Am running a little tea demo course and ordered teas from YS due to a very limited budget and bc I didn’t want to gamble with Verdant again lol. Anyway, have 6 teas, which I ran through today with a friend (more beginner to tea) over the course of 4 hours, and so these are quick impressions and transcribed from notes, and are somewhat haphazardly done.
Spring 2021. 2.1g, 60ml gaiwan (practical volume is less), 212f brita filtered water. Dry had the same smell as the YS Huang Mei Gui. Wet leaf was more mild in smell. Taste has stronger roast hint compared to HMG, but not strong comparatively to other oolongs I usually drink. Less floral, slight sweet, some spice, slight drying at end. Cinnamon aspect to gaiwan lid, leaves are slightly floral. Roast is more upfront, aftertaste is still slight minty & slightly sweet, with some sharp undertones. Not a ton of complexity here and didn’t last terribly long, but I expected much worse for the price. Last two steeps were a sharp honeyed taste, slightly floral.
0.26c/g. Quite impressed with this one, given the price. Friend enjoyed it as well. I’m unlikely to order more since I’m used to drinking “better” oolong I guess, but this one really made me question those experiences for how expensive they are vs. how much better they are. One of those things that for a newer drinker, might be harder to reason through. Subjective value is hard to quantify, I suppose, but paying for the increased complexity and everything that goes into the increased quality, and the nuances that are easier to distinguish with additional experience.
