1995 Aged Tieguanyin

Sipdown 19-2021
I really didn’t care for this. The charcoal smell is unbelievably strong. The charcoal flavor is more muted than the smell, but there is no nuance or complexity to the flavor.

Raisin scent. First steeping doesn’t bring much flavor. Light amber color. More complexity than the Spring 2000 Tieguanyin. More on the savory side, less sweet but not bitter, Creamy texture. Subtle taste, a little spicy, earthy. Last steeping was more bitter than the previous ones. Not the most outstanding tea.

Smell
coffee caramel smell – wet leaf.
wet river rocks & pine smell tea – the liquor

Look
rolled darker leaf, light tea.

Taste
granite dust minerality.
pumpernickel
light cherry on 2nd steep
soft – very gentle oily mouth feel
cacao nibs – not astringent.
wood tastes
nutty (?)

First time tasting this one, and I’ve been looking forward to it since I got it about 4-5 months ago. Dry leaves smell sweet and grassy, like hay that’s been sun-dried for a couple days. The leaves appear mostly intact, in small spheres.

The first steep, I realize my little gaiwan can’t hold 6 oz of water + 7 g of leaves. Oops. But I catch the scent of honey as I pour the gold liquor into my cup. The first few sips though, all I taste is a tinge of hay and some sweetness. It’s a light flavor and not heavy on the mouth, though I find it warming. The only other thing I noticed as I finish the cup is a slight tingling on the roof of my mouth.

Second steep at about ~15 sec. This time I don’t overfill my gaiwan, probably use about 4-5 oz of water. I catch a hint of caramel mixed in with the hay this time, and the leaves have opened up well. It’s creamier than the first cup and the taste, although still light, is more apparent.

Third steep (maybe ~20 sec)! I smell the honey more strongly now in this cup and I finally figured out how much water will fit (4 oz). The taste is a bit sweeter, but still not much different to it than the first cup that I notice.

Fourth steep (not sure on time… 30-45 sec?). Ah there’s the cream I was looking for, plus a hint of honey in the aftertaste. A longer wait of a few seconds after the sips gives a milky feeling in my mouth (if that makes sense).

Alright, I have finally finished off the last of the Verdant aged oolongs I purchased a few months back. I still have the two from Puerh Shop plus a bunch of Wuyi and Dan Cong oolongs from Yunnan Sourcing that have been mellowing for a while. Clearly, I’m going to be going through a lot of tea this year, but let’s get back on track. I mentioned in a previous review that these aged oolongs from Master Zhang have been incredibly hit or miss for me. Count this one as another miss.

I prepared this tea gongfu style. After a 10 second rinse, I steeped 5 grams of loose tea leaves in 4 ounces of 212 F water for 10 seconds. This infusion was followed by 13 additional infusions. Steep times for these infusions were as follows: 13 seconds, 16 seconds, 20 seconds, 25 seconds, 30 seconds, 40 seconds, 50 seconds, 1 minute, 1 minute 15 seconds, 1 minute 30 seconds, 2 minutes, 3 minutes, and 5 minutes. I normally would have conducted a 7 minute infusion to close the session, but I didn’t feel like it tonight.

Prior to the rinse, the dry tea leaves produced aromas of ripe berries, must, wood, and flowers. After the rinse, somewhat more distinctive scents of wood, must, blueberry, raspberry, sweet cherry, and marigold presented themselves. The first infusion allowed touches of vanilla and dried chrysanthemum to peek through the mix. In the mouth, I mostly detected notes of cream, must, moist earth, wood, blueberry, raspberry, and sweet cherry chased by hints of vanilla and flowers. Subsequent infusions introduced a mild mineral presence as well as impressions of caramel and golden raisin. This tea seemed to wash out faster than the others. The later infusions were mostly a mellow mix of minerals, wood, earth, and cream underscored by faint hints of berries and flowers.

This aged Tieguanyin was more mellow, more approachable, and less funky than the 1990 version. Unfortunately, its simplistic, yet oddly muddled flavor profile and lack of staying power did little for me. I can say that I’m glad I took the opportunity to try it, but I doubt I will go out of my way for a tea like this in the near future.