Yunnan Sourcing

This is a fu made by a well-known Yi Qing Yuan factory. The golden flowers are clearly visible, which is while not essential is still visually pleasing.

This tea is not tightly compressed and can be broken off by hand easily. However, it does require some time to absorb the water and get going and its taste improves with subsequent steepings ( I had it Western), which you can get quite a few out of it.

The liquor is pale and the tea itself has a typical fu taste of a very light decay, metallic sourness, minerals, light berries, figs, tobacco and gentle melon-like sweetness. It produces a very long pleasantly sweet-and-sour aftertaste. The flavors are nicely balanced and complimentary. I enjoyed drinking this tea at different times and in different moods, i.e. the versatility is strong.

In summary, it is not a showy knock-out but a very reliable and solid performer for those of us who appreciate dark teas.

I had heard mostly good things about this tea and seriously considered blind-tonging the 2018 release based on reputation and price and wrapper design alone. Glad I didn’t! I must just hate this taste profile that includes smoke. Many people love it. To me, it tastes clearly of ashtray. Hot ashtray water. Tried brewing it stronger to see if I can at least feel some of the cha qi. The taste is stronger ashtray water, though. :tears emoji:

I am probably just spoiled, but sorry Yunnan Sourcing. This ain’t it.

Just read the 2018 product description. Seems the blend must have changed since 2012. Maybe the 2018 will therefore be better. Jinggu is a region I’ve liked. But this 2012 is bleccch. Really happy Andrew aka Liquid Proust sent this out as part of the 2019 starter kit so people can sample at low cost before commitment.

Gongfu Sipdown (1182)!

Starts off sweet and thick, but settles into more of a traditional osmanthus type of flavour over the session. I’m not a massive fan of osmanthus tea but I do think it’s better with the black tea used here over on its own! This is one of the prettiest looking dragon balls I’ve ever owned – sad to see it go for that reason. I feel like my past rating of 87 is too high, and perhaps amped up by excitement at how gorgeous looking this tea is in general? I liked it, but not that much so I’m lowering the rating…

Also proud of myself for getting in so many sipdown over the last week – I’m gonna need it, with advent season right around the corner!

Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/CHn0JIQAEXK/

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t20sNYhfZ7c&ab_channel=DavidDeanBurkhart

Gongfu!

This was something I got from a coworker – and I was kind of shocked how into it I wound up being because I’m sort of impartial towards osmanthus. Even more than enjoying the taste, though, this wound up being one of the most visually stunning teas I’ve had in a long time – especially for a dragonball!

Here’s my instagram summary:

Easy going, with strong floral, oak, and chocolate notes and a soothing and coating medicinal note that feels excellent on the throat on such a chilly day…

Long session – not sure what the steep total was. I did really push this one though and the steeps near the end were getting quite long in infusion time. I feel like, this last week, I’ve been really conscious of the way different tea has felt in my throat – both while sipping and afterwards. It’s not something that I usually pay this much mind, but this tea was very pleasant on the throat and felt incredibly soothing so what I was really doing in having these long steeps was drawing out whatever element of the blend was giving me that almost coating, nice medicinal feeling…

Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/B4yNOymA7yT/ (Seriously, so pretty!)

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agBRljcBMP8

I’ll start my review off bluntly, the fragrance is better than the taste. Upon the first steep in the gaiwan, I noticed a scent of sweet grass. Despite this lovely aroma, the bitterness and astringency of the tea really turned me off. It took roughly 4 steeps for me to adjust to its temperment. The lingering aftertaste in the back of my mouth was incredibly dry. This is a pungent and robust green tea of Simao that can be infused many times. I believe my experience with this tea comes down to preference alone; therefore, I cannot give it a bad rating.

Flavors: Artichoke, Asparagus, Butter, Chestnut, Cut grass, Hay, Spices, Spinach, Umami, Vegetal

Approaching 1 year of age, my green teas from last years harvest are slowly but surely fading. I wish I would have written a note for this one earlier, because it used to be pretty good. However, it didn’t satisfy my craving for a green tea today and I didn’t finish the session.

I was not feeling the best today, so I took out this sample I got from derk thinking it could be a good tea to cheer me up and relax. I think that worked to some extent, the tea kept my attention for several hours and allowed my mind to abandon some toxic thoughts.

My main takeaway about the tea from this session is that it indeed has a strong cha qi, not really of the dreamy kind though. It did help dissolve my thoughts, but didn’t really enhance the creation of alternate reality to replace them. The other thing I will remember this tea for is how much it reminded me of Dan Cong oolongs, more than any other sheng I can remember. In particular, I got reminded of Dan Congs of the floral/vegetal/buttery kind. Personally, I didn’t find the bitterness overwhelming at all and the astringency was almost unnoticeable among other characteristics.

The tea has a piercing aroma of sauna, peat, coriander seeds, wood, incense and a hint of smoke initially. Later throughout the session, I also picked up distinct peach and pine scents. The taste starts off bitter, vegetal, and crisp with a significant walnut flavour. Around steep 4, it gets more tart and floral, displaying notes of citrus zest, parsley, light smoke and meat. Aftertaste is sweet and cooling with flavours such as peas and honey. It has a good huigan and longetivity, as one would expect in this price category.

The texture is very viscous and oily, but the liquor feels light in the mouth nonetheless. After swallowing, there is an interesting milky mouthfeel and a slightly cooling throatfeel. As I mentioned already, the cha qi is strong and grounding. Early on, the sensation involves a pressure in the head and I can feel blood pumping in my face. Then there is about half an hour that I have almost no recollection of. I did meditate a bit and then I might have been sleeping but maybe not, I really can’t remember. After I came back from the high, my whole body was incredibly warm and relaxed yet alert.

This Tie Luo Han was an interesting oolong and would have made for an excellent tea on a gloomy day. Upon the first steep, I noted a very distinct smell of cannabis. I chuckled as I happened to be sitting at my office desk. The liquor itself had an array of aromas including oak and coffee with hints of jasmine. The mouthfeel was clean and light. I oddly longed for the scent of pine to accompany this cup of tea I was holding. I imagined it would pair quite nicely. This all continued for several more steeps in my gaiwan with the smell of char fading. The tea moved into a lighter fragrance of orchid with a taste to match.

I find this DHP much less interesting than the 4 year older one. None of its qualities really caught my attention, maybe with the exception of the bubbly texture.

It still has some charcoal aroma, complemented by notes of cucumber, old books, moth balls, and very light cannabis. Wet leaves, on the other hand, smell of metallic, roasted pear, and ash. It’s a sweet, but not very pungent aroma. The taste is muted and somewhat boring – mostly woody and sour.

Sipdown and overleafed one. 6 and something grams. And my 85 ml gaiwan.

Dry leaf was vegetal, bit of tobbaco, astringent, little herbal.
Quick rinse and tobbaco disappeared, became more strong in astringent and vegetal notes. I do not know how much steeps and how long they were. But usually I counted some time between 15 seconds to 30.

First steeps were super astringent, then it turned to mellow, some notes of leather there. Following steeps were quite vegetal, but bit plain, nothing really distinctive. And then? It was just warm beverage.

I wonder if I steeping it wrong, or need some more aging. But I have no more left. But thank you Donatzsky for sample.

(Notes from 8/1/19)

I got this as a sampler from YS (20 g sampler)

This was the right tea to drink tonite. It’s an interesting tea…best for a late afternoon tea. However, I’m not sure I would order it once this sampler is done.

The flavor initially starts of very thin velvety chocolate, but then blossoms into a robust flavor of sweet toasted aromatic wood/florals with the barest hint of minerality; it’s like the aftertaste is where all the flavor lies.

It’s a weird combination that makes it a fairly well-balanced tea. And the finish is extremely clean. This tea is really easy to drink. And there’s a very faint hint of cha Qi, which given that I ate before the session is saying something.

Steepings are consistent and very forgiving. (5g tea/150ml water). I pushed this from 20 seconds (#1) to 60s (#2), 80s(3) to 2 minutes (4), then 3min (#5) and there was no astringency at 195-200 deg F. I’m sure this can be brewed full Western or Grandpa style with a large amount of leaf without it getting bitter.

But for me, the initial thinness of flavor puts this in the 2.5 out of 5 star range. The robust aftertaste and cha Qi saves it.

I’m going to try this again as full ChaZhou brew with some crushed leaves to see if it improves that initial thin flavor.

Notes from 8/14/19
Okay, tried this again CZ style with a bit of crushed leaves.
Overall, this is a much better tea with the crushed leaves. It’s a bit more robust than before.
This raises the overall recommendation of the tea.

Also tried steep stacking this tea. Much better this way…better balanced.

(from my notes 6/23/19 as I try to figure out pu-erhs)

Either my tastes or changing or I am a much more demanding tea drinker.
This stuff brews to deep dark black red. Even after 6 steeps, it stays this color. Brewed GF. 208 deg F. Short steeps 10s, 20s, 25, 35, 45, 60. (5 grams tea / 100 ml of water)

Amazing amount of cha Qi in this ripe puerh. I’m pleasantly surprised. The leaves smell of sweet cedar & moss with earthy undertones. It’s got a viscous mouthfeel but it’s not a dry tea. This tea has very little bitterness but has a bit of light astringency.

Overall, it’s a well-balanced, smooth, and quite drinkable tea although watch out for the cha Qi. I was quite buzzed before I finished the first 100ml. (maybe I should have ate first)

By the 2nd 100ml, I could feel the chi in my head, and then got that slight heat flush by the 4th. By the 6th steep most of that was gone and I can tell that the tea was going to wash out within the next 2 steeps

But it’s too well-balanced for me. There’s nothing to distinguish this tea in flavor and while I like a good bit of Tea drunkenness, I want to rewarded with a distinct flavor.

I was drinking a Four Seasons Oolong earlier in the day and that particular cultivar has amazing flavor so perhaps this just pales in comparison? Or maybe I’m not getting into puerhs like I had hoped.

(from my notes 7/06/19)

For the tea of the day, we have Emperor’s Yellow Tea.
The leaves feel like a cousin to silver needle leaves (which are soft and velour like) This one tastes of bittersweet cocoa with hints of orange/citrus and some florals. It’s an easy tea to drink with a mild viscosity reminiscent of very light roasted oolong, but parts of it remind me of a green/white tea.

Brewstye: Gongfu
Tea: 5grams water: 150ml
Temp: 185F
Time: 20s, 30s, 40, 60

The color of the tea brother is a golden, orange amber.
The wet leaf smells of chocolate, malt, cocoa, orange. Later infusions bring out slight florals.

The flavor ranges from bittersweet chocolate to cocoa & florals depending on the steep. There’s a mild viscosity.

Overall, I really like this tea. You need to be careful on the temperature. I brewed once over 185F and it came out just a tiny bit bitter. This really needs to be brewed closer to green tea temps.

I got to my office today after a while and found some lost single session pouches I used at work. This green tea seems to be one that stores pretty well!

[Spring 2019 harvest]

This is a very interesting green tea, which is quite different from the others I have had. I wasn’t sure how to brew it, but in the end I used 4g for this session in a 100 ml gaiwan with a fairly constant 80°C water. The infusion times were 60s/20s/30s/60s. It turned out well, but given the character of the tea, I think it can perform quite differently with other parameters.

Dry leaves smell of watermelon and popcorn, and in the preheated gaiwan also vegetables and spinach. Once wet, I get aromas of stewed carrots, beef broth, and gardenia flowers.

The first infusion is extremely smooth and full bodied with no astringency and only light bitterness. It tastes of sunflower seeds and broth with a slightly grassy finish. After swallowing, the tea is cooling in the throat and displays crisp sweetness with flavours of nuts and green apple.

Second steep has more astringency and lighter body. Higher notes are more present with a crisp profile and citrusy flavour. Aftertaste again has some sour green apple note, but is also reminiscent of copper, sand, and spices. Third steep is somewhat less interesting in this particular session, but it has a sweeter long-lasting aftertaste with a new melon flavour.

Finally, fourth infusion is again fairly distinct. It has a strong melon seed flavour and notable dryness, but overall is more savoury once again.

One final thing to note is that the tea has a strong cha qi for a green tea. It is relaxing and warming and makes me sweat.

210 Degrees F, Gongfu, 20 second infusion + 5

Wow! What a great tea session I had today. It made me remember why I love tea so much and cherish tea experiences like today. This tea is fantastic, but I don’t know if it was my mood, or the aging of the tea, or the way this tea was making me feel, but I loved this tea today.

Nothing sounded that exciting today so I was looking through some old teas and decided to give this one another shot. I don’t remember it being too remarkable the last time I tried it about a year ago. This one really knocked my socks off today. The smell of the wet leaves instantly drew my interest. First infusion – Dark brew coffee, then honey, a floral note and then a strong sour fruit note. Amazing. Such a well rounded tea with the charcoal roast, honey sweetness, sour fruity notes, and orchid/floral notes. Then minutes after drinking, I have this lingering honey sweetness and slightly sour peach flavor on my tongue. I doubt the year of aging benefitted this tea, but this tea really surprised me today and I will be reordering it.

Had to start pushing the tea after the 5th infusion, ended up getting 7 infusions by really pushing it. I was definitely feeling the chi from this after the 4th infusion. Wonderful tea!

Season: Spring 2018
Cultivar: Wu Yi Mountains, Xing Zhen, Cao Dun Village
Origin: Fujian, China
Picking: Large, Thick leaves
Elevation: Unknown

Eyes – Dry Leaf: Large dark brown twisted leaves
Nose – Dry Leaf: Charcoal, Heavy roasted stone fruits, dark cherries, honey
Nose – Wet Leaf: Honey, Musty Sour Candy, Cherries, Peaches
Eyes- Liquor: Golden/Amber Brown
Mouth-Texture: Thick
Mouth-Taste: Dark roast coffee, Honey, Sour peaches, Orchid
Nose-Empty Cup: Honey, Cooked Peaches
Mouth-Finish: Smooth with a lingering sweetness
Eyes-Wet Leaf: Large unraveling olive green/brown leaves
Effect: Happy

210 Degrees F, Gongfu, 20 sec infusions + 5

A very yummy Duck Shit. I was pushing infusions a bit because it felt a little weak. One of my favorite Oolongs. This one is very tasty and I enjoy the whole session very much but always find myself wanting a couple more infusions than the tea wants to give me. That could be because the tea is 1.5 years old. I get about 6 infusions. 9/10 Highly recommend

Season: Spring 2018
Cultivar: Ping Keng Tou village
Origin: Chaozhou, Guangdong Province, China
Picking: Large, Up to 3rd or 4th leaves
Elevation: 850 M

Eyes – Dry Leaf: Twisted large leaves, Dark Brown/Black
Nose – Dry Leaf: Charcoal, Wood, Nectarine
Nose – Wet Leaf: Butter, Sour Cherries, Charcoal, Tons of fruit
Eyes – Liquor: Golden yellow
Mouth – Texture: Thick and viscous
Mouth – Taste: Butter, Sour Cherries, Whiskey barrel
Nose – Empty Cup: Honey, Whiskey Barrel
Mouth – Finish: Sooth with a slightly dry finish
Eyes – Wet Leaf: Large unraveling olive green leaves
Effect:

195 Degrees F, Gongfu, 20 seconds for first 3 infusions, then + 5 Second infusions

This is my first Jin Jun Mei. I suspect that this isn’t a high quality Jin Jun Mei because these teas can go for a very high price and the picking doesn’t appear to be great. This tea was very affordable. Overall, this is a very enjoyable black tea, but I had to search pretty hard for tasting notes. My first impression was just, “this tastes like a good black tea”. Very Smooth finish. The slight sourness seems to give the tea just enough character to be interesting all the way through. I noticed that I started to perk up and feel pretty good after the 3rd infusion. Ive been avoiding this tea for about a year, but I think I will make this my morning tea for awhile. This is one of the better black teas I have in my collection currently. Tea lasted about 8 infusions.

Season: Spring 2018
Cultivar: Tong Mu Guan Village
Origin: Fujian, China
Picking: Buds
Elevation: Unknown

Eyes – Dry Leaf – Dark Brown, tightly rolled buds, very little light brown
Nose – Dry Leaf – Musty, Coffee, Light Floral notes
Nose – Wet Leaf – Sour Cherries, Rose Petals
Eyes – Liquor – Golden/Amber Brown
Mouth – Texture – Light
Mouth – Taste – Floral Notes, Rose, Light Sourness to it
Nose – Empty Cup – Burnt Honey
Finish – Smooth, Lubricating
Eyes – Wet Leaf – Golden Light Brown, Appears to be mostly leaves with a some buds.
Effect – Laid Back and Happy

I can’t believe I’ve stored this tea for two years. I’ve drank this every few months, seeing how it changed over time. It’s been so good, and I’ve tried to store it as carefully as possible, but this is the last of it.

Steeping info:
Teaware: Hong ni Fang Gu teapot
Brew style: Chazhou Gongfu
Water Amount: ~ 150ml
Tea Amount: 9.14g
Brewing Temperatures: 200+
Time (seconds): ?? I’m going by feel.

The number of steeps has considerably dropped since I started brewing this, but it’s still good. The flavor diminishes by the 4th steep although the general feeling remains.

The flavor profile has minimal changed from my previous review of this tea, but much more mellow than when I first tasted it:

Notes of smoke, chocolate, nuts, then a sweetness of molasses & florals as the steeps progress. It’s still one of my favorite teas.

Details & photos @ my tea blog: https://jadeoolong.blogspot.com/2021/05/goodbye-tea-long-live-tea-2006-da-hong.html

(from my tasting notes 7/7/19)

It’s starts off with & sweet (light) smokey taste a roasted malt flavor hinting at dark chocolate with a touch of bitterness that doesn’t last long. It’s slightly earthy with tinges of oak, and has that touch of minerality that oolongs sometimes possess. This what happens if you take a roasted oolong and it had sex with an aged Puerh. (This is probably due to the multiple roastings over the course of its lifetime)

This tea is velvety smooth, complex, and the cha Qi goes straight to my head. I’m so glad I had this as an after dinner drink instead of on a partially empty stomach!

Brewing notes. CZGF style.
5g tea at 208 F at 30 seconds increasing by 10 seconds every steep until 1 minute.
Then an additional minute after than until 4 minutes.

Holy cow, this tea is smoky. I got it as a sample from tperez and maybe the fact that it was stored broken up in a closed ziplock enhanced the smoky aspect of it, because this is extreme for a tea that’s not advertised to be intentionally smoked.

It’s not bad though, and definitely quite unique. Dry leaves smell of smoked bacon and even in the wet leaf it’s hard to get behind the smokiness, but there are some vegetal aspects to it. The taste is quite bitter and metallic, with notes of quinine, pine resin, mild yeast and a mix of sugarcane and pickles in the finish. Texture is nice – buttery, bubbly and fairly drying.