this time. I am not quite sure what went wrong last time, but it could be a few things. I seem to remember I sampled it very early after the parcel arrived, so that could be it.

The smell is not super strong, but I do get some sauna, honey, pine and mountain herb notes. Taste is very herbaceous, medicinal and mushroomy. As I alluded to before though, the bitterness hides a lot of the complexity. Given how strong and pungent it is though, I think it has a great aging potential. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately, from the point of view of my savings), I don’t expect to settle anytime soon, so I am reluctant to buy teas purely for aging purposes.

Mouthfeel is fairly thick, cooling upfront and very dry in the finish and aftertaste. This session’s experience was not very physical, but it enabled me to zone out quite successfully, which I prefer to be honest.

This is probably the first green tea from India for me. I got it from Skysamurai through the Discovery Teabox and it was actually sold by Yatra Tea, but I am pretty sure it’s the same tea and I don’t feel like creating another entry for it, especially considering that Yatra Tea don’t seem to sell it anymore.

Anyway, with regards to the tea, the dry leaf smells like strawberry plants and there are even more similar notes in the wet leaf smell — like thistles or blackberry plant. The smell has the hay like quality of young sheng in fact. Once the leaves cool down, I also get the smoky aroma.

The taste is also slightly akin to a young sheng, but less bitter and more woody and robust. Some notes that come up are conifer (maybe spruce?) twigs, rhubarb and thyme. Aftertaste is a little spicy and sweet. Overall, it’s a pleasant taste I would say, not quite what I would expect from a green tea though.

This tea has a fairly weak, sweet smell, mostly reminiscent of decaying wood. As for the taste, it is quite bitter for a ripe pu-erh, probably as a result of the lighter fermentation. It is also somewhat sour, especially in the aftertaste. I also get some butter taste in the finish.

The mouthfeel is soft, coating and slightly effervescent. Nothing spectacular, but decent enough in this price category. I reckon the most noteworthy aspect of this tea is the kick it gives, the cha qi is definitely stronger than in the usual shou you can get.

I imagine it would definitely benefit from longer term aging, but as far as drinking now goes, I think there are better deals out there.

My first impressions of this cake. It is indeed very well balanced and pungent tea, with upfront bitterness and long-lasting aftertaste. The dry leaf smells very green and vegetal, while the wet leaves have more of a cooked vegetables aroma and leave the impression of a cool morning mountain breeze. In terms of viscosity, this would be on the thinner end of the sheng spectrum, which is not surprising given the price.

However, the tea is pretty calming and made for a very pleasant session. Taste is also nice, although not super complex at this stage. I think the aging potential is definitely there though. I am looking forward to seeing its development.

This is a tea that for sure aims above its category, the price/quality ratio is impressive.

The wet leaf aroma is surprisingly milky, I don’t really get many fruity or floral notes, apart from maybe apricot jam. Taste is light even when the steeping time is pushed, which I would recommend to do by the way. There is almost no astringency that builds up and you get at least a decent viscosity and taste concentration. It’s a mix of sweet and sour flavours, with floral undertones emerging in the aftertaste especially. Somehow, the overal feeling resembles lighter white wine, maybe a little bit on the drier side. Of course, without the alcohol :)

It’s similar in quality to the Fancy grade TGY from YS, but significantly more expensive. Therefore, I don’t feel like I can recommend this tea, even there is nothing wrong with it per se.

This tea mostly has fairly standard Chinese green tea characteristics, but with better mouthfeel.

The smell is similar to longjing – nutty and a little floral, but more fruity. The taste is brothy, vegetal and fruity. In terms of flavours I can pick up some grapes and courgette. Overall, it is fairly light and crisp tasting, medium-bodied with nice thick and oily mouthfeel that gets a bit astringent in the finish. In the aftertaste, there are some sour flavours emerging as well. The feeling in the throat is warming for a while after drinking the tea.