2010 YS Jie Liang Bulang. It's a bulang with a reasonably loud and broad taste, and early brews had good, pleasant viscosity which declines as the session goes on. The aspirin-style bitterness is definitely muted, but still strong at around brew three and gradually declines afterwards. The flavor is a slight chocolate tone over soil, leather, light menghai floral. A late brew or two has a strong and good honey taste. There's not really a great production of aftertaste, little aroma, and none to very little qi felt. So it's not really a fancy tea to savor, and not a good value @ $57/250g. It's a real pity that Scott didn't buy more of those two bulangs from 2009. Those two were not mediocre.
SOTD- sheng of the day
- Thread starter ouch
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Yesterday's tea was the 2010 YS Ya Nuo Youle. Unfortunately this was pretty much hongcha. Doesn't mean all of a cake would be totally hongcha, but like the YS fall Xikong or EoT Manmai or Mansai from 2010, some sessions will be more hongcha than others. It was a little like the Xikong, when that is fairly hongcha, but the Xikong had more floralness and actual qi. This was more of a straight flat Ceylon tea character. Obviously not a good option to buy when the 2009 is available. I've had this tea five years ago, when it was fresh, and that was a fairly simple and floral tea, which was very okay to drink, or so I remember.
Today's tea was better, the 2011 YS Bada. This was a fairly Menghai sort of Bada, comparable to some northern bulang or hekai. Strong menghai mushroom notes, with a off-tone chocolate character that can be mistaken for smoke, and strong soil character. This doesn't have the traditional Bada young grassy floral, or aged berry-tart. There is slight aftertaste if you brew with a firm hand and allow for strong bitterness. No qi. Viscosity is okay, and there is also some cooling. $57 isn't terrible value for tea of this nature, but I'd definitely prefer to spend more for a proper Bulang. With qi.
Today's tea was better, the 2011 YS Bada. This was a fairly Menghai sort of Bada, comparable to some northern bulang or hekai. Strong menghai mushroom notes, with a off-tone chocolate character that can be mistaken for smoke, and strong soil character. This doesn't have the traditional Bada young grassy floral, or aged berry-tart. There is slight aftertaste if you brew with a firm hand and allow for strong bitterness. No qi. Viscosity is okay, and there is also some cooling. $57 isn't terrible value for tea of this nature, but I'd definitely prefer to spend more for a proper Bulang. With qi.
2012 YS Duoyizhai. Hobbes review is a good summary. I also drank this with the EoT version from 2011 in mind. This tea had some strong surface tension action going, and keeping bubbles intact atop the soup a long while. Viscosity is definitely okay but not *that* thick. There is definitely a fuller flavor than the EoT version with a strong Menghai mushroom base with various cereal, fruit, and leather notes, depending on the brew. However, at least in this session, it's more strongly (than the EoT) in the direction of character-less sweet-leaf Hekai, only not as sweet. There's not a lot of...nannuo-ness or pasha-ness, in the sense that floral character is weak. Or any other markers of distinction. There isn't a strong or defined aroma. There is some aftertaste, but it's light, if pleasantly fruity after I finish the cup. The qi is very subtle if there is any at all, does have lots of caffeine.
This feels very expensive to me at $92, but people who desire younger western 'Banna teas do not have many choices. Ultimately, if I insisted on Nannuo and young, I would go with the Banatea 100g bricks, however many I could afford. No half measures. Buy the tea you want to drink. Of course, in practice, I'd just get some of that 2007 7th international commemorative from Houde or something.
This feels very expensive to me at $92, but people who desire younger western 'Banna teas do not have many choices. Ultimately, if I insisted on Nannuo and young, I would go with the Banatea 100g bricks, however many I could afford. No half measures. Buy the tea you want to drink. Of course, in practice, I'd just get some of that 2007 7th international commemorative from Houde or something.
The 2012 YS Mushucha is a better value for the money than yesterday's tea. I think there are two notable attributes of this tea. The first is that while the viscosity isn't that high, the texture was pleasantly oily and I drank some late brews more for the feel of the texture than flavor. The second was that for about seven brews or so, it was relatively dynamic in taste--generic sheng->vegetal sage->herb 'n candy->fruitier->rock sugar and so on. Obviously, my attention was held. The aroma was nice with dry florals and candy early on, but it dies out quickly in the session. There is some bitterness, but less strong than I remember the 2011 version of this tea, tried in 2012. More problematic is that it's not very productive and bites the back of the mouth with some tartness at times. The cooling is okay, with a funny grip on the tongue and front of the mouth in the first couple of brews, but wasn't very present afterwards. Speaking of mouthcoats, there was a little of that as well, in terms of lingering flavor. Drying astringency tends to be lightly bothering the throat, which may or may not hold for others, since my throat can be tricky. There is a little qi backing that caffeine. Nothing too crazy but there.
While this is more worthwhile, I'm still not wild about the prices. There is an immediate option that comes to mind with 2005 S.M. Mushucha that Houde offers, or the 2009 Bingdao for sizable discounts of the current price--and this tea isn't so much above average that it can't be matched. Also, there's no way it can remotely compete with the likes of 54-46 That's My Number or 72Hours, and I wonder if people could get more than their money's worth in the difference of price between this and the XZH Daxueshan @Houde.
Teas that are in this netherlands of price/quality are going to get squeezed in the marketplace, I think. 29 cents a gram isn't that bad, but a whole cake of it isn't a trivial purchase (for many people) for pleasant drinking, and ideally, one should invest in tongs of the cakes that you love. That would mean better teas than this.
While this is more worthwhile, I'm still not wild about the prices. There is an immediate option that comes to mind with 2005 S.M. Mushucha that Houde offers, or the 2009 Bingdao for sizable discounts of the current price--and this tea isn't so much above average that it can't be matched. Also, there's no way it can remotely compete with the likes of 54-46 That's My Number or 72Hours, and I wonder if people could get more than their money's worth in the difference of price between this and the XZH Daxueshan @Houde.
Teas that are in this netherlands of price/quality are going to get squeezed in the marketplace, I think. 29 cents a gram isn't that bad, but a whole cake of it isn't a trivial purchase (for many people) for pleasant drinking, and ideally, one should invest in tongs of the cakes that you love. That would mean better teas than this.
The 2012 YS Nanpozhai is inferior to the Mushucha, maybe by more than the dollar difference would suggest. Not a bad tea, though. It has a fuller body, typically of brown sugar and florals. The aroma (roughly same as taste) is stronger right after pouring, but it's not enduring like a truly good tea is. The bitterness is a bit more straightforward, towards the front of the mouth, and is productive. The earlier part of the session has the bitterness produce a fruity huigan in the back of the mouth and top of the throat. In the latter part of the session, chasing the bitterness with longer brews helps counteract the loss of base flavor, and you have a floral sensibility in the mouth. There is an occasional feeling down the throat to the belly. Maybe light qi in the beginning of the session. Of course a little gripping cooling in the early going. Some mouthcoat activity in the later going.
The flaws compared to the Mushucha...While the viscosity is roughly the same as the Mushucha, it doesn't have that nice oily texture or any texture of its own to recommend it. The viscosity also feels like it declines a bit more readily as the session goes on. The Mushucha is also very dynamic in flavor, while this one is much more static around a theme of brown sugar depth, which is more appealing than many of the Mushucha's flavors, but...you know, same, boring... Also, less durable in a sense, but if you go HAM a bit when it starts weakening, you can keep going decently, but still not as nicely as the other tea.
The flaws compared to the Mushucha...While the viscosity is roughly the same as the Mushucha, it doesn't have that nice oily texture or any texture of its own to recommend it. The viscosity also feels like it declines a bit more readily as the session goes on. The Mushucha is also very dynamic in flavor, while this one is much more static around a theme of brown sugar depth, which is more appealing than many of the Mushucha's flavors, but...you know, same, boring... Also, less durable in a sense, but if you go HAM a bit when it starts weakening, you can keep going decently, but still not as nicely as the other tea.
The 2010 Lao Wu Shan from the Xizihao label was most definitely at another level compared to the premium Yunnan Sourcing offerings. Pro tip: A truly premium tea will have a longer lasting aroma as the cup cool, so keep in mind how long you're able to enjoy the aroma when evaluating your teas! Broadly speaking, I seriously enjoyed this tea because it was very similar to the whatever-bangwei that I've almost finished the cake of, but much more refined and somewhat more full tasting. The whatever-bangwei probably does have a thicker viscosity, but this is pretty good, too. So it's dark, woody, spicy, and slightly nutty, with some fruit transitions/mouth huigans. This can also have a nice, sweet, perfume conifer element. The aroma tends to be the same, but occassionally can act different, such as the rather coffee-ish aroma in the second brew. The soup also leaves aroma on cups to smell when you're done. Aftertastes tend to be mostly of a light lingering sensibility that tends to occur very early in the session. There was also a pungent huigan in the throat, but the sort of bitterness that delivers this stuff gave out after five brews or so. I didn't mind because there was consistently flavor, for at least fifteen to twenty brews that was mellow, woody, with a sweet finish, close to standard sheng almond flavor. Very durable. The feelings are good, too. Moderate qi, a pretty good cooling sensibility, and some truly nice feelings down the throat.
I was mildly fine with this tea when I had this about four years ago. It tasted very much like how JingGu and Wuliang teas tended to taste when new, with vegetal notes and all. This particular sample almost certainly was bought when I got mine, so it has been stored outside of Houde. Saying this because James of TeaDB has said that this was pretty similar to the XZH gift set JingGu, when as far as I know, that tea is still very floral and not woody at all, and this tea has a lot of depth, and it takes a bit of stomach discomfort to realize that it's a pretty young tea. While it was on Houde's shelves, that was a screaming bargain, I'd say. Of course, not the best of what XZH can offer, but it was only $115 at its most expensive.
I was mildly fine with this tea when I had this about four years ago. It tasted very much like how JingGu and Wuliang teas tended to taste when new, with vegetal notes and all. This particular sample almost certainly was bought when I got mine, so it has been stored outside of Houde. Saying this because James of TeaDB has said that this was pretty similar to the XZH gift set JingGu, when as far as I know, that tea is still very floral and not woody at all, and this tea has a lot of depth, and it takes a bit of stomach discomfort to realize that it's a pretty young tea. While it was on Houde's shelves, that was a screaming bargain, I'd say. Of course, not the best of what XZH can offer, but it was only $115 at its most expensive.
Now the 2010 Manlin (Manzhuan) from Sanhetang. Back when I first tried this, I thought it was very tasty, very cupcake like a jinfo yancha, but not really a great all around tea, and certainly not a better one than the Lao Wu Shan. Not much has changed. It's still a very tasty dessert tea, with strong dark cherry note amidst sumac wood, wood, vanillins in aroma and taste. The viscosity and the mouthfeel are decent enough, with some drying astringency. There is something of a lingering aftertaste early on, as well as some strong cooling, and these fade pretty quickly. There isn't any qi. Also not a very dynamic session...roughly the same sort of flavors throughout the session. Not even the finished leaves are as pretty as the Lao Wu Shan, which has some gorgeous four inch whole leaves.
This is a great tea when you have plenty of great teas, and just want something sinful and not too complicated. It should also age really well and be even sweeter in flavors and maybe sensate-wise. This sort of dark fruitiness that comes with age is a big reason why people would want to age Manzhuan teas in general. I also sort of think of it like a yancha, without the strong minerals. Ethos is pretty similar to aged yancha in general.
This is a great tea when you have plenty of great teas, and just want something sinful and not too complicated. It should also age really well and be even sweeter in flavors and maybe sensate-wise. This sort of dark fruitiness that comes with age is a big reason why people would want to age Manzhuan teas in general. I also sort of think of it like a yancha, without the strong minerals. Ethos is pretty similar to aged yancha in general.
2008 7542. I see why it's a classic, though it's not my favorite at the moment.
A point of order, the 2010 XZH Manlin uses 2009 maocha, and pressed 2010. Sanhetang also wants roughly $300 more for the Manlin as opposed to the Lao Wu Shan. It's a a little weird to me, given that the latter is the overall better tea. Not too weird, given tastiness.
Today was the last new sheng of this little streak. 2012 Sanhezhai. I remember praising the 2011 version of this tea. This one is alright. It has a prominent Mangfei note, has a pretty decent viscosity for a cheaper tea, and there are some sweet flavors, especially after the Mangfei stuff fades, later in the session. So long as you're not taking it too seriously, it's pretty good. Of course, it's not that cheap at $45. I'd say about right, especially for drinking now.
The sanhetang stuff blew everything else out of the water, so let's leave that out of the rankings...which then leads to a ranking of YS teas.
Best value, best to worst.
Mushucha '12
Duoyizhai '12 I'm assuming aging advantage
Nanpozhai '12
Youle '09
Jie Liang '10
Wu Jia Zhai '12 sold out, but it did have sneaky good qualities, like mouthcoat
Bada '11 aging considerations
Sanhezhai '12
Ya Nuo '10
If I had money and was shopping...I'd buy the Mushucha and Nanpozhai, only a cake to be drunk when inspired to, and no aging considerations. They'd be pretty far down my overall wishlist, though.
Today was the last new sheng of this little streak. 2012 Sanhezhai. I remember praising the 2011 version of this tea. This one is alright. It has a prominent Mangfei note, has a pretty decent viscosity for a cheaper tea, and there are some sweet flavors, especially after the Mangfei stuff fades, later in the session. So long as you're not taking it too seriously, it's pretty good. Of course, it's not that cheap at $45. I'd say about right, especially for drinking now.
The sanhetang stuff blew everything else out of the water, so let's leave that out of the rankings...which then leads to a ranking of YS teas.
Best value, best to worst.
Mushucha '12
Duoyizhai '12 I'm assuming aging advantage
Nanpozhai '12
Youle '09
Jie Liang '10
Wu Jia Zhai '12 sold out, but it did have sneaky good qualities, like mouthcoat
Bada '11 aging considerations
Sanhezhai '12
Ya Nuo '10
If I had money and was shopping...I'd buy the Mushucha and Nanpozhai, only a cake to be drunk when inspired to, and no aging considerations. They'd be pretty far down my overall wishlist, though.
Hi there. First post here, please excuse the inclusion of two oolongs, but I thought they were interesting enough to warrant a mention, even to a strict sheng man like myself. Visited my friend's tea shop today, and we drank four teas together, which is ridiculous because any one of them would have been a full session on it's own.
Tea #1: A customer walks in and gifts the store owner a bag of 2015 Yiwu maocha. A lot of long, large leaves in there, but I'm skeptical as soon as I hear Yiwu and gushu bandied around. But it really seems like the real deal. A distinct Yiwu character is present in the tea. A lot of bitterness, with a wild gushu aspect to the tea as well. Hugely active in the mouth, with a strong huigan. I really, really liked this tea. My friend wasn't so thrilled with it, it's just too young for him, he doesn't enjoy the bitterness. Would love to take it off his hands, but he'll probably shelf if for ten years before giving it another crack.
Tea #2: 2005 Naka from White2Tea that I had bought along to share. Performed as it always does and has already been well reviewed, so I don't have much to add. Probably needs needs two more years before it hits my sweet spot, but when it does, my two cakes won't last very long. Always fun.
Tea #3: A 1984 oolong. My friend has procured this to commemorate his year of birth. Roasted after three years, then sealed up airtight ever since. This was aired in a clay pot for six months prior to consumption, which apparently helps to bring some aroma back. Lucky me that he decided to share this today. I have to say, I have had 30 year old oolongs before, but this one was by far the cleanest and most fragrant example. From the first brew, the soup is crystal clear. The wet leaves have an aroma of pure wood (from being roasted 27 years ago), but the tea wasn't really woody at all. Very interesting. The flavour notes were distinct, but I got too smashed to recall specifics. I am a heavy tea drinker, but this got me high as a kite. I was shocked to learn that it was actually tie guan yin, which I am not usually a fan of. Just sensational.
Tea #4: Ba Xian. Apparently this is Eight Immortals oolong, which a cursory look online tells me is a form of Phoenix Dancong from Guangdong. However the Ba Xian we drank todau is procured from wild trees in Fujian province instead. Apparently this tea is never put on the market, and is picked and processed for the local's own consumption. It has a fruity aroma like dancong, however the flavour is completely different. Much more honeyed, with a stronger lychee aspect to it. Thicker in the mouth than even Wu Dong area dancongs.
What can I say, today was a good day.
Tea #1: A customer walks in and gifts the store owner a bag of 2015 Yiwu maocha. A lot of long, large leaves in there, but I'm skeptical as soon as I hear Yiwu and gushu bandied around. But it really seems like the real deal. A distinct Yiwu character is present in the tea. A lot of bitterness, with a wild gushu aspect to the tea as well. Hugely active in the mouth, with a strong huigan. I really, really liked this tea. My friend wasn't so thrilled with it, it's just too young for him, he doesn't enjoy the bitterness. Would love to take it off his hands, but he'll probably shelf if for ten years before giving it another crack.
Tea #2: 2005 Naka from White2Tea that I had bought along to share. Performed as it always does and has already been well reviewed, so I don't have much to add. Probably needs needs two more years before it hits my sweet spot, but when it does, my two cakes won't last very long. Always fun.
Tea #3: A 1984 oolong. My friend has procured this to commemorate his year of birth. Roasted after three years, then sealed up airtight ever since. This was aired in a clay pot for six months prior to consumption, which apparently helps to bring some aroma back. Lucky me that he decided to share this today. I have to say, I have had 30 year old oolongs before, but this one was by far the cleanest and most fragrant example. From the first brew, the soup is crystal clear. The wet leaves have an aroma of pure wood (from being roasted 27 years ago), but the tea wasn't really woody at all. Very interesting. The flavour notes were distinct, but I got too smashed to recall specifics. I am a heavy tea drinker, but this got me high as a kite. I was shocked to learn that it was actually tie guan yin, which I am not usually a fan of. Just sensational.
Tea #4: Ba Xian. Apparently this is Eight Immortals oolong, which a cursory look online tells me is a form of Phoenix Dancong from Guangdong. However the Ba Xian we drank todau is procured from wild trees in Fujian province instead. Apparently this tea is never put on the market, and is picked and processed for the local's own consumption. It has a fruity aroma like dancong, however the flavour is completely different. Much more honeyed, with a stronger lychee aspect to it. Thicker in the mouth than even Wu Dong area dancongs.
What can I say, today was a good day.
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Does anyone have any recommendations for teas that can currently be purchased in the 25g-50g sample size for around $1/gram, or maybe even a little more?
I'm aware that this is a bit of a stupid question, but I have several years worth of "affordable" puerh, and my wife would like to be able to buy me some special occasion teas for a gift - but neither of us have the appetite for spending $100s at a time, however economically rational that might be.
I'm aware that this is a bit of a stupid question, but I have several years worth of "affordable" puerh, and my wife would like to be able to buy me some special occasion teas for a gift - but neither of us have the appetite for spending $100s at a time, however economically rational that might be.
Not a stupid question at all!
You may get other recommendations of specific teas, but without knowing your taste preference, I would that you look at White2Tea and choose some likely candidates: www.White2tea.com
Paul, the proprietor, has an excellent selection of curated teas in various price ranges. I've not had a bad tea from him and several very good sheng puer. Most are not famous label teas, but he travels to Yunnan and finds maocha or stored cakes that are not labeled and then sells those that meet his standards (which are high). He is able to find good teas that are more reasonably priced because they lack the labels / pedigree of the big factories. Sample sizes are 25g from W2T; enough for three or four sessions -- for me at least as I generally use ~6 grams for a 100ml gaiwan. He has also been quite helpful in email with me, so if you or your wife can articulate what your tastes are, he may be able to point you toward teas you will like instead of just blindly choosing. Shipping is a reasonable flat fee unless you buy large amounts. Not sure where you live, but here in NY I generally get packages from W2T in about 10 days to 2 weeks.
My only warning is: be careful! Samples can inspire orders of expensive tea in large quantities -- I know from experience.
Thanks, that's a very good suggestion!
I do have some White2Tea experience, having bought 1kg of White Whale back when it was $15/100g, but it hadn't occurred to me that just emailing them would be a good plan - I will suggest that to my wife.
I do have some White2Tea experience, having bought 1kg of White Whale back when it was $15/100g, but it hadn't occurred to me that just emailing them would be a good plan - I will suggest that to my wife.
WW is good, but there are better teas for sure from W2T. Hope your wife finds some you will enjoy! For what it's worth, I've heard really good things about Tea Urchin and Essence of Tea too, but I haven't much personal experience with them yet. Both have some high-end teas in sample sizes.
I am enjoying the 09 XZH Golden Brick. It is a blend of GFZ and LBZ. I am guessing that it is fall material based on the taste and price.
I have always thought that this tea was not blended very well. I have had weird luck with this cake about 1/3 of my sessions are awesome and the rest are just ok. Leading me to believe there is some excellent quality tea mixed in with some ok tea.Today is either one of those excellent sessions or this brick has really improved in the two years since I have drank this tea.
I have always thought that this tea was not blended very well. I have had weird luck with this cake about 1/3 of my sessions are awesome and the rest are just ok. Leading me to believe there is some excellent quality tea mixed in with some ok tea.Today is either one of those excellent sessions or this brick has really improved in the two years since I have drank this tea.
Shah saying "sweet leaf Hekai" makes my day.
Been working on a '07 Mengku "Wild Arbor King" sample graciously provided by netsurfr. I need to take better notes, but it seems to have a lot of tobacco notes to it. It's not the Menghai "fish" or plantation Dayi taste either.
Since I have a new set of samples in, I thought I'd do a quick run-down of recent shengs
'10 YS Yanuo Youle--This was better than the first try and not so hongcha. It wasn't that durable though.
'11 YS Bada--I'm down on this one though, second try is a bit more convincing that it's not great, on the weight of a predominant low register barnyard taste. There's not too much promise of anything very nice with age. Maybe some plums like that anon wet-stored '07 Bada, but basic taste outweighs more positive fundamentals like decent thickness, etc.
'12 YS Duoyizhai--I feel distinctly better about this one on the second try. Much more character in taste with more florals, more chocolate, and more of a dynamic session with a nice Menghai sweet at the end. Still not much in the way of qi, aftertastes.
'12 YS Sanhezhai--sweeter flavors than the first try, less tobacco, and sound tea with nothing too fancy about it.
'08 Dayi Autumn Aroma--pretty much anon without too much distinct character
'06 2nd Memorial--was tried again because Houde suggests the price is about $180. Didn't think that was attractive, so I pulled it out one day. Same as it ever was. Does a good job with aroma, decent enough taste, etc, etc. Not chopped liver, but not that exciting, either. Why $180 for this instead of the nicer '07 Bulang that was sold for $100?
'05 Dayi Mengsong Peacock--sort of retired smoke closely tied to Menghai florals on top, menghai honey for main body, and persistent plumminess for finish and aftertaste in throat. Light but firm qi.
'10 YS Yanuo Youle--This was better than the first try and not so hongcha. It wasn't that durable though.
'11 YS Bada--I'm down on this one though, second try is a bit more convincing that it's not great, on the weight of a predominant low register barnyard taste. There's not too much promise of anything very nice with age. Maybe some plums like that anon wet-stored '07 Bada, but basic taste outweighs more positive fundamentals like decent thickness, etc.
'12 YS Duoyizhai--I feel distinctly better about this one on the second try. Much more character in taste with more florals, more chocolate, and more of a dynamic session with a nice Menghai sweet at the end. Still not much in the way of qi, aftertastes.
'12 YS Sanhezhai--sweeter flavors than the first try, less tobacco, and sound tea with nothing too fancy about it.
'08 Dayi Autumn Aroma--pretty much anon without too much distinct character
'06 2nd Memorial--was tried again because Houde suggests the price is about $180. Didn't think that was attractive, so I pulled it out one day. Same as it ever was. Does a good job with aroma, decent enough taste, etc, etc. Not chopped liver, but not that exciting, either. Why $180 for this instead of the nicer '07 Bulang that was sold for $100?
'05 Dayi Mengsong Peacock--sort of retired smoke closely tied to Menghai florals on top, menghai honey for main body, and persistent plumminess for finish and aftertaste in throat. Light but firm qi.
The first sample of the set is the 2011 Yangqinghao Ku Yun, which is a Bulang.
I enjoyed the single sample very much and wish I had a second or third try! The tea though, is very unusual for a Bulang. It feels like the sun-drying stage allowed a degree of fermentation, and there is no bitterness or astringency unless you reach for it. The taste is a very singular dried papaya, but darker and wine sensibility along with a little leather. This specific fruitiness dominates all of the brews in the session. However, while the taste sort of feels "short" due to the near hongcha character, within that taste, there is a lot of subtlety in the depth of papaya, such that this tea rewards close attention to the flavors. That depth does change from brew to brew. Part of the reason the taste feel short is that there is very little aftertaste in the mouth and there is little transformation or finish. If you reach for bitterness or astringency, there is definitely some productivity--the bitterness generates Menghai floral mouth aroma, and astringency does deliver a little stored taste after finish. This tea does deliver decent feeling in the throat and some rising floral aroma/taste in the throat on a more easy/consistent basis. Speaking of aroma, the Ku Yun consistently delivers an aroma of decent strength, durability, and rising some. Aroma is much like the taste. Viscosity is generally good enough or a bit better, and one of those teas that tends to improve as it cools. A couple of cups earlier on had an interesting texture. Durability is very good. About eight active brews, and delivers solid flavors at least past fifteen brews. Qi is mild to moderate, I think, but I can't be sure because I wasn't quite well of recently, but I'm pretty sure that's about what it is.
All in all, this is good tea if quite nonstandard. I think it's well worth buying at $140/500g, especially if you have more standard Bulangs. The closest comparison for me is that it's much like the Zhizheng Bulang Peak 2010 I've had, and the general Zhizheng penchant for heavier reddening in wilting. That tea had more Bulang florals, honey, and still some tobacco backbone, though. The kind of post youth fruitiness that isn't aged plumminess is echoed by the '07 XZH Dinjin Nuer, but the XZH is maltier with strong backbone. I think it can be enjoyed in a substantially similar way to the wild wild teas, like the EoT Wuliang Wild or the Teadezhang thousand year tea. The YQH Ku Yun also echoes how the fruitier Youle teas with some age are like, and I suspect JakobT would like this tea very much. If I were taking part in a group buy, I'd probably seriously consider this tea, as it's good value, but there are so many other good values on tap that I think I'd wind up focusing on other teas and only buying one, if any. I have my doubts about how well it would age by another five, ten years.
I enjoyed the single sample very much and wish I had a second or third try! The tea though, is very unusual for a Bulang. It feels like the sun-drying stage allowed a degree of fermentation, and there is no bitterness or astringency unless you reach for it. The taste is a very singular dried papaya, but darker and wine sensibility along with a little leather. This specific fruitiness dominates all of the brews in the session. However, while the taste sort of feels "short" due to the near hongcha character, within that taste, there is a lot of subtlety in the depth of papaya, such that this tea rewards close attention to the flavors. That depth does change from brew to brew. Part of the reason the taste feel short is that there is very little aftertaste in the mouth and there is little transformation or finish. If you reach for bitterness or astringency, there is definitely some productivity--the bitterness generates Menghai floral mouth aroma, and astringency does deliver a little stored taste after finish. This tea does deliver decent feeling in the throat and some rising floral aroma/taste in the throat on a more easy/consistent basis. Speaking of aroma, the Ku Yun consistently delivers an aroma of decent strength, durability, and rising some. Aroma is much like the taste. Viscosity is generally good enough or a bit better, and one of those teas that tends to improve as it cools. A couple of cups earlier on had an interesting texture. Durability is very good. About eight active brews, and delivers solid flavors at least past fifteen brews. Qi is mild to moderate, I think, but I can't be sure because I wasn't quite well of recently, but I'm pretty sure that's about what it is.
All in all, this is good tea if quite nonstandard. I think it's well worth buying at $140/500g, especially if you have more standard Bulangs. The closest comparison for me is that it's much like the Zhizheng Bulang Peak 2010 I've had, and the general Zhizheng penchant for heavier reddening in wilting. That tea had more Bulang florals, honey, and still some tobacco backbone, though. The kind of post youth fruitiness that isn't aged plumminess is echoed by the '07 XZH Dinjin Nuer, but the XZH is maltier with strong backbone. I think it can be enjoyed in a substantially similar way to the wild wild teas, like the EoT Wuliang Wild or the Teadezhang thousand year tea. The YQH Ku Yun also echoes how the fruitier Youle teas with some age are like, and I suspect JakobT would like this tea very much. If I were taking part in a group buy, I'd probably seriously consider this tea, as it's good value, but there are so many other good values on tap that I think I'd wind up focusing on other teas and only buying one, if any. I have my doubts about how well it would age by another five, ten years.
Today was a minibrew of '07 YQH Qizhong (4.3g) in my gaiwan. I didn't enjoy it as much as I would other YQH production, including yesterday's tea. The best thing about this tea is that it has a good soup viscosity, with occasionally good texture early in the session. The taste is heavier than YQH normally is, but that is on the back of retired smoke, and not any other flavors of depth like soil, chocolate, barnyard, or whatever. There is some complexity in the aroma and taste--like slightly humid sheng tone, carrots, like aged Nannuo can be, some dark and wine-fleshy florals, some indistinct fruit hanging with the fleshy florals. However this is all light, especially after the first few brews. The qi is mild and only seems to be present in the first few brews as well. There is generally a lingering pleasant sweet floral/fruit aftertaste at the top of the throat, which is present in more brews.
I don't find this to be a very good value. If you weren't a fan of nicely retired smoke, you can get most of the niceness (and more otherwise) from YS Mushucha for less money. In a real sense, I feel as if I could compare this to what my '05 Dayi Mengsong Peacock has. It has a nice retired smoke note, and much bolder, with a thicker primary honey taste, and a good plum aftertaste in the throat, stronger than what the Qizhong offers. The Dayi is more yang though, while the Qizhong is very yin, in typical sexist Chinese parlance. Dayi is better at being yang and more satisfying. This judgement is based on one fairly small and non-standard brewing, but I didn't think that much of it the first time I tried this tea almost two years ago.
I don't find this to be a very good value. If you weren't a fan of nicely retired smoke, you can get most of the niceness (and more otherwise) from YS Mushucha for less money. In a real sense, I feel as if I could compare this to what my '05 Dayi Mengsong Peacock has. It has a nice retired smoke note, and much bolder, with a thicker primary honey taste, and a good plum aftertaste in the throat, stronger than what the Qizhong offers. The Dayi is more yang though, while the Qizhong is very yin, in typical sexist Chinese parlance. Dayi is better at being yang and more satisfying. This judgement is based on one fairly small and non-standard brewing, but I didn't think that much of it the first time I tried this tea almost two years ago.
