I tried this tea alongside Old Ways’s “normal” Shui Xian. I was a little bit surprised by the results. Visually, the leaves looked pretty similar, though slightly lighter in color, and I suspect roasting level. Aroma was dominated by roast, but I was able to pick out a bit more along with it. Floral notes, and a bit of toasty sugar, almost like creme brulee.

The flavor was harder to wrap my head around. Compared to the regular Shui Xian, the flavors were a lot more subtle. I got much more out of it when I drank it alone versus the side-by-side session I did with the two. Flavors are similar – roasty sweet in the front of the sip, but a little softer with the Old Tree. The finish was stone fruit, floral, and mineral. Very soft feeling overall if that makes any sense. This roast is skillfully done and well rested. Very smooth.

A very good tea in its own right. I wouldn’t consider it superior to the regular Shui Xian, but certainly different. A lot of that might be my relatively inexperienced yancha palate. The slightly heavier hitting flavors of the “regular” Shui Xian stood out to me a bit more, so I very slightly prefer that one. Both are good teas though.

Bottomline comparison between regular and Old Tree Shui Xian – Regular has bolder, stronger, more straightforward flavors, whereas the Old Tree is more about subtle floral notes and aromas, along with the smooth roast. Experienced yancha drinkers may get more out of the Old Tree, but both are quite tasty.

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A bit about myself: 22 years old, college grad (Double major in Anthropology and History). I plan to make a career of archaeology and hopefully travel (much of) the world in my days.

I enjoy many things aside from tea, including gaming, mixing cocktails, reading, watching anime, and painting miniatures.

My favorite type of tea is sheng puerh. Particularly younger stuff, if only because I haven’t gotten the chance to taste much of anything aged. I also really like oolong (Taiwanese, Wuyi, Dancong, etc.) and Japanese Green Teas. I do also enjoy most other kinds of tea, but they aren’t what I normally buy. I’m not a huge fan of shou puerh, black tea, or flavored blends, with few exceptions.

I really like interacting with the tea community, so if you ever want to talk or swap teas or anything, feel free to shoot me a message or something. Follow me and I’ll follow you back. Probably ;)

You might also see me on reddit as /u/Matuhg

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