Yi Wu Mountain Wild Arbor Assamica Autumn 2015

The dry leaves are big, brown, and twisty with some golden buds mixed in. BIG sweet raisiny aroma from the bag.

Brews up mild and lightly sweet with notes of raisin, malty oats, and a slightly oceanic thick, brothy quality. It has a thick, oily mouthfeel similar to a good sheng. It also seems to have a bit of a “qi” like a good sheng. Interesting that the other wild arbor blacks that I’ve tried didn’t have this quality. The flavor reminds me a bit of a generic Assam black, but with almost none of the bitterness.

The more tea that I drink, the more I find that while tea quality is a fairly objective matter, preferences in individual taste and strength are highly subjective and the qualities that people judge their tea by vary greatly.

This is definitely a high quality and interesting tea, but the flavor profile and mild nature aren’t quite to my personal tastes. While nice and pretty unobjectionable, I find it a bit boring. I can see though how this might be a phenomenal brew for some.

Beautiful. Sweet notes of dried fruit/raisin, chocolate/malt/rye bread with the very tiniest hint of floral earthiness. Smooth and flavorful.

I have to agree with Proust on this one. From the first sip it’s apparent that this is a delicious, smooth, raisin-sweet tea that carries an undertone of Assamica maltiness. I’m not being hyperbolic when I say this is one of the nicest Chinese black teas I’ve ever tasted and beautiful to look at and smell to boot. Thanks to Scott for making this available!

This is another sample from LP in the YS + Mystery Pack. Thank you!

This is a lighter black tea. I am drinking this western style today at the office. I might have to try this one gongfu at home later this week. It is smooth, slightly malty and sweet. I let it steep for quite a long time the second time around to see how strong I could make it. It held up well, but still maintains a lighter feel/taste to it. A good afternoon black tea.

Tried this on LP’s recommendation, and yep, its a nice sweet tea. less of the malt and more of something a bit like raisins. reminded me of an alcoholic drink. I cant remember which, but one of them.

smooth, sweet, perhaps not as much like a warm blanket as, say, a yunnan gold, but clearer & more spritely, while also being relaxing. I tried overbrewing it and it took it well , where other golds would become bitter or over-malty. Goes down very easy. I could chug on it all day.

Amber goodness. Simple but effective!

Dear Everyone,

I’m willing to bet money that this tea will sell out.
I purchased it because it said “wild arbor” and it’s a black. Let me just say this real quick: Dian Hong will always have a special place in my tea stash, but this tea just kicked some serious ‘butt’.
This tea is so smooth, but that is not what is making me purchase enough to last awhile.
This tea has a sweetness that comes through with every sip that I have yet to experience with a black. I’ve found malt and chocolate notes that make me smile in other blacks, but a sweetness like this…. not even close.
Absolutely amazing.