This was pretty decent, but not amazing. A nice, smooth shou, with no taste of fish (though it has a fishy scent); the soup is very dark, and no flavours stand out very distinctly. It was actually better brewed grandpa-style than gongfu; the latter concentrated the flavours a tad too much, and brought out a strangely bitter note I rarely find in shou.
Flavors: Bitter, Mushrooms, Smooth, Wet Earth
I like trying unique teas, especially those from areas of the world not known for tea production. It’s always something of a gamble and can lead to all kinds of surprises.
While I’m usually not into flavoured or scented teas, there are definitely exceptions. Hei cha which is not pu-erh tends to be my favourite category of tea, but I like some teas of all types. Smoky, creamy, and honey-like tastes generally appeal to me the most.
Top five teas I’ve had thus far (in no particular order):
Mekong Breakfast from Rakkasan Tea Company
2015 Gao Jia Shan “Cha Duo Tang” Wild Harvested Hunan Fu Brick Tea, from Yunnan Sourcing
Asahina Gyokuro “Hon Gyokuro” from Hojo Tea
Any good Lapsang Souchong
2018 Cha Yu Lin “Liu Bu Xi Village” Tian Jian Basket Tea from Yunnan Sourcing
Rural New England
