Tea Hong

Uncovered this older tea in my collection. not much left, so thought I’d review this admittedly not-in-peak tea.
Grain, vegetal and lemon nose
Liquor has a lot of creamy/custard elements, honey and sweet cardamom

Finish is quite bitter

A very minty Ruby 18! Very nice quality, and quite smooth. If you like ruby 18, this is a good choice. If you’re curious about what ruby 18 is like, this is a good example.

The ‘supreme’ version of this is so incredible that it left a sweet taste in my mouth for over two hours. I’m drinking a sheng right now and it’s returns to the taste of this after the liquid goes down.

Insanely long lasting.

Only brewed around 3g of this because I was sipping out of a small cup.
The leaf is absolutely beautiful when it is fully unraveled. Th bruise marks and the vein show signs of being crafted in a mastered way, unless someone is just really lucky. I have at least 8 nice cups of this and it reminded me of a baozhong and a tieguanyin all at the same time. It’s very light and delicate but provides a nice balance of floral and vegetable notes that you would find in the crossing of a green to oolong tea. If my computer didn’t get the 503 error I could find more information and evaluate the cost… but, blah.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BCECk4OxYME/

& for reference https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10102127065630288&set=a.10100599995376318.2515332.6706652&type=3&theater

Hugely aromatic: fresh peaches, unripe lychee, flowers and almonds.
A light but energising drink.
Can be a fickle infusion resulting in bitter flavours

I’ve got a cold right now, so may have to revisit this when trying again, but I thought this was very nice – I was pleasantly surprised. It’s so often that you find a vendor who makes exaggerated claims about a tea, and then the tea is not so good, but this one reminded of me (in a good way) of some other teas I’ve had and really enjoyed.

The aroma under the gaiwan lid was great, but the empty cup wasn’t quite as fragrant as I would have expected. But the tea was fairly durable, and the taste sweet and spicy, with just a bit of astringency and roughness on the front of the tongue. Looking forward to brewing this a couple of different ways, and definitely need to try the 2012 version, as well as get some more of the 2011.

The tea is described as traditional. I would consider the roast medium / balanced / sufficient (not over, not under), and I’d describe the oxidation as medium, but the roast is well done, and it’s been well roasted, so there’s no sharpness or unpleasant notes. Aftertaste is lasting, even with my nose partially out of commission, and has an interesting, complex flavor, and maybe some of the elusive ‘yan yun’.

Not sure whether this is qidan or some other varietal, and can’t vouch for whether it’s really from 100+ year old bushes, but I would believe that it’s old bush, at any rate. Regardless of what it is, my first impression is that this is quite a bit better than a lot of other yancha in its price range.

Earthy aroma with suggestions of the forest after the rain. Softly sweet infusion. Tones of fresh licorice and mushrooms. Sweet aftertaste.

Round, warm, earthy aroma with a slight sweetness of freshly cut hay and lightly toasted grains. Elegantly full silky body with a sweetness coming on very slowly and lightly. Tints of fresh herbs. Long sweet aftertaste.

Fragrant dry leaves. Refreshing light floral aroma with distinctive notes of citrus peel in the likes of bergamot. Soft infusion that is lightly sweet and malty. Lively with slight citrus bites. Refreshing aftertaste.

Mild floral fragrance accented with berries and plums. Lively, lightly sweet body with an undertone of Longjing savoriness and accents of berries. Refreshing and floral aftertaste.

Flowery aroma with fresh apple sweetness. Infusion with malty liveliness accentuated with tones of plums and light citrus bites. Sweet aftertaste of malty tones.

Warm, floral aroma with a sweet date overtone and a slight hint of vanilla. Elegant, full body that echos the aroma. Mouth-watering after effects especially on the sides of the tongue and back of the palate as a continuation of the sweet aftertaste.

Lightly toasty aroma with slight hints of fresh plum peels and a light touch of wood smoke. Sharp citrus on a base of light malt, cereal and prune; faint accents of fresh cinnamon. Light aftertaste.

Mild floral aroma with light tones of sweet potato. Soft, lively sweet body with a hint of plum and tinkling bites of citrus peel. Moderately long sweet aftertaste at the top of the throat.

Warm floral aroma with notes of toasted sweet potato peels. Lightly malty infusion accented with bites of plum peels. Moderate malty aftertaste.

Fresh, sweet aroma with hints of plums and prune. Light undertone of smokiness. Lively infusion also in accents of plums and sweet prune. Some astringent bites. Refreshing aftertaste.

Mild, fresh aroma with hints of berries and prune. Soft, mildly malty infusion with distinctive bites of plum peel. Sweetness of berries and malt. Moderate aftertaste of cereal sweetness.

Lusciously sweet fragrance of fresh osmanthus on a foundation of fresh herbs and accents of tropical fruits. Lively, sweet, malty infusion accentuated with sharp bites of tangerine peel. Light tones of berries. Sweet aftertaste. Lingering waves of osmanthus after aroma.

A unique nose that carries both the floral brightness of Chinese Sacred Lily and the warmth of cinnamon in the characteristic Wuyi oolong toasted grain/cereal aroma. Stout with tinkling citrus bites and accents of spices balanced with an overall soft malty sweetness. Light citrous sweet aftertaste.

Deep, sweet, warm, complex aroma hinting cinnamon, sweet roots, apple sauce with an optimally fired toasty cereal overtone. Accents of moss and earthiness that are typical of high grown oolong characters. Dark amber stout infusion rounded with good malty sweetness in a silky texture. Slight citrus accents and immediate, tinkling spicy, bittersweet aftertaste.

Soft, light, warm aroma of ripen fruits central on hints of Asian green plum. Pale tints of fresh leaf herbs and woody smokiness. Soft, mild, silky body. Very delicate herbal sweetness accented with minute bites of plum peel. Light, fruity aftertaste.

Deep, sweet, warm and complex aroma. Tints of sweet roots and an undertone of apple butter with a balanced toasty cereal overtone. Accents of moss and herbs that are typical of high grown oolongs. Dark amber stout infusion rounded with good malty sweetness in a silky texture. Slight citrus accents and immediate, tinkling spicy, bittersweet aftertaste.

Warm toasty aroma and fresh scents of herbal tree bark with a touch of sweet cream. Liquor unmistakably the toasty maltiness of Wuyi oolong, although this one is much softer, much rounder with a supple flowery sweetness and tones of cream and fennel seeds.