Yunnan Sourcing

This is a complex and well-balanced Tian Jian with a pungent aroma. I am likely to purchase more once I finish my sample.

Dry leaves smell of old books, nuts, old leather clothes and have a very noticeable cooling menthol quality, especially in the preheated gaiwan. After the rinse, I get further aromas of wood, tea tree oil, petrichor, and mushrooms. It is a very distinct and memorable scent, reminiscent of aged yancha and also a bit like a clean side street in a city after some rain.

The liquor is very smooth and comforting. It tastes sweet and metallic with a slightly sour finish and notes of wet earth. In the aftertaste I can taste sage and molasses, but it is quite nutty overall. The mouthfeel is another great aspect of the tea – it is creamy, smooth, and thick. Finally, the cha qi is not too strong, but I found it to be very nice too. It felt mind-clearing, sedating, and relaxing.

Had this one a week ago…yes i know, bad Sil. And to be honest, it was sort of “meh” Maybe i didn’t do it justice by doing a gonfu sessions with it, but i did a quasi western brew re-steeps with this one and nothing really ever knocked my socks off. It was tasty and a fun thing to try but there are a ton of other teas from YS that i’d rather have.

This is one of the weakest teas I’ve ever gotten from YS and honestly I would think they should not be selling it at this price. However, it seems that I am fairly isolated in this assessment, which means it’s good that they indeed sell it – there clearly is demand for it.

The tea is old, but doesn’t seem all that much aged. Its taste is not very well-defined and quite flat, the aftertaste is short and dry. Although the mouthfeel has a decent bubbly nature, the medium to light body also drags the experience down below average. Moreover, the tea is not very infusable, I am finding it hard to get much more than 100ml/g out of it.

Now, the aroma does have some interesting notes to it, mostly raisins, bog, sweet wood, but also some flowers and butter scones. The taste is sour, metallic with a nutty, herbal, and spicy character and an underlying floral sweetness. There are flavours such as those of dried fruits, ginger, and orange bell peppers (bell peppers seem like a really common note among huang pian shengs).

All in all, I can’t recommend the tea, especially at this price.

This tea reminds me of W2T’s Arbor Red, but it’s not as dynamic and complex I think, but with a stronger huigan. In any case, it’s one of the better black teas I have tried for sure. At less than half the price of Arbor Red, it is probably a better value too.

Dry leaves smell sweet and earthy with notes of tomato vine and wooden furniture. Once wet, the aroma changes to a mix of honey and malt. The taste has a strong woody character complemented by decent minerality in later infusions. It is a very clean tasting tea, but that also means lack of complexity. There is a lot of sweetness, a light bitterness and some citrusy quality here and there. One point where the tea really shines is the aftertaste, which is pungent and very long lasting with a strong huigan. It is also somewhat more fruity overall. The body is medium to full, with a creamy, bubbly, and silky mouthfeel. Another thing worth noting is that this tea, more than any black tea I can remember, made me sweat a bit.

Thanks tperez for the sample!

This tea just keeps getting better each time I have it. Now that I finished my sample, I am going to be thinking about getting a cake.

It seems able to preserve a lot of its fragrance. The taste is pungent with a lot of high notes, but not overwhelmingly floral. The bright and crisp character is complemented by a gin-like bitterness and a heavy sweetness. There is a lot of focus on the aftertaste, which is refreshing even with all the returning honey-like sweetness.

I went shopping to a farmer’s market in town today and found a new cafe/teahouse serving some decent tea, that’s the first one in the Kitchener/Waterloo area that I am aware of. They have some tea from O5 and Kuura. I tried one of the new Kuura shengs – Psychotropical – which was quite nice and reminded me of Bing Dao teas a bit. When I came home, I was craving more of similar style tea so I took out this sample from YS.

It is an elegant, powerful and full bodied tea with an interesting astringency that’s not overpowering, as one would expect from Bing Dao area. It has strong and balanced flavours, mostly sweet, sour, floral, and vegetal with a bitter finish. This is one of the teas, whose autumn version is much cheaper than spring, but given how good this one is, I imagine the autumn is a better value.

The dry leaf aroma is sweet with notes of caramel and hot apple. There are a lot of different smells I get from the wet leaves, including turmeric, nettle, courgette, green pepper, and something resembling a (clean) bog. In an empty cup, the aroma reminds me of orchid, masala chai and honey. The complexity in aromas here is almost unparalleled as far as sheng is concerned.

The rinse taste is a mix of floral and vegetal notes that reminds me of green tea a bit. It is full bodied with a nice bitter finish and a fragrant aftertaste. The taste profile gets heavier very soon, with woody sweetness, and flavours of cut grass and apple skins. The finish is tart and has a medicinal bitterness that I like a lot.

There is also a very pleasant astringency throughout the session that complements the velvety, soft, and lubricating mouthfeel of the liquor. Furthermore, the astringency persists into the aftertaste, which is protracted and evolving with a strong huigan and a nice cooling effect. In terms of cha qi, I found the tea to be calming, warming, and inducing a very peaceful state – just what I needed.

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUh51UKxgl0

I find this tea to be fairly underwhelming, and I can’t quite find that much to write home about, even though nothing is off per se. It has aromas of cannabis and custard, complemented by vegetable compost and mushrooms later throughout the session. At the beginning, the taste is hay-like with a tart finish. The astringency is strong, but not overpowering. Later I notice further notes of dry grass, medium roast coffee, and mushrooms.

I’d say the body is fairly light and the liquor has a distinctively oily mouthfeel. There is also a kind of warming sensation spreading through my body after drinking the tea.

Very good tea for the price. Base notes are earthy and rocky notes while the higher are of old wooden cupboards and cocoa. Some bitterness if brewed for too long. Also sweet but not overwhelmingly so. Texture is thick and creamy.

A sipdown! (M: 12, Y: 20) Prompt: Self care — Have tea and do something that feeds your soul! Gongfuing tea does that to me :)

I am so happy that I have finished another last session tea, because I have loads of those; because I feel bad finishing them.

4 grams/125 ml gaiwan. Gongfu.

First steeps were mellow and quite smooth, later ones were with hints of astringency, and last ones were quite vegetal. Noticed scents were mostly floral, lilacs, then it turns a bit into vegetal — kale, lettuce and such, actually very similar to flavours. I haven’t noticed citrusy notes this time

Mouth-feel was good. Somhow simple, but lasting for long, round and there were not any domaninant note that would ruin the tea with its strength.

Very acessible tea for newbies :)

I was in a mood for puerh today. And I am running low somehow! So, I took this one. I am surprised rating it 82, while all others are rating way lower. But well, it’s 6 years since pressing, which is quite a long term, so probably it’s time to finish it. I have four grams left, which I will brew maybe western, maybe grandpa, maybe weaker gongfu session.

I have used 5 grams for my 125 ml gaiwan today.

I haven’t done any rinse, so first steep is actually that with 8 seconds steeping and it woke up some aromas — mostly some astringency, hot hay, a bit of osmanthus and stonefruits.
Tastes mild and smooth, which could be caused by short steep and age, mostly I could notice hay and lightly astringent with stonefruits note.

1st steep, 15 seconds
Astringency and hay, nothing much else… at least somehow smooth. But flavourwise quite boring

2nd steep, 20 seconds
Stronger astringency, but flat somehow.

3rd steep, 30 seconds
No notes made as I was busy selecting a new headphones. But it was somehow similar.

4th steep, 45 seconds
There are some stonefruits! And lightly citrusy.

5th steep, 60 seconds
It gets citrusy notes, but as well that sheng notes; astringency, but mellow. Hay, but not in a bad way.

I have sample from Donatzsky. And this one I have not tried yet. Thank you!

I woke up today with feel like a puerh. It does not happen much often recently. So, I checked my cupboard (virtual as well real one) and decided for this one. 4 grams / 85 ml gaiwan, boiling water in thermos. Home alone. Tea was rather loose thank some kind of chunk.

1st steep was 15 seconds long. I notice it was really bitter in aroma with notes of stonefruits. In taste it is much better though, stonefruits dominate with sweet hay, bit of astringency.

2nd steep, 30 seconds.
It is very similar to first one. Cold it is completely weird. Very dry.

3rd, 45 s.
Vegetal notes, but astringency gone. Good, bit too drying for me.

4th, one minute.
Bit of white grapes, dry, but good.

I did not made another steeps, as I had to go. But I guess they would be very similar.

Song pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wP-n1-T9xqM
translation: https://lyricstranslate.com/en/divn%C3%BD-kn%C3%AD%C5%BEe-strange-duke.html

This was another of my sipdowns from earlier in the month. I had been meaning to get around to drinking this tea for a couple of months, but I first got on a big black tea kick and then moved on to Wuyi oolongs before finally breaking this tea out to change things up and prevent myself from falling into a rut. It had been way too long since I had reviewed a Dancong oolong anyway. Unfortunately, this tea reminded me that Xing Ren Xiang is not always one of my favorite types of Dancong oolong. I sometimes find them to be a little too gritty and/or soapy in the mouth, and I also sometimes find them to be a little boring. Both criticisms applied to this tea, but honestly, it was not bad overall.

I prepared this tea gongfu style. After the rinse, I steeped 6 grams of loose tea leaves in 4 ounces of 203 F water for 6 seconds. This infusion was chased by 15 additional infusions. Steep times for these infusions were as follows: 9 seconds, 12 seconds, 16 seconds, 20 seconds, 25 seconds, 30 seconds, 40 seconds, 50 seconds, 1 minute, 1 minute 15 seconds, 1 minute 30 seconds, 2 minutes, 3 minutes, 5 minutes, and 7 minutes.

Prior to the rinse, the dry tea leaves produced aromas of roasted almond, cream, custard, and orchid as well as some indistinct citrus and pineapple aromas. After the rinse, I detected new aromas of orange blossom, geranium, vanilla, nutmeg, and grass as well as stronger and clearer pineapple scents. The first infusion introduced aromas of tangerine, peach, and steamed milk. In the mouth, the tea liquor presented notes of roasted almond, cream, orchid, steamed milk, grass, tangerine, and orange blossom that were chased by hints of peach, geranium, butter, wood, and nutmeg. The subsequent infusions introduced aromas of wood, rose, pear, plum, sugarcane, butter, and honey. Slightly stronger and more immediately noticeable impressions of geranium, wood, and butter appeared in the mouth alongside belatedly emerging notes of custard and vanilla and hints of pineapple. I also picked up on notes of cucumber, rose, plum, roasted chestnut, roasted hazelnut, pear, sugarcane, and honey. The previously noted peach hints gradually grew a little stronger on each finish, and I also thought I caught some hints of violet here and there. As the tea settled, the liquor turned grittier and more astringent, offering notes of minerals, wood, roasted almond, steamed milk, grass, and butter that were backed by hints of pear, plum, sugarcane, vanilla, and roasted chestnut.

This tea offered some interesting aromas and flavors, but it also flattened out relatively quickly and turned a bit grittier and more astringent than I had hoped it would. At its peak, it was a nice Dancong oolong, but I quickly grew restless with it and found myself ready to move on to something else. Overall, it was a pretty decent tea, but it struck me as being flawed. I have had better and more memorable teas of this type.

I had an interesting side by side comparison today, involving this tea and the 2014 vintage thereof. There is a striking difference between these two teas, despite the mere 4 years of (mostly Kunming) aging difference between them.

The 2018 tea is one of the most bitter teas I know. All the other flavours are hidden behind the bitterness and it takes a very long time until it transforms into sweetness. It has some sugar, fruit, and tart notes here and there, but it’s not an even battle. The aromas in this tea are reminiscent of wood, fresh hay and/or grass compost, with some smokiness appearing in the middle of the session.

The 2014 version, on the other hand, has lost much of the bitterness. It is a smoky, farm-like, and savoury tea with a very tart finish and notes of camphor and apple skins. Its mouthfeel is thicker than in the younger tea. The liquor is more slick and active in the mouth. As for the smell, it is quite pungent and smoky with notes of barn and brewed coffee.

As I started getting my notes together to write this review, it struck me that I could not even remotely recall when I finished what I had of this tea. It had to have been sometime in late July or around the start of the month. Though I can’t quite place my sipdown of this tea, I do recall being extremely impressed by it as well as a little shocked that I had not seen this tea receive more hype online. Everyone knows that I tend to be a huge Feng Qing tea fanboy, but honestly, this struck me as being one of the very best Feng Qing black teas I have ever tried.

I prepared this tea gongfu style. After a quick rinse, I steeped 6 grams of loose tea buds in 4 ounces of 194 F water for 5 seconds. This infusion was chased by 18 additional infusions. Steep times for these infusions were as follows: 7 seconds, 9 seconds, 12 seconds, 16 seconds, 20 seconds, 25 seconds, 30 seconds, 40 seconds, 50 seconds, 1 minute, 1 minute 15 seconds, 1 minute 30 seconds, 2 minutes, 3 minutes, 5 minutes, 7 minutes, 10 minutes, and 15 minutes.

Prior to the rinse, the dry buds emitted aromas of sweet potato, baked bread, malt, cream, cinnamon, cocoa, and sugarcane. After the rinse, I detected new aromas of roasted almond, roasted peanut, marshmallow, banana, and pine. The first infusion brought out aromas of eucalyptus, black pepper, orange zest, and camphor. In the mouth, the tea liquor presented notes of sweet potato, malt, cream, baked bread, sugarcane, eucalyptus, roasted almond, black pepper, and orange zest that were chased by hints of butter, cocoa, cinnamon, banana, pine, red apple, anise, and menthol. The subsequent infusions introduced aromas of clove, anise, cedar, red apple, and lemon zest. Stronger and more immediately noticeable impressions of butter, red apple, cinnamon, and pine appeared in the mouth alongside hints of marshmallow and roasted peanut and impressions of camphor. New notes of minerals, clove, honey, caramel, lemon zest, cedar, peach, apricot, plum, and roasted walnut were also detectable, and I even was able to pick up some hints of red grape here and there. As the tea faded, the liquor settled and emphasized notes of minerals, baked bread, malt, cream, orange zest, lemon zest, sugarcane, and roasted almond that were balanced by belatedly emerging earthy notes and hints of black pepper, eucalyptus, camphor, cocoa, roasted peanut, menthol, and red grape.

This was a complex and challenging tea that was simultaneously lively and delightfully playful, but that being said, now that I think about it, I suppose I can see why this tea was not more heralded by the community. There was a whole lot going on with it, and it was the sort of tea you really had to work with to fully coax out its charms. Personally, I didn’t mind the extra effort and attention it required, but I can see why some people may not have enjoyed it as much as I did. For me, this tea was well worth the effort as its complexity, depth, and captivating quirks reminded me of why I fell in love with Feng Qing black teas in the first place.

Here is another July sipdown, this one coming from the first half of the month. I thought this was the last of the 2017 Wuyi black teas I needed to finish, but today I discovered that I have one left that I totally forgot about buying. Anyway, this was a great Wuyi black tea, and that is really saying something considering that I do not generally go for Jin Jun Mei. I found this tea to be very unique and engaging with pleasant body and texture and tons of complexity.

I prepared this tea gongfu style. After a quick rinse, I steeped 6 grams of loose tea buds in 4 ounces of 194 F water for 5 seconds. This infusion was chased by 17 additional infusions. Steep times for these infusions were as follows: 7 seconds, 9 seconds, 12 seconds, 16 seconds, 20 seconds, 25 seconds, 30 seconds, 40 seconds, 50 seconds, 1 minute, 1 minute 15 seconds, 1 minute 30 seconds, 2 minutes, 3 minutes, 5 minutes, 7 minutes, and 10 minutes.

Prior to the rinse, the dry buds emitted aromas of honey, cinnamon, pine, and sugarcane. After the rinse, I picked up new aromas of malt, grass, roasted almond, straw, green olive, and banana. The first infusion brought out aromas of black pepper and green bell pepper. In the mouth, the tea liquor offered notes of cream, oats, butter, straw, grass, malt, sugarcane, and roasted almond that were underscored by hints of honey, green bell pepper, banana, and green olive. The subsequent infusions introduced aromas of cream, butter, oats, clove, rose, eucalyptus, petrichor, caramel, and baked bread. Stronger notes of green olive, green bell pepper, and pine appeared in the mouth alongside slightly amplified impressions of banana and honey. Black pepper notes also appeared and so did mineral, moss, watermelon rind, clove, ginger, sweet potato, eucalyptus, caramel, baked bread, petrichor, pear, and orange zest notes. I also picked up some hints of rose and cinnamon. As the tea faded, the liquor offered notes of minerals, moss, pine, grass, malt, cream, oats, sugarcane, caramel, and green bell pepper that were balanced by hints of baked bread, butter, petrichor, roasted almond, ginger, sweet potato, watermelon rind, and black pepper.

This was an incredibly interesting twist on a Wuyi Jin Jun Mei. To this point in my tea drinking life, I do not recall ever trying another Wuyi black tea quite like this one. I was especially impressed by its complexity, and I should also note that the tea liquor was superbly balanced in the mouth. I will definitely be seeking out a few more teas like this one in the not too distant future.

This is an awesome tea and is likely one of the best autumn Simao shengs you can come across. The only slight drawback is that I would prefer a more pungent bitterness in a young tea, but I am hoping the spring one from 2019 would fare better in that regard. Otherwise it is a very clean tasting tea, memorable with hard to describe flavours, complex aroma, and a very interesting mouthfeel. It also has a sort of comforting cha qi, a great one all across the board. I find this tea to be hard to overbrew, the bitterness and astringency intensify of course, but it remains very much drinkable and interesting even when pushed.

The dry leaves smell very floral and sweet with hints of cauliflower, honey, and ginger cookies. In a preheated pot, the aroma reminds me of some cough syrup, and is quite unusual. Once wet, I detect various other aromas of peppercorn, fenugreek, mushrooms, and orchid. It is strong, floral and slightly earthy I’d say. Interestingly, there’s an additional scent I found when smelling the empty cup, which is that of incense. All in all, an explosion of aromas :D

The taste is grassy, sweet and floral with a muted bitterness and some tartness in the background. Flavour wise it reminds me of forest, hay and bay leaf, but I realize that doesn’t quite do the tea justice, I am just finding it hard to find the right words to describe it. The aftertaste is warming and dry, but not too astringent. It has a cinnamon spiciness and white grape tartness, both of which are fairly prominent. The flavour stays for a very long time and there is a strong hui gan as well.

As for the mouthfeel, the tea is full bodied, slick, coating, and soft. I found it to be active and mouth-watering as well. Drinking it makes me feel relaxed and calm, there is no caffeine rush as far as I can tell. I recommend this tea very much!

Sipdown, not that it matters as i missed the sale anyway but i’ll get more eventually, not like i’m missing out on tea these days lol