Zeks

I can’t set steeping time lower than 15 sec so I mark it here :
this tea requires VERY short steeping time of probably 1-3 seconds for an infusion

Ahhhhh…. The aroma of the dry leaves of this tea is truly heavenly. Thick, overpowering scent of honey that won’t even let you brew it for a minute or so because you just can’t stop enjoying it :)

I am always amazed at how unflavored, unblended dancong tea can smell so good and this one is truly a pinnacle of this quality. Even last year’s Huang Zhi Xiang from the same company pales in comparison.

The taste is really heavy and bitter with sweet hints so very short steepings of a few seconds are advisable (bitterness isn’t overpowering then). I’d say this tea is much like wine – it’s bitterness is mature and isn’t offputting at all if you just remember to pour it out almost immediately. The advice stands even for later infusions – i am currently at 5th and 2 seconds still produce very strong flavor.

Really nice. I already love Yue Guang Bai but the type I am used to is a bit rough. As in – quite nice but not exactly perfect as you always feel that the taste is slightly over the top and just a little less of whatever that is will only make it better.

Which is exactly the case with this pressing – sweet and refined but not overly strong. I love it. I hope David finds enough of this to sell on the site normally.

And, oh, does it resteep… >_< I went up to maybe 10th or more

If only the taste of the first steep stayed…

The first one, when the tea is not yet uncurled and moistered eniugh, is simply godly. The taste is very interesting and complex.

Then… harshness kicks… and I am not sure it is controllable to produce anything comparable to 1st. And this turns it from godly to average… :(

A rather complex taste and unlike other shengs I tried, nice and sweet.

I tried comparing the smell of the leaves to other shengs I have and where they are dominant, this one is gentle. Probably this is what “maturity” means for a sheng.

Strange thing though – while certainly interesting, I still don’t particularly like shengs, this included :) Either it’s our water or I am just not compatible.

Dunno… maybe I got a bad one or it still needs to develop. The aftertaste was kinda sour a year ago and its only a bit less so now. It did develop some spicyness though so I think I’ll let it wait a year more…

Wtf is this ? O_o The stuff is like energizer on steroids… you drink one cup and you’re set for the day :)

Really, what a fun tea. Looks like a bunch of bird’s feathers when dry, kinda tomboyish when brewed. As in – you sip a little, nothing special, you gulp and only after the tea is down there is when you actually have the taste explosion in your mouth :)

It is really amazing how different can this yunnan be between when bitterness kicks in and before it. Its almost like 20 more seconds of steeping change the tea to a different variety. Cant say I don’t like it when steeped for a longer time, but short steepings is where this one truly shines. Definitely not the one for western brewing.

Finally finishing my initial order of this :) Kind of become a “go to” tea for me – whenever I do not feel like drinking anything in particular I’d brew this and be happy :) Extremely easy to brew, always good however much oversteeped… I seriously think David needs to reintroduce this to the selection…

I discovered something interesting today. If I brew this with the usual amount of leaves(for a black tea) and gongfu style – I don’t like this tea at all. But I quite like it made western style. Nothing insane but at least the cup was nice.

So hard to explain a difference between green and oolong tea to normal ppl… TGY is probably one of the closest to greens in taste of Oolong family but still very much different. Which I am reminded of every time I drink good TGY like this one. No astringency, very round and buttery taste (although not as buttery as Autumn ’11 harvest) strong, developed foreground. Although I ’m more of a “black” person, a cup or two of this TGY is always good idea.

This has been a very nice year (having discovered steepster/verdant) so, surprisingly enough I still have some of this tea. It’s been more than a year after it’s been picked by now but, interestingly, I cannot really say that it got stale. If anything – it matured :)

Interesting. Aged silver needles seem to have picked sweetness somewhere which actually makes this tea tolerable for me. I am still no fan, but at least I can enjoy the taste.

And the individual leaves are so fluffy… :)

It just occured to me how similar the taste of this tea is to Shou Mei white tea, am I going crazy?:)

Very little water, very small seeps, let it slide to the back of the throat instead of covering the tongue and this one truly shines. The most nectary Yunnan black I’ve tried.

Yup, definitely the real deal :) Don’t have time for a proper note, it arrived on a day I am leaving on a business trip so expect full note after week or so…

So wonderfully warming and complex. perfect tea to go with oversleeping on Saturday.

Disambiguating the blend since summer and winter types are noticeably different.

Ordered this a while ago, never got to reviewing till now.

This cake, unlike some others I’ve tried, can easily be broken with bare hands so measuring the right quantity is not a problem. Actually it can be broken into separate leaves.

The liquid is clear and on the yellowy side and the leaves can be steeped quite a few times. I’ve got up to 6th and I probably could go on further.

The main characteristic of the taste is that it is very deep. More so than JKteashop’s 2005 Xiaguan " Wild Tree" Raw for example. While I enjoyed 2005 Xianguan it was a bit too sharp for me. The 2006 Yong De Min taste very much alike, but it is much softer and quite a bit deeper. Which is welcomed. The taste itself if kinda “prunish” but there is more to that, I just can’t place it.

Overall: a very nice tea that can be drunk on almost a daily basis without getting tired of the taste too much.

It looks like Xingyang nuggets are a perfect background for anything :) While I really enjoy brewing herbs and spices on their own, the presense of this shu in the mix takes away unnecessary sharpness from the liquid and adds a whole ton of depth to it :) Great stuff!

One thing I’ve noticed about Golden Fleece – due to its spicyness it is a perfect complement to lunch:) While I mostly drink other teas more or less as a standalone, this one is just great with some spicy pasta :)

So sad to only have enough to make a very weak cup :( One of the very few teas which I am really reluctant to use the last bit of. Even when I know the big package is on the way…

Got this as a sample with my Bailin Gongfu order.

The leaves are nice, pale green color when brewed and are, overall, pretty undamaged. Smells kinda good too…

The problem is – I never really liked this particular type of tea. And while the taste is surely there, I simply couldn’t bring myself to care. Won’t rate it `cause its useless anyway.

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