1006 Tasting Notes

84

The dry leaf smells quite a bit like a Yunnan dianhong. It is sweet, malty and chocolatey. In a preheated teapot, I get some more unusual aromas like cherries, chicken nuggets and barbeque sauce. The wet leaf smell is relatively less pungent and display a little more of the leathery side of the spectrum.

Likewise, the taste blends malty and smoky notes. It is very well balanced with some cranberry sourness that’s very present and woodiness in the background. Later steeps also have some distinct sweet brown sugar note. There is the slightest bitterness and some lingering astringency too. Ultimately, the balanced nature is what makes me so drawn to this particular tea.

Its mouthfeel is super soft and coating. Sometimes even after swallowing I still have a sensation of the liquor in my mouth. It is not the most thick black tea, but I didn’t find it lacking in viscosity.

Even though not spectacular, this Golden Monkey is one of the very best black teas I have tried among those that don’t have the “wow factor”.

Flavors: Brown Sugar, Cherry, Cranberry, Dark Chocolate, Leather, Malt, Smoke, Sour, Sweet, Wood

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 1 min, 0 sec 5 g 5 OZ / 140 ML

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89

I am revisiting this great tea today to check up on it. I get a deep smell that’s brighter than I remember it. It is more fruity and spicy, with hints of orange, cinnamon, walnuts and parsnip. The taste hasn’t changed much, but it’s somewhat more medicinal and tangy. There is a touch of sourness that persists into the aftertaste as well.

I have tried a lot of Scott’s ripes from 2017 and 2018 in the last two weeks (reviews will come later). This one – Rooster King – and Crimson Rooster are my favourites. Neither of them is quite at the level of Yang Luo Han though.

Flavors: Blackberry, Bread, Cinnamon, Coffee, Medicinal, Orange, Parsley, Sour, Spicy, Tangy, Walnut

Preparation
Boiling 0 min, 15 sec 7 g 4 OZ / 120 ML

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74

After a year of aging, this tea has fuller body than I remember. Naturally, the roasted notes have taken a step back. Instead, there is more sweetness and a tart, slightly tannic finish. I get a cooling as well as a kind of tingling sensation in the mouth after drinking. It has definitely improved since last year. If I liked it more overall, I would stock up on some for a little TGY storage experiment, but I don’t think I will as it stands.

Flavors: Burnt, Mineral, Sweet, Tannic, Tart

Preparation
Boiling 1 min, 30 sec 5 g 3 OZ / 100 ML

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76

I had a side by side comparison with the Imperial grade today, although I did not brew both the same way. One reason for that is the fact that I still don’t have two identical teapots. But I have also observed that the preparation I have come to use for the imperial grade doesn’t work quite as well for the premium grade. The latter responds better to a more agressive brewing, like a more standard gong fu style gaiwan brewing.

Anyway, I think I like the Imperial grade a bit more for its nuttier and more delicate nature. It is somehow more special. On the other hand, the premium grade is sweeter, more grassy and with more umami too. The taste is more in-your-face. The body is comparable and the astringency levels are similar too.

Flavors: Astringent, Grass, Nutty, Sweet, Umami, Vegetal

Preparation
185 °F / 85 °C 1 min, 0 sec 3 g 3 OZ / 100 ML

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73

I made this into a cold brew today and I like it quite a bit more than the standard way. It is characterized by a refreshing, bitter, tangy and aromatic taste. The body is good too.

Flavors: Astringent, Bitter, Char, Malt, Pepper, Tangy

Preparation
Iced 8 min or more 10 g 24 OZ / 700 ML

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87

I was craving something sweet-ish this morning, but at the same time I wanted to try out this sample I got from derk. Well, I went ahead with it, thinking it might have some sweetness anyway. It turns out, this tea was perfect for this occasion, although under normal circumstances I would probably find it too sweet for my palate :D

The smell is a mix of vegetal and slightly aged and smoky aromas. After all, the tea is soon to enter a semi-aged category, if it’s not there already. In the empty cup, the aroma is sweet, sticky and honey like.

Taste of the tea can change throughout the session, highlighting different aspects, but on the whole it is a combination of honey sweetness, a lot of herbal notes and a tart edge. Most of the time, I found it refreshing and tangy. Honey is the strongest note, but there are a lot of herbs/plants like anise, mint, eucalyptus and pine present too. The aftertaste is mineral, sweet and slightly bitter. There are hints of autumn leaf pile and I can kind of see the comparison ZeroZen made with Bai Ji Guan primarily in the aftertaste, if we discount much of the sweetness.

The liquor has a medium body and is slippery and very coating. There is some astringency. In particular the feeling after drinking is a touch dry, especially at the back of the mouth and in the throat.

Flavors: Anise, Autumn Leaf Pile, Drying, Eucalyptus, Herbs, Honey, Mineral, Mint, Pine, Smoke, Sweet, Tart, Vegetal

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 0 min, 15 sec 6 g 3 OZ / 90 ML

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94

I was in a mood for something special today. At the same time, I am trying to go through some of my YS pu-erh samples to see if I want to order something in the current sale. That’s why I grabbed this sample, so generously provided by derk. As far as I can recall, this is the first single source Yi Wu tea I have had a chance to try. It proved to be special indeed. As TJ Elite already mentioned, I also found it to be a complete experience, as well as a tea that rewards patience. I think that in order to appreciate a tea like this, you really need to take your time.

Starting with the dry leaf scent, I didn’t notice any strong aromas there, just a generic sweet, honey aromas. On the other hand, the smell of the wet leaves initially reminded me of leaf and grass based compost, cream and some faint fruity note (maybe clementine?). Later on throughout the session I also noticed aromas of oak forest, steamed milk and pecan tart.

From the very first infusion, this tea is soft and creamy in the mouth with appreciable thickness and full body. Taste of the first infusion is dominated by umami. There are flavours of toasted rice, fish meat, sweet grass and some lemongrass in the finish. Aftertaste is pretty astringent and has hints of citrus skin (not the zest). The astringency in the aftertaste turns out to be a generic feature of the tea. It comes in various shades and is always there and always gradually transforming, but I never found the peaks of it to be unpleasant, which is quite remarkable.

Second steep brings more bitterness, somewhat akin to slightly unripe walnuts, and notes of fresh spinach, fish broth and charcoal. It is more metallic and mineral, the latter becomes especially pronounced in the aftertaste. The liquor is mouth-watering and very lubricating. Infusion number three is the most astringent from the get go and also reaches a peak thickness. There are honey and sandy soil flavours that give way to a super long aftertaste with allspice, sweet wood and wax like aspects. The taste and the constrictive feeling stays in the mouth and especially the throat for ages. At this point, I was kind of hit by the enveloping cha qi, and I started lucid dreaming for a while. I don’t think that can be attributed just to the tea though, I was already in a somewhat dreamy state to begin with. What I did notice though is that the tea helped enhance my awareness and clear my mind later on throughout the session.

Steeps 4 to 7 were underwhelming compared to the first three, but still very enjoyable. I figured they were shorter than they should’ve. As a result, the mouthfeel is thinner and buttery rather than creamy. The taste is still bitter, with more of a floral edge. I would compare it to tea tree oil at times. The aftertaste is slightly cooling like some alpine herbs. Over time, as the astringency peters out, some sweetness and suble fruitiness emerges.

For the next steeps, I increased the times more radically, which resulted in a return of thickness in the liquor. Somewhat unexpectedly, infusion #8 immediately reminds me of Cabernet Sauvignon. I am not sure if my mind is playing tricks or that note is really there though. It’s one of the stranger associations. Steep 9 is even longer, now up to about 1 minute. It has more bitterness, but I feel like it’s a different kind of bitterness almost. I can’t quite out a finger on it. It seems a little metalic, woody and vegetal but ultimately is like none of those. In the aftertaste, I get a slightest touch of camphor. The next infusion tastes a bit of alcohol and again has a strong bitterness that transforms into tart sweetness supplemented by the lasting astringency that’s of course still there. Despite the mouthfeel being more watery and displaying some chalkiness, it still has a decent viscosity. I love how the astringency in the aftertaste gives way to the floral fragrance over time.

My final steep is #12, about 5 minutes long. It is not super complex, but has slightly muted astringency and displays a lot of the coarse-grained qualities of the tea. It’s as if the tea—after showing all of its complexity—displayed a kind of a blunt summary of the session.

I am tempted to buy this tea. With the sale it comes out as $0.56/g which is still a lot for my current budget. However, I feel like this tea is special and will age well too. I will have think about it :)

Flavors: Alcohol, Astringent, Bitter, Butter, Char, Citrus, Cream, Fish Broth, Herbs, Honey, Lemongrass, Metallic, Milk, Mineral, Red Wine, Sand, Spinach, Sweet, Warm Grass, Tea, Toasted Rice, Umami, Vegetal, Walnut, Wood

Preparation
Boiling 0 min, 15 sec 6 g 3 OZ / 80 ML
TJ Elite

This one’s a winner. Challenging, but equally rewarding. I will definitely have to go through some of my fancier samples for the sale as well.

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86

Despite having only one session of this tea (thanks derk for the sample), I will remember it very well for its incredibly strong and long aftertaste as well as the unique energy. Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy its taste profile and mouthfeel that much.

The smell of the dry leaves is very nice, mostly floral and quite pungent. After rinsing the leaves, the aroma displays notes of gasoline, forest and stewed vegetables. Yet more new scents emerge from the liquor in the empty cup. Apart from the usual honey note, there is a cinnamon like spiciness.

The taste is initially somewhat milky, vegetal and herbaceous. The most prominent note is eucalyptus I’d say. Later on, I found the tea to be more robust with a strong metallic quality to it. Flavours like tree bark, chewing gum emerge, as well as a light licorice bitterness. Now, the aftertaste is where this tea excels, as I already mentioned. It start off with an alcohol and sour notes and then transforms into more vegetal and spicy qualities. Later steeps have some bitterness as well, a bit like celery leaves.

As for the mouthfeel, that was a bit of a disappointment. It is quite slippery, powdery and bubbly, but overall unremarkable. The liquor is very beautiful to look at, it is super clear and golden. Body is medium at best.

The cha qi is very warming and strong. Someone described it as feeling tea drunk at the YS website. I guess that’s just an umbrella term for the mind altering effects of tea, but for me this is nothing like being drunk. Initally, I get a slightly rushy feeling that quickly turns into a dreamy state. At certain point the disconnection with physical sensations is so strong that I feel like levitating.

Flavors: Alcohol, Bark, Celery, Cinnamon, Eucalyptus, Floral, Forest Floor, Herbs, Honey, Licorice, Metallic, Milk, Vegetables, Vegetal

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 0 min, 15 sec 6 g 3 OZ / 100 ML
derk

Interesting. I haven’t sampled this yet. Sounds like a grab bag of aromas and flavors at the moment. Wonder what some time will do to its character.

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86

This is a high quality Silver Needle tea that I can recommend to any white tea lover. Compared to Kenyan Silver Needle sourced by What-Cha, my favourite Silver Needle, this one is slightly less complex and evolving, but has a thicker body.

One of the most notable aspects is the smell of the leaves in the bag. It is a strong one and makes me feel like cutting fresh, forest grown porcini mushrooms. very different from any other smell of tea leaves I have experienced. The mushroom scent is also different from the one you would get in sheng. It is very fresh and sends me directly to the forest. In a preheated gaiwan, I notice additinal aromas of petrichor and dry grass. Once the water hits them, the leaves change their smell significantly. It becomes sweet and floral, with notes of honey, narcissus, lilium, green pepper and later on wood as well. Unlike LuckyMe, I couldn’t taste any marshmallows, I just got hints of their smell from the empty cup.

I found the taste to be a mix of savoury and sour. It is both refreshing and delicate at the same time. As for the flavours, there are notes of orchid, almond skin, bread, cactus and stewed fruits among many others I couldn’t quite pinpoint. The tea has a long and evolving aftertaste. It starts off somewhat tart, displaying qualities of lemon zest, green apple and pomelo. Over time, it transforms into a much sweeter affair.

The mouthfeel starts very soft and coating, but has a dry and numbing finish. Body is medium to full, especially the later infusions get fairly thick and viscous. On top of all that, there is also a noticeable cha qi, of the elevating/lightheaded kind.

Flavors: Almond, Bread, Citrus, Dry Grass, Floral, Green Apple, Green Bell Peppers, Honey, Lemon Zest, Marshmallow, Mushrooms, Narcissus, Orchid, Petrichor, Pleasantly Sour, Stewed Fruits, Sweet, Tart, Wood

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 0 min, 30 sec 5 g 3 OZ / 100 ML

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77

This is an ok tea for the price, but I definitely didn’t find it better than other raw pu-erh teas in the same price category. The dry leaf has a herbaceous aroma with hints of pineapple skin and tobacco. The tobacco smell becomes really strong after the rinse. I also noticed medicinal, earthy and fireplace scents. As for the liquor itself, it mostly smells like decayed wood and moss.

The main problem I have with the tea is that I am not too fond of the taste profile. It starts off with flavours of cannabis, leather, camphor and green pepper (meaning unripe black pepper). Later on, it gets sweeter and vegetal, but retains some savouriness. Notes of resin, raisins, tree bark emerge. The aftertaste is relatively long, with distinct fruitiness and persistent sweet wood quality.

As for the mouthfeel, it has decent viscosity, although cannot compete with most non-plantation teas. It has a little astringency, but nothing too drying.

I feel like the tea is a bit awkward right now and could benefit from more aging. I think I rate it lower because its profile doesn’t quite appeal to me, but I think other people might like it more.

Flavors: Black Pepper, Camphor, Cannabis, Decayed Wood, Earth, Fireplace, Fruity, Herbaceous, Leather, Medicinal, Moss, Pineapple, Raisins, Resin, Sweat, Tobacco, Vegetal, Wood

Preparation
Boiling 0 min, 15 sec 7 g 3 OZ / 100 ML

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Profile

Bio

Hi, I am a researcher in math, physics and computer science. Apart from teas and mathematics, I enjoy sports and traveling, as well as music of all kinds. Connect at https://rateyourmusic.com/~Togo

I had been drinking Japanese green tea for a while before discovering the world of tea in 2017. I rarely drink blends and generally avoid artificially scented teas. Other than that I try to keep it varied.

My rating description:
100 _ Unforgettable tea, an experience that changes your life.
90 – 100 _ Excellent tea.
80 – 90 _ Very enjoyable, I will buy again.
70 – 80 _ I enjoyed it, but I most likely won’t be buying it again.
60 – 70 _ Decent.
50 – 60 _ Average, forgettable.
40 – 50 _ I didn’t really like the tea, but it is drinkable.
0 – 40 _ I would prefer to avoid the tea.

Location

Innsbruck, Austria

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