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First time being the first reviewer on a tea, I think. Certainly one this old.

I take this with me to work and brew it grandpa style mostly, first steep is typical shou, second and third have a wonderful cola taste that I love. Like cola flavored candy – think Bottle Caps. Some warm spices, particularly cinnamon. Slightly slick/creamy mouthfeel. Really pleasant. I will have to gong fu this to see what else it’s got.

This was a blind buy for me before I was sure I liked shou. Didn’t like it much at first, stashed it away for a year and a half or so. Definitely a deal when I bought it, I’ll have to blind buy more.

Had an old sample of this that I revisited. The sample is probably a little stale, I keep my puerh in ziplocks and I’m sure the humidity isn’t optimal.

Overall really enjoyed this tea, lots of heavy, sweet chocolate and cigar/leather, and some cherry/root beer/dr pepper. Wonderfully deep, lasting aroma that sits in your chest. Slightly brisk, mouthfeel wasn’t overly slick. Not a whole lot of development, but I might blame that on sample quality.

Tried this against the 2013 and found pretty similar results, but slightly prefer the 2013 which had more sweetness and cherry stuff going on. Again, sample quality might be a factor.

Had a sample of this in my stash for 1.5 – 2 years in pretty lazy storage so very young. Gaiwan, 1g:15ml. Did 8 solid steeps, then one where I forgot about it for 15min or so.

Big aroma throughout: citrus zest – grapefruit?, dampened dried wild grasses & flowers, slightly woody like hardwood in the later steeps. Reminded me of late summer nights when the damp night air rehydrates the dried grasses and flowers and it’s got that heady floral quality.

Flavor was pretty solidly young sheng: crisp greens, artichoke, toasted grasses, and some fruitiness. Not a total gut bomb, definitely still bitter and astringent but manageable. Good sweet aftertaste. I could drink this, but I wouldn’t pick it often.

The last “wildcard” 15min steep was a real winner, big stonefruit/apricot aroma and flavor, hardly bitter. Was very light though, not sure the tea had much more to give.

I’m not really familiar enough with (young) sheng to really confidently evaluate it or how it might age, just trying to write more tea notes.

Bright, sweet, fruity. Love this one. Way more than the Dian Hong you might expect. This is the daily tea that I actively avoid drinking because I would demolish my stash so quickly. You can come back to this tea multiple times and find something new each time.

Take it from me: Guy Who Has Not Has Much Raw Pu-Erh™, this is a pretty good cake. By now it’s lost nearly all of its astringency and has a fruity, bright character. A good amount of depth and complexity.

Hits all the right notes for a daily driver black tea (for me.) Malty, light scent of fresh tobacco, a rich, floral (in that way autumn leaves are floral, y’know?), and bright background. Complex on its own but plays a wonderful second fiddle to a pastry or snack. Wonderfully toasty at heavier ratios, though that dies off in the later steeps. Quite sweet with brown/raw sugar flavor, not the sweetest I’ve had but significant. Toes the line of too sweet for me (I prefer roastier/toastier -sweet to sugar-sweet).

Update:
This turned into my daily driver and I fell into an easy rhythm with it brewing it western style. 5.5g:300ml, 10-15s rinse, 2:00, 2:20, 2:50. It doesn’t get bitter or astringent, but steeping too long can make it too thick and undefined. You get really clear, sweet sugary notes with the first steep that evolve into more defined floral, malty, and fruity notes in the later steeps.
I’ve gone through it in a handful of months so I can’t say it’s really aged. It is a little more aggressive these days, but I think that’s due a higher ratio of broken leaves and dust as I reach the bottom of my bag.
Cold brews into a great, but a bit light, iced tea.

Initial impressions. On opening the bag I was greeted with a funky, fruity smell like maybe a nectarine or plum that gave way to hay, spring/summer grass, and almost meatiness. The brew was intensely savory with a solid returning sweetness. Spinach, sweet grass, seaweed, and a ton of umami. Broccoli crowns that have been steamed until soft. Buttery mouthfeel. Even though the leaves don’t have much of an intense green going on like a gyokuro, I would suspect a relatively high theanine content based on the taste.

Update:

I found this tea to get too astringent too quickly brewed in a gaiwan, even after dropping the temp and time. However, it’s quite good brewed western, ~5g to ~330g water, 180’F, for 2 minutes. Brewing this way really tames the bitterness and astringency but keeps the brothy and crisp brew.

Just received this tea so this is initial reactions.

Wow this tea is sweet, like turbinado and a touch of light brown sugar. Not too caramelly, a very clean sweetness. I would genuinely believe someone had sweetened this tea if I hadn’t brewed it myself. A little lighter and more floral than other dian hong; reminds me of oolongs on the more oxidized end. A touch peppery; sweet potato that comes and goes in middle steeps; just enough astringency to keep things interesting. Sweetness not as present in later steeps and opens up to more floral flavors. Lacks some of the nutty, peanut shell notes that give other dian hong some depth and I like, but holds its own, especially for the price. I bought this as a daily drinker and it fits that bill perfectly.

I think this tea will do well iced, cold brewed, and carbonated.

10s rinse; 10, 15, 20, 30, 45, 1min, 1min