Ethan Loke Send Message

I’ve not done a review in a while thanks to illness but I had to make one for this two weeks old tea I just received as a gift. First of all, beautiful green-yellowish leaves indicative of very early pickings for Longjing (a month before Qingming festival). Seems like warmer weather could have started the harvest earlier. The leaves are plump when wet and verdant green albeit just slightly broken. Aroma is a 10/10, and the smell coming out of a newly opened pouch should be classified as the next world wonder. Yuzu and light citrus yet greenish notes, packed with multitudes of aromas yet rich and clear. The dry leaf is nutty and rich while the wet leaf is overtly green and vegetal. Liquor is a vibrant lime-green, clear yet packed with trichomes.

Taste is extraordinary for the first few steeps, great balance of citrus fruits and vegetal notes, with light lime and nuttiness portrayed as well. Well-balanced and rich. Complexity is wonderful albeit could be a bit better down the steeps. Texture is smooth and oily with a milky sensation that runs through the mouth, finish & aftertaste is one of the best I’ve had with green teas, potent yet well-balanced, smooth and creamy yet strong while still remaining subtle. Cha-qi is small but only slightly noticeable and the steep longevity is better than average, potentially reaching up to steep 8.

A really good tea worthy of a 80+ for me, however it does have its shortcomings in its complexity outside the taste, which denotes why maybe extremely early pickings, although very prized and expensive, may not be the cream of the crop when it comes to the experience in the cup. Still, an experience worth trying for the uninitiated.

Back writing reviews after a while as I was clearing up some old stock that I’ve already reviewed. I got this tea from my OWT order some time back, and it’s quite mid in my opinion. Great and beautiful whole leaves with a slightly weak but unique floral aroma and a decently vibrant liquor. The flavour was decent, definitely unlike most yanchas which was quite nice, but it felt one sided and didn’t have enough balance to the palate. Texture is smooth and juicy, with an interesting character due to it being so different from other yanchas. Finish & aftertaste is decent and the cha-qi is unnoticeable. Steep longevity is mediocre, topping out at steep 8-10.

Borderline decent tea, but mostly mediocre. I got this tea from my KTM order a while back, and the session with this tea didn’t really impress me. Leaves that were very difficult to pry (xiaguan ofc), with a decently aromatic smell to the wet leaf and a clear and vibrant liquor. The flavour was decent, prototypical aged sheng that has gone through a wetter storage feel, plus a decent texture and a decent finish & aftertaste. Character is average, with slight steep variability and personality to it, with an almost unnoticeable cha-qi and a mediocre steep longevity, topping out at about steep 10.

There are definitely better aged shengs out there.

Not a bad huangpian. I got this tea from my BLT order a while back, and it isn’t amazing but definitely not terrible. Nice leaves that were easy to pry and a rich wet leaf aroma plus a clean and clear yellow-orange liquor to pair. The flavour is decent, not the most nuanced but packed a unique nutty-bitter combination to it. The texture is very decent, smooth, oily and juicy all in one. Character is average, not a lot of steep variability while the finish & aftertaste was good, slightly lingering on both fronts. Cha-qi is almost unnoticeable and steep longevity is mediocre to average, topping out at steep 9-10.

There are definitely better huangpians out there, but objectively speaking this is a low 7/10 for me.

Decent-ish tea. I got the 2022 harvest of this tea from my recent YS order as a BOGO offer, and it’s nice but not amazing. Nice leaves with a rich wet leaf aroma and a beautiful liquor that changes from pale yellow to vibrant orange depending on the steep parameters. Flavour is decent, mix of fruits and florals and delicate notes on top. Texture is smooth and juicy, with a very wide steep variability depending on the steep parameters, ranging from delicate pine notes to stronger grassy straw notes. Finish & aftertaste is decent as well, with a nice lingering juiciness at the back. Cha-qi is almost non-existent, and steep longevity is average, with the tea lasting till about steep 10.

Very nice dian hong! I got this tea from my recent CLT order, and it’s pretty decent. Beautiful leaves with a decent proportion of buds albeit a bit broken, with a decent aroma in the wet leaf and a extremely vibrant and rich liquor with a beautiful golden sheen around. Flavour is immense, beautiful malty notes paired with a wonderful smoky twang. Texture is smooth and decent as well. Character is average to decent, with some steep variability when it comes to the smoky notes, and the finish & aftertaste were very decent, beautiful malty and juicy finish at the tail end of each sip. Cha-qi is almost non-existent unfortunately and steep longevity is average, lasting up to steep 7-8.

Decent tea worthy of a confident recommendation from me.

Interesting dian hong! I got this tea as a mystery sample back a few months ago, and it was decent. Beautiful leaves with a nice bud proportion paired with a rich wet leaf aroma and a vibrant red liquor. Flavour is decent, fruity and full-bodied, and texture is not bad and smooth. Character is a bit mediocre, not a lot of steep variability and the finish & aftertaste is pretty decent with a lingering malty and stonefruit finish. Cha-qi is almost non-existent and steep longevity is average, topping out at steep 8.

Decent-ish tea. I got this tea as a free sample from my recent CLT order, and it just felt too simple and overtly bitter as well. Decent leaves with a rich aroma both in the dry and wet leaf. Liquor is a nice vibrant yellow. Flavour is decent-ish, not a very nuanced flavour but potent to say the least. Bitterness is highly present but not over-powering, but not much else other than faint notes of other flavours. Texture is decent, smooth, and character is lacking, very simple steep variability. Finish & aftertaste is good, nice juicy finish with a slight floral aftertaste. Cha-qi is almost unnoticeable and steep longevity is average, topping out at steep 10-11.

Not a bad white! I got this tea from my recent YS order, and bare with me as I try to recall my session with this tea yesterday. Nice “Gong Mei” grade leaves albeit slightly difficult to pry, with a rich aroma in the dry and wet leaf and a delicate liquor. Flavour is decent, nice and nuanced with a slight twang of potency. Texture is smooth, character is average with some steep variability and finish & aftertaste is nice too. Cha-qi is almost non-existent and steep longevity is decent, topping out at around steep 10, which is good for a white tea.

Bitter. I got the 2019 sample of this tea from my recent Teavivre order, and it’s bitter to quite a high degree. Leaves were decently buddy but quite broken up, possibly contributing to the bitterness, with a decently rich aroma in the wet leaf and a beautiful yellowish-orange liquor. Flavour was decent, just that it was quite bitter. Although I’m a fan of bitter teas, this one was quite a fair bit past what I usually drink. Texture is good, nicely smooth, with a mediocre character and a pretty decent finish & aftertaste, providing a juicy finish and a lingering herbaceous note. Cha-qi is almost non-existent and steep longevity is mediocre, topping out at around steep 9-10.