m2193 Send Message

Have had this tea for a while and despite breaking up half the cake chunks a while back for convenient access, I’m rarely inclined to reach for it. My sessions have been okay, but not very exciting or particularly enjoyable, but not sure if my preferences have just shifted. If I could go back, I would not have caked it

5.7g/100mL duanni pot. Not very memorable or impressive in any aspects, but it was late night and the first thing I saw in my sample box. Was very boring last night, hard to believe the other review I wrote for this was for the same tea.

5.3g in a 90 mL hongni pot.
wet leaf aroma of grape jam, smoke, toast, and wood.

1st: honeyed taste. edge with some astrignency and malty taste like oversteeped hongcha. 2nd: not strong taste, but a floral aroma on breath.
3rd: grape jam and smoky.
moves to base steamed/oversteeped young ish sheng taste thereafter. Guess the additional heat retention of the pot did it no favors. Still young and heady in effect, so not too comfortable. Probably will pass on caking this one.

5.3/130 pot. boiling after rinse in gaiwan. light YQH house smell, but also light smoke and fruit. Has been set aside and aired out further.
1st: mushroomy, some bitter and very slight warmth. some sweetness builds in back of mouth, and it’s almost dried cherry-like. maybe some cough drop/apricot notes, but I also just ate my gummy vites earlier.
2nd was darker and almost malty, with lighter aftertaste. quickly falls from here to a more woody and thin tea. sometimes sharp w/ fine astringency on tongue. after 6th, moved to a mug where it gave up. essentially, mushroom note is pretty integrated throughout. not the worst YQH i’ve had, but hardly my favorite.

Brewed last 5.3g of sample in a pot today and seemed transformed. Admittedly I have been distracted by other things in the past few sessions, but there’s a fullness that wasn’t present in previous sessions. I’ve used roughly the same ratio at 5.1-5.4g w 90 mL, just in a gaiwan and never felt like it was dialed in properly. Always too hollow and light/floral, or just too bitter/sour, and I couldn’t understand the hype for it. Today’s felt more full and balanced, and the smokiness was a nice complement. I would’ve been tempted to cake with the recent discounted price, but I think it’s too late now and based on the past sessions, seems like too much of a gamble based on my preferences and brewing style.

6/90. dry was raisin, a bit of sour, spices. wet leaf is woody, spicy.
1. medicinal, woody, cinnamon, raisin. mineral/celery coating on tongue.
2. smoky, roasty, medicinal, woody sweetness. aftertaste extends into throat
3. kind of one note. bright, something like clove

remaining 3.7 in a mug. got stiffed .3g lol. aroma is nutty and butter cookies. taste is roasty, minerally, and kind of sweet

It was okay. Not sure if I’d repurchase

5/90. 212f, one rinse. honey, smoke, vegetal in rinse.
first steep was sweet and smoky, with some fruit and floral.
2nd was still fruity, with some vegetal young taste. something strong and almost rubber like taste.
3rd was slightly sweet and extends into throat.
4th was pushed by accident, but turned out nice. a floral sweetness and tropical fruit note. later steeps die off somewhat gracefully, with a flattening woody note and some astringency, and I got bored so I tossed it.

Can’t see myself caking, but the sample was nice. Overall, some focus and not overly heady, but nothing in taste is particularly exceptional. I think from BHYJ I’ve only tried the ’17 wan gong, and I remember that tasting better to me (more extensive, sweeter aftertaste and structure), but was also quite heady and probably not ready to drink yet.

6.5/90. wet leaf is roasty. 1st: taste is woody and then sweetens quickly in mineral/celery aftertaste. good mouth feel. 2nd: forgot about it and was bitter. some floral in the edges. liquor smells of honey. strong lingering celery/mineral in aftertaste. 3rd: similar.

1.8g in Yeti w/ boiling. not memorable at all.

Can definitely do better at this price point.

4.3/90/212 PS origin.

1st: ginger, green, slight floral and pea like sweetness.
2nd: rounded almost metallic taste, but aftertaste is minerally and nice.
3rd: vanilla, ginger, floral. after was fairly linear.

This was my last bit and wouldn’t repurchase, though I’m sure using origin to brew did it no favors

can’t find this on the OWT site anymore. Was $15.50 for the pack of apparently 10g? I didn’t measure the rest after the 6g, but it seemed more like an 8g pack.

6:90, 212. From 2019, but seems to retain a lot of roastiness? Not too happy with this one. Did 4 steeps and mugged it after. Started out sharp and almost bitter that moved into some sweetness on side of tongue. Not sure if my nose was desensitized from burning incense, but it didn’t seem too aromatic at all. subtly sweet and slight celery/mineral notes for rest. Didn’t sit well with my body for whatever reason today and felt some anxiety after.

remainder in yeti mug. 212. some sweetness, fruit, and mineral/celery taste. still didn’t sit well with my body again for whatever reason. Some anxious feeling, despite being noticeably more drinkable.