Wuyi Origin

This is the kind of green tea I’ve been looking forward to all winter. I sort of internally celebrate each year’s harvest – it’s really my chance to experience different tea regions. Based on the description, this one is from Zheng He county in Fujian, where Cindy sources her Advanced Bai Mu Dan white tea. I think it shares many similarities with that tea.

The dry leaf aroma is intoxicating – ripe fruit and orchids. It has good structure to it – beyond just flavors, as it’s more subtle than other green teas, with a sweetness that is closer to mineral than vegetal. It somewhat resembles the Laoshan imperial green tea (of which I am a fan) in appearance and Huangshan maofeng in its flavor characteristics, but I this one wins in terms of qi, mouthfeel, and depth. It also feels more refined and can for at least 7 steeps.

For me, black teas need to be outstanding for me to bother with them. I just find other teas more agreeable taste-wise. This was one of those exceptional black teas that has me coming back for more. It’s got that typical malty black tea thing, but there’s so much more going on here. Very nice mouthfeel and feeling in the throat and body. It’s gentle, yet assertive in its uniqueness. Great depth and viscosity as well. The leaves look “wild” – spindly tendrils with a maocha-like appearance.

It’s highly fragrant, both dry and wet leaf – musky floral and sweet forest mist – and not smoky at all (huge plus in my book). This is reflected in the flavor, which has an intriguing character – mellow mineral sweetness with notes of dried cherries, wild flowers, molasses, and moss. This is one of those feel-good teas. Cindy has been sourcing these leaves and processing them herself for a long time. I think it’s this combination that makes this tea extra special. Black tea-lovers should definitely check out Wuyiorigin and try this one.

It was 81 degrees in Missouri yesterday. Today it is snowing! After reading so many good reviews I went ahead and placed my first order with Wuyi Origin and broke out this 2017 Rou Gui as the first to try!

The dry leaves smell amazing — a perfectly balanced roast. Very full bodied with strong cacao notes. The flavor is very complex with the typical minerality as its base. Citrusy finish of lemon zest that makes me smile. I brewed at 205 F, but would maybe consider taking it down to 200 next time around. Love the mouthfeel, super thick and oily and leaves a mouth watering menthol flavor all over the palate. After seven infusions the flavor seemed to be keeping steady but I could not go on. Peak flavor at the fourth steep (I will have dreams of that fourth steep!) with intertwining notes of cinnamon, tobacco, and lemon.

Glad I got this one. Am really interested in the Rou Gui “Fruit style” from them as well, but will have to wait till next time. Looking forward to trying the rest and seeing how they compare!

sort of grassy, and color is really beautiful

Ordered some of this based on tanluwils’ recommendation, was not disappointed! This is a somewhat tippier Bai Mudan. Tastes of dry grass, citrus, dried mint leaf, sugarcane, and musk. While I’ve already had a tea session this morning, so I can’t say that it’s all from this tea, I’m getting nice relaxing qi feelings. This is an excellent white tea!

Compared to Yunnan Sourcing’s Bai Mudan, this one is a little bit milder, and tastes more of citrus while YS’s tastes more of peach. Both are excellent, but I think I slightly prefer YS’s.

Today I am repotting my tea plants! It’s long overdue as they are almost two years old and have been in twelve inch pots for over a year. I think they will be much happier with more room to grow :)

I open the bag, breath in the smells, and know immediately that I’m going to like this one! Dark whole leaves and aroma of raisins, tobacco, and a hint of smoke. Brews a little darker than the Rou Gui or Bairuixiang, medium orange.

The taste, like the aroma, has a nice raisin/date note as well as flavors of spiced rum, oatmeal, and dark wood. Just a touch of smoke, this tea also reminds me of nice cigars. The flavor lingers in the mouth and is super deep and complex. Really makes my mouth water. As I keep brewing, the flavor becomes lighter and a mild floral note appears. This tea fades faster than the Rou Gui, but gives a decent number of brews and the flavor hits really hard. I definitely need more of this tea!

Opening the bag I get a roasty and sugary aroma. Reminds me a bit of kettle corn at the state fair. (In a good way) Brews a medium light orange, a bit lighter than the Rou Gui.

Very rich and thick in the mouth. Notes of rock sugar, caramel, minerals, roast, and flowers with a slight “green” quality. The floral note isn’t airy like jasmine, it’s more thick and heavy like bulb flowers; tulip or hyacinth. Besides sugar and caramel, the sweetness reminds me of a really good, really fresh, really sweet raw onion. That may sound like a turn off, but I mean it in the best way possible. This is a very nice tea, but not as much to my personal tastes as the Rou Gui.

I was very excited to find this aged bai mudan cake for such a low price. Opening the wraper, the tea is crumbly and dusty and smells of a damp basement.

Brews a medium orange. Taste is medicinal and musty with a very thin mouthfeel. None of the thickness and sweet dried fruit flavors that I’ve gotten in other aged white teas. To be honest it’s not very enjoyable and a total letdown.

I will store away the cake and hope that the musty character fades over the coming months. I hope it does, since otherwise there’s no way I could finish this whole cake.

Nice whole dark leaves with a fruity aroma. Brews a light orange. Prominent fruit flavor like ripe melons, cinnamon spicyness, and notes of baked bread, mineral water, and dry wood. Dark chocolate bitterness, low astringency. Puts up with quite a few infusions, considerably more than I am used to for a Wuyi oolong.

This stuff is top notch! Smooth, complex, infusable, and most importantly tasty. This is the best Wuyi oolong I’ve had, can’t wait to try the others that I got from Wuyi Origin.

Steeped 13th times at 7, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60 and 75 secs each steep with 8 grs. of tea. water temperatura 190 farenheirin a gaiwan 160 ml.
Wet leaves has a wondeful deep rocky aroma. Liqour of deep brownish golden color. It’s smell so milky, so creamy. First infusional has a very very deep yanyun taste. It’s amazing powefull and intense. It’s maybe the must intense Wuyi Yancha I has ever taste. It has a large varieties of flavors: Mineral, wood, chocolat, milk, spicy, sweet and no bitter at all. The finish is very round, but it’s intensity it’s wonderful. Just with the first drink you have your mouth full of yanyun flavor. It’s a shot of flavors but all armonize them and the finishi is indescribably mineral and sweet. Second, thirth, fourth, five, six infusions keep their strength and the amazing absense of bitterness. Untill seventh infusion you can distinguish a ground sensation in the base of your tongue, but the aftertaste is so rich, so intense, so powefull. From eight to thirteen infusion, mineral notes go away very slowly but never go down completely.
Finally the tea gives you a lot of energy, is like Popeye eating it’s spinach, and at the end of the session you are full of yancha notes that say you: “you can’t forget me”.
I can’t express with words the the magnificent experience with this tea. If you are curious to know it, you must try it.

Infused 10 sec. first steep, adding 5 seconds each next steep until 1 minute, then 15 sec each until fourteen infusion..
Wet leaves has an almond aroma, fresh, creamy, flowery. First infusion shows subtle mineral notes, almond notes, nutty notes, very sweet, round, elegant, fine and a lovely balance. Liquor of bright golden color and a sweet aftertaste. From second to eight infusion the almond notes predominates accompanied with a very subtle mineral notes a deep sweetness and an overall roundness. Difficul to resist its charm. untill thirth infusion the tea hugs me, very slowly with an irresistible seduction. Oh my God! its sweetness makes me drunk. Then I was spellbound with it’s flavor. It’s like the kiss of a beautiful woman who just brushes my lips. Then The liquor runs through my body giving it a warmth of life. Then, after the ninth infusion it’s beginning to slow down, but now I’m full of it’s wonderful flavor. It’s like the woman who kiss me goes out, but my lips remain vibrating with his memory. After all it’s beauty, it’s roundness, it’s sweetness remains now in my memory because is one of the great moments that a cup of tea gaves me. The tea vibrates and I vibrate with it. I don’t know if it’s the best tea that I was tried but it allows me to feel its essence…

I’m not sure how it happened, but somehow, I’ve turned 180 degrees from my stance on black teas at the beginning of my tea journey. When I started exploring loose leaf teas, I could not find black teas that I enjoyed. Now, it’s the type of tea I drink most.

Maybe I just needed to find the good ones.

This is a good one.

Tasting notes:
Sweet, floral aroma to the dry leaves, with a backbone of sweet potato
Brewed aroma: floral, fudgy, sweet potatoes
Brewed tea: rich, smooth, full, malty, sweet potato flavors, starchy

There is an addictive quality to a very few black teas, something in the smell and taste that drives my senses wild. This tea has it. Another black tea with that quality is Whispering Pines Wild Taiwanese black, although this tea is heavier while I think of the Taiwanese as quite light in nature.

I’ve had many sessions with this tea and it continues to impress. Dried leaves smell like roasted leaves without any remarkable scent, but once hot water hits them I am immediately hit with rich, almond (yes, really!) essence, sweet buttercream, orchids, and hazelnut. The rinse is thin-bodied, but already exudes a nice mouthfeel. This is a testament to the skill and expertise that went into the roasting, which has enhanced the inherent qualities in the leaf.

The next 4 steeps intensify in aroma, qi, texture, mouthfeel, and flavor. The almond here reminds me of fresh traditional Cantonese almond cookies. It’s very full in the mouth and feels nice in the throat. This one goes strong until the 7th or so steep where it gradually fades. It performs best in a chaozhou red clay teapot.

A nice tea to which you want to return again.
I brewed in a Gong Fu 150 ml, 8 gr. of tea. After rinse, 5 sec. Infusion 5 sec.

Exemplary, requisite caramel, malt and throw in some dried blueberry and clove. A real gentle sweetness that last throughout the gong fu session and absolutely no bitterness or astringency. Leaf quality A+, long thick firm strands steeping out to 10-12 times and a cha qi that sneaks up and places you on a cloud. Again exemplary.

Soft & gentle roast, honeyed sweet body. I found it fairly light with the orchid perfumes but there is a gentle hint of fruits in the background, I have found this with other WO teas. Its a good thing having fruit flickering in & out (especially for me who likes fruit-forward in everything), even if verrry subtle on this one.

The roast fades pretty quickly over the session into really subtle soft perfumed wuyi leaf oolong. Dark greens, good looking leaf.

‘it is quite welcome by most of the tea friends in China’ on the website, and ‘most approachable’ mentioned here. I think that sums it up.

Nose; Like a fruit Da Hong Pao, peach, apple, plumeria, toasted grain, slight aloeswood, lilac.
Palate; Peach, apple, lychee, pomagranate, slight toasted grain, plumeria

This is the only tea I have had from Wuyi Origin that was just a little disapointing, not bad, just not as amazing as the others. I am sure this is me, since I don’t care as much for this style of tea.
Nose; Sweet, light, hazelnut, tulse.
Palate; slight floral and vegetal, very much like a Taiwan Oolong or a Tie Guan Yin,

A classic fruity Da Hong Pao with some nice complexity.
Nose; very strong fruit, lychee, raspberry, tulse, toasted nori, plumeria, citrus, ginger, galangal, slight herbal note.
Palate; plum, blood orange, redwood, limestone, strawberry, galangal, a bit dry, limestone.

This is a good example and reminds me of the Verdant one.
Nose; Gardenia, orchid, aloeswood, celery.
Palate; delicate, slight cooked greens, orchid, pear, a bit like Taiwan Sourcing Oriental Beauty.

Another stellar tea from Cindy! I have to say that she ( or whoever she has doing this ) is a master at tea firing/roasting, her teas never seem to be over roasted, and yet they have just the perfect processing to bring out flavor and aroma while insuring at least some longevity. I even tried to intentionally " burn " a couple and they held up really well. Another plus since this means the teas are very forgiving regarding brewing.
Nose; Vanilla, hazelnut, cream, very light boiled greens, plum, violets, incense, round.
Palate; light berries, cassis, vanilla, slight malt, hazlenut, chestnut, very light chamomile, slight spice.

I found this tea to be one of the best black teas I have tasted.
Nose; beautiful florals, rose, gardenia, light tulse, parsnip, orchid, very light ozone, like a forest after a rain. delightful.
Palate; similar to nose with the addition of rambutan and plumeria, and a sparkling character.