1994 Aged Bai Hao

Delicious. Oaky and woody and it smelled like cocoa (but oddly didn’t taste like it to me). Awesome.

I fished a nearly-empty 1/2 oz bag of this from the bottom of one of my boxes of tea yesterday. I’ll be sad to see it go, but at this point I have far too much tea for someone in my current situation (still working out life details/strongly considering getting a terminal degree and therefore need a considerable amount of flexibility/mobility since it’ll be a while before I settle down somewhere permanently— having, uh, 10+ kilograms of tea doesn’t really help with the mobility) so I’m trying to let go of my hoarding tendencies and just drink things without worrying that I’ll miss it or whatever it is that makes me want to hoard tea.

Honestly, the main note I’m getting from this in these early steeps is something like raisins and dates. It’s a little dry in the aftertaste. I’m really not getting any hints of cocoa or chocolate, but then again the water I’m using is considerably cooler than what I’d normally use— waiting for my water heater to boil so I’m using the hot water in my thermos at the moment. Will update if the flavour changes in future steeps with hot water.

This is surprisingly more energising than I expected. I was going after a comfort tea when I went tea-box-diving. I might have to revisit the boxes once I’m finished with this.

Interesting, as my first aged Bai Hao. Savoury taste with chocolate or malty notes and a very dry wood aroma.

Hit the same spot a Yunnan Gold would, which for me isnt very often, but when it is, its the only tea which fits and it fits perfectly. Good night time tea, while snuggling up and reading a book. or to share with your partner watching a film.

I finally got to this tea… I just have so much that it is hard to know what to drink next!
This tea brews quite easily; in the past I had to tinker with the 1991 aged oolong Butiki had because I messed it up.
There is little aroma to this tea which is interesting. The taste is pure and very smooth. While the flavor is quite enjoyable, there is a dryness that is left in the mouth after a sip is taken. That part of the tea is unfortunate because it is one smooth aged oolong that I will continue to enjoy as I have quite a bit left :)
Maybe I’ll get crazy and cold steep this (not really though)

Oy, this tea was so delicious. Was, sadly, seeing that I didn’t bother writing about it until my very last cup. I was a huge fan of Oriental Beauty, so naturally, this also had to be mine. It was so cocoa-y and roasty, smooth and rich. I’m going to miss it so.

Got this ages ago as a gift from Stacey, am only trying it now as I threw it into a bag with a bunch of other samples to taste while traveling to see family. So…. not sure what the deal is with this, but it was just a meh for me. Nothing special, nothing amazing, no special flavors that popped… just tea. Really. A bit shocked to be honest.

Wow, I’m getting really different flavours from this than everyone else. Interesting! I’m steeping it gongfu style, 4g of tea in a 100ml gaiwan. I did a quick rinse, then the first steeping was maybe 20-30sec (?), second was probably about 1min, third I actually timed for 2min. Water temp varied from 85-95C.

The predominant flavours I get from this are earth and apples. But like, not fresh apples, cooked ones. It’s kind of like walking through an apple orchard in the fall, after a rain, where you have the scent of wet earth and the soft apples on the ground. There’s a bit of honey sweetness in this tea, but not a lot. When I stick my nose in the cup after drinking all the tea, I get a sweet carmelized sugar scent, but I’m not getting a lot of that in the actual flavour. And I’m getting no cocoa from this whatsoever. Fascinating! I’ll have to try steeping it a few other ways, I don’t think I’ve found optimal parameters for this tea yet.

I am so happy Stacy sent me 1/2 an oz of this as a bonus with my last order! The only downside is that I really love it, and now I can’t get more ):

I was born in 1994, which makes this tea extra special – it’s the same age as me! Give or take a few months, probably. I love oolongs, particularly the darker roasty ones, but I think this might be my first foray into the world of aged oolongs. It is definitely a good introduction. The dry leaf smells quite musty and definitely ‘old’, which made me a little wary, but steeping this completely transforms. Then it’s all nutty and cocoa. Sooo yummy! I could inhale it all day. The cocoa notes come through in the sip, and to me are the most prominent, along with the nutty notes I identified in the scent too. There is a noticeable hay note, which I would have expected more from a white tea, but I think Bai Hao means ‘white tips’ so perhaps that’s why I’m getting that note. It actually reminds me of an aged Bai Mu Dan I have, so on the other hand maybe the ageing is where that similarity comes from. I am very happy to have gotten to try this, and will definitely look out for more aged oolongs in the future. If I had one negative about this, it’s that the second steep doesn’t hold up so well when brewed western style. I’m drinking my resteep now and the flavour is mostly unchanged but a little less chocolatey and a whole lot weaker. Fingers crossed it’ll hold up better when I try it gongfu style – that is what Stacy recommends, after all.

Another tea that I can’t write a great note for due to not remembering, but that I believe I enjoyed, and am happy to have a fair amount of. I thiiiiink that I didn’t brew it long enough the first time (recommended 4 minutes, I used 3), so I’ll alter that next time. Resteep seemed pretty weak, too.

This is really lovely! It has a very mild taste. Quietly pleasant, with a little sweetness.