Togo Send Message

[Spring 2023 harvest]

I am not very fond of this vintage. It has a decent aroma, similar to the previous ones. However, the flat taste is not so pleasant overall. The tea is a bit sour and has some dryness to it that rubs me the wrong way. In any case, as a tea to dring with breakfast it is still fine.

This shou is really quite settled in its state. Today I found the aroma to be quite muted, but the flavour and mouthfeel are as I remember and very well integrated.

Specifically, the liquor is creamy and full-bodied and leaves a lasting warming and spicy sensation. It tastes like a nice medium roast coffee, as I mentioned earlier as well. Additionally, there are flavours of butter, tamarind, nuts (almonds and walnuts), chicory, dried fish, and tarragon. In the aftertaste, I can also detect notes of black pepper, kumquat, and licorice. Very tasty!

Rou gui, and yancha in general, is just not my favourite flavour profile. This tea is no exception. Nevertheless, I would still like to drink it on particular occassions.

It is a strong tea that’s very mineral as expected. Aroma is calming and tender, mostly sweet and woody. The tea also taste like that, coupled with metallic bitterness, and savoury notes of almonds and seafood. The aftertaste is particularly strong and long-lasting. It gives a warming spicy note of cinnamon, which this cultival is famous for. The cha qi is a bit jittery and disorienting, but not unpleasant in the end.

This tea definitely has an aged character now. It is actually quite surprising how pronounced this aspect is.

The aroma reminds me of alcohol and forest floor vegetation. The mouthfeel is thick, oily, and cooling with substantial astringency.

Taste-wise, I like the tea a lot. It is grassy and fruity, but also with nutty and umami notes. There are flavours of carrot, pine cones, dried apples, barley, and sage. The protracted aftertaste is herbaceous and spicy, with distinct yet mild camphor note.

Robust and slick, that’s how I think of this Dian Hong. It has a fairly classic profile with strong chocolate/cocoa notes. It is sweet, woody, a touch bitter and drying. It also reminds me a bit of eucalyptus, partly in the flavour, partly due to the cooling, astringent mouthfeel. Generally, the liquor is pretty thick and satisfying.

Much less fragrant now, but still a very nice creamy texture as before. It is still sweet floral and bitter, with aromas of rice wine and apple. There are also notes of honey, alcohol, grains. The tea is refreshing and juicy, and just a bit drying. Towards the second half of the session, flavours of autumn leaf pile and yellow pepper become more prominent, reminding me of other aged huang pian I’ve had. The aftertaste is quite sweet and long-lasting.

This sheng is now 6 years old and clearly much less fragrant than it used to be. I can taste a lot of the flavours from previous notes, the taste is very clean and mineral in some sense. I think it has a stronger dried fruit and brothy presence now though. The cooling aftertaste is also quite pronounced.

Nice aroma and good flavours, but ultimately this tea lack something special to stand out for me. It has a flleting taste with a good hoppy bitterness and nut much sweetness. However, one can find sour, woody, nutty, malty, bready, fruity, floral and even smoky qualities.

This Dan Cong is more floral and grainy than fruity for sure, but it also carries a good sweetness. The bitterness and astringency are medium, and can be easily adjusted with brewing method. The liquor is oily and the mouthfeel after drinking is quite interesting: drying, perfumy, tropical, and spicy.

Specific notes I notice are baked fruits, sesame, canola, clay, and many flowery ones.