Mengdai Tea Factory (TeaUrchin)

3.5g, 70 mL TWL gaiwan, boiling

Was a bit dry in my plastic sample box so I let it sit and steam for a few minutes in the gaiwan atop a sieve strainer atop the boiling kettle.

Decent texture, 7-8 steeps before stew taste. A bit of drying cherry, sweet, floral, some mint and cooling in finish. Some heat, rising feeling. Doesn’t go very deep, but very nice for the 15c/g I paid for it four years ago. Maybe I should’ve picked up more from TU before they closed shop. I only have this and a random autumn cake. This is much better than I gave it credit for back then, and I’m sorry I ever compared it to the “04 youle gushu,” a tea that is actually nearly undrinkable. Insert Shaq “I apologize” meme

The taste is not as full as it could be, but the perfumed florals are quite decent given it’s not some $/g boutique. The material is pretty enough and leaves are mostly intact, not choppy like a XG tuo or anything. Some mushroom taste in finish starting to develop. Will be nice to see how this continues to develop.

5.3/90, boiling, gaiwan. similar in performance to the EoT Youle gushu, from what I recall from memory, so similarly unimpressive for half the price

I am brewing this up after a couple of days to read it a bit better.
I started anew on this one as it is time for a formal note.
I got 10 grams to start this one out with. I gave a quick rinse and let it sit a while. The wet leaf aroma was wet hay with a sweet note to it.
I did 3 quick steeps to start with. The color is a nice gold hue.
The cup carries the typical Mang Fei bite but it is much subdued from there. The bitter fades quickly in this one. It is brash but not overpowering. The liquor is thick on the palate.
I get the sweetness as described and the Huigan is nice.
This is full thick and bitter early that quickly becomes a sweeter tea with a nice lingering aftertaste . I would cal this the Gentleman’s Mang Fei.
Gong Fu and just under boiling to brew.