Togo Send Message

This is the first (and to this day the only) Qian Liang tea that I’ve tried. I am definitely intrigued – it is a really unique tea, which I also haven’t found the right way to brew yet mostly due to it being pressed so tightly. It seems to require a rinse of several minutes followed by a lengthy rest at the very least.

It is a very comforting and warming tea that seems very much suited to late autumn days. The main flavours includes earhty, spicy (bay leaf, caraway, star anise) and sweet (tamarind) ones.

This tea seems more about aromas than the taste or texture, even though those are interesting too if one pays close enough attention.

Dry leaves smell of forest, mint, plum and fenugreek seeds. Among the notes after the rinse are freshly baked bread rolls, ammonia, burdock, blackberry and carrot.

The taste is subtle and can at times appear to be somewhat weak. Beneath the overall mineral character and black grape note, however, there lies a multitude of fleeting flavours.

As for the mouthfeel, I found it to be quite silky and numbing. It is a slightly unusual texture I’d say, coupled with the lighter body than what one might expect from white teas with comparable character in this aspect.

This tea starts very interesting. There is a sweet aroma of pine wood and resin rising from the leaves that’s very invigorating. I also immediately notice the smooth colloidal texture that becomes quite bubbly in the coming infusions. The taste, although not too complex, is nice too. I get strong notes of wood, grains such as rye, croissants and light honey. Overall, it is a sweet drink which even intensifies in the aftertaste that’s also somewhat drying and slightly more sour and bitter.

The middle of the session is characterized by a more savoury profile with a sunflower oil flavour. Progressively, the later steeps get a bit boring though and the session end on a little underwhelming note. Thanks for the sample derk :)

After ten day long vacation in Puerto Rico I am back to snowy Canada. More importantly, I can have some tea again!

Golden Bud is a tea I grabbed a sample of after some good reception it received. After two sessions, my verdict would be that the tea is not quite for me. The main characteristics are a woody aroma, taste of cocoa nibs, and a super clear liquor that’s quite active in the mouth.

Apart from the woody notes I can also detect aromas of leather, sugarcane, bay leaf, rattan, black currant and blackberry. It ranks among the more interesting ripe pu-erh teas as far as the aroma goes. Personally, I found the complexity to be lacking in the taste and aftertaste though. There is not much beyond a bittersweet, cocoa flavour and a buttery, popcorn-like finish.

The body is medium to full and the mouthfeel is bubbly and buttery. The texture is nice, but doesn’t quite elevate the tea towards my favourites in the category.

Thick foam, milky taste, and vegetal aftertaste that has a little bit of a bitter bite.

I’ve had Three Aroma Bai Mu Dan for more than a year now and it does shows definite signs of ageing. The leaves (and liquor to a lesser extent) are darker, the aromas are more subdued and woody/spicy, and there is a little hint of that sweet medicinal aged white taste. The taste is not as fresh and floral, but quite similar to when I got the tea a year ago. The only new notes I noticed are those of vanilla, spices, and orange peel. All of these mostly come forward towards the end of the session.

What a superb Bao Zhong this is! An almost unparalleled complexity of aromas, a well-defined yet balanced profile, and a full body make it one of the best within the category that I had a chance to try.

The dry leaves already have a great depth of aromas with notes of pastries, custard, flowers (lily), and other green plants. The bouquet changes considerably in a preheated gaiwan. There is a strong floral honey-like scent, complemented by steamed spinach and egg yolk. Finally, after the rinse I get mostly notes of freshly cut grass and honey. Later in the session, the aroma reminds me of a mix between Si Ji Chun and Qing Xin varietals.

First infusion tastes tart, buttery and grassy. It has a smooth onset with a hit of umami and flowers, and a slightly bitter finish. The aftertaste is then sweet and very floral. Second steep introduces a very interesting mix of flavours such as green beans, rucola, and orange gooseberry.

The following ones are then progressively more juicy, nutty (hazelnut), sweet (sugarcane), and floral. There is a bit of astringency around steep 3, but nothing that would detract from the overall experience. The aftertaste in the later stages of the session is cooling with a strong custard note and hints of parsley.

One of the things that elevate this tea ahead of its ‘competitors’ is the mouthfeel. It is very mouth-watering and bubbly with a velvety texture initially that gets more oily as the session progresses.

Like I mentioned in my note for the 2015 vintage, Huang Shan Gu Shu is a tea whose qualities are not necessarily apparent at first sight. The interlayered bitterness and sweetness express themselves over the course of the whole session. The consistently pure taste and interesting mouthfeel that doesn’t fade after the peak infusion can only be properly appreciated in hindsight. On top of that, among of the main selling points of the tea are its long-lasting and evolving aftertaste as well as the creeping and relaxing cha qi.

The taste is very clean and pungent with a nutty, mineral, and buttery character. In the aftertaste, one can find more floral aspects as well. I am looking forward to tasting the 2015 and 2016 versions side-by-side, I can’t identify any major differences through individual sessions (though significantly separated in time).

With my first Farmerleaf order, I got this mini cake for casual drinking. It delivers more or less what one would expect from a Jingmai plantation tea. It is tasty, pungent and not too complex with quite a floral profile. The aroma is green and grassy with notes of dandelion among other flowers. Taste-wise, I found the tea to have a good balance of umami, sweetness and bitterness. At this young age, it is still a bit grassy and a little salty. Mouthfeel is soft and drying, and I get a warming sensation spreading throughout the body after drinking.

I really like how this tea is progressing over time. It is a very vegetal one, but it does have a good depth. The profile hasn’t changed much since a year ago. Just like Roswell Strange, I too find that each one of the sessions I’ve had with it carries that bell pepper character. It is especially pronounced in the aftertaste.

The main difference I found compared to my memory (and the previous note) is that the tea does seem a bit sweeter now, which makes it more balanced. There is a light honey flavour as well and a sort of malty finish.