2019 Unicorn

Paul says that what makes this tea so amazing is not so blatantly obvious. I beg to differ. The strength, oiliness, complexity and qi are all top shelf. It starts off with papaya/ basil in the aroma but more vegetal in the flavor of the early steeps. If I were to guess what it was in early steeps by tasting and not looking at the leaves I’d guess Lao Mansa with perhaps a bit of Guyolin. Middle steeps change dramatically and I get salted caramel and melon flavors. That I’d expect to get from Guyolin. Final steeps become tart with a hint of cardamom and dill which I associate with small leaf Yibang teas which is what I expected from the beginning because that’s what the majority of the leaves look like. Small leaf wild Yibang with perhaps a spot of gedeng although I didn’t get the evergreen notes I get with Ge Deng teas. So my guess is it’s a blend of Yibang and Guyolin. Now the big question is is it worth the price? IDK. This price point can buy Chawangshu, Tianmenshan and Bohetang teas. Excellent Lao Mansa and Guyolin can be had for less. If you’re an Yiwu lover like me I definitely recommend a sample of this and a sample of all the maocha from Yiwu mountain teas (they didn’t press any this year as there was so little) all the Yiwu from Puerh.sk and any other source you like and compare. The Yiwu teas are excellent , scarce and expensive this year. The only one I’ve pulled the trigger on and caked this year is the Lao Mansa from Psk and it’s significantly less but this stuff is tempting even at this price. Perhaps I could trade a guitar for some…