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Not in a very energetic mood for long and detailed review, so here we go.

1st infusion (80˚C, 0:30)
Aroma of wet leaves is very fragrant, but entirely on the savoury and vegetal side, maybe slightly nutty… not sweet or fruity or buttery at all like the #43 or the 2nd Picking which I’ve already tried. There might even be a more mineral, bittersweet quality to it.
Liquor itself is surprisingly bitter and astringent. I didn’t time how long I steeped for, but don’t think it exceeded 20-30 sec.
Rating: 78

2nd infusion (80˚C, 0:30)
Wet leaves and liquor have gorgeous “fresh spring meadow” scent. Still has this astringency/herbal bitterness (like guilinggao!) in the aftertaste – perhaps that is the wildness and uncultivatedness of this tea. I slightly prefer this infusion to the previous one.
Rating: 80

Dry leaf smells sweet and malty
Warmed dry leaf has sticky sweet scent of dried plums.

1st infusion: (90˚C, 0:25)
Liquor smells rich savoury-sweet, reminiscent of something like black chicken soup, with dried flower mushrooms and goji berries. It tastes of delicious herbal medicinal and umami notes.
Rating: 93

2nd infusion: (90˚C, 0:30)
Similar profile to previous infusion, but more potent, and a strong woody note and astringency drying the tongue has emerged. Less sweetness than before. Pairs well with food.
Rating: 85

3rd infusion: (91˚C, 0:30)
Rating: 85

5g in 150ml Chaozhou Hong Ni teapot

1st infusion (85˚C, 0:20)
Wet leaves smell incredibly musty, like something has spoiled, gone “off”. Now that I go back to smell the dry leaf, yea it’s definitely (inadvertently) aged a bit while in the fancy gift tea canister that isn’t airtight. Damn this humid Singapore weather.
Liquor actually tasted fine and had nice floral and nectar notes, but to be safe I threw the second half out.
Rating: Rinse

2nd infusion (85˚C, 0:20)

Date drunk: 2023 May 31st

Dry leaf smells of a fragrant sweet softwood like sandalwood or cedar.
Wet leaf smells woody and like baking brown bread.

Liquor tastes very flavourful, mushroomy and bready like a well-fermented olive bread. Very enjoyable and pairs great with food and fruit.

Rating: 84

Date drunk: 2023 May 29
Dry leaf smells gorgeous, like a savoury-sweet crispy snack – I think it smells floral and roasted-chestnutty, like almond paste or like fried shallots.

1st infusion: (80˚C, 0:20)
Wet leaf smells like roasted butter asparagus or fried garlic nai bai.
The leaves look really tiny like herb leaves (oregano or thyme), but obviously don’t smell or taste like them. I feel like I’m drinking an exquisite clear vegetable broth with just a tiny hint of fat like butter.
Rating: 94

2nd infusion: (81˚C, 0:35)
Colour became dark amber – I could tell I overbrewed slightly. Astringent but still has the nice vegetable broth notes, more like a bitter-savoury herbal broth now but still quite lovely.
Rating: 86

3rd infusion: (81˚C, 0:30)
Leaves and liquor still smell like buttered stir-fried veg like green beans. Liquor tastes slightly astringent but less than before, it’s still fairly nice and silky. I think the leaves still have much to give but from this point on I can pair it with food and not feel it’s a waste.
Rating: 87

4th infusion: (82˚C, 0:30)
Getting lighter. I’ll push it harder next round.
Rating: 84

5th infusion: (85˚C, 0:50)
Rating: 86

Overall Rating: 87

Date drunk: 2023 Apr 26

5g in 100ml porcelain gaiwan

1st infusion: (80˚C, 0:15)
Wet leaf smells sweet and floral – stunning.
- Liquor smells vegetal and a bit nutty, no sweetness. Delicious umami-rich savoury broth
- Rating: 80

2nd infusion: (80˚C, 0:35)
Wet leaf still smells gorgeous.
I overbrewed it. Bitter and very astringent.
Rating: 73 (actually 70 but it’s not entirely the tea’s fault)

3rd infusion: (81˚C, 0:25)
Wet leaf really gives me Longjing vibes.
I steeped this for the correct time now because the astringency is minimal. Liquor tastes buttery and nutty too, like a 2nd or 3rd infusion of Longjing – buttered green beans.
Rating: 84

4th infusion: (81˚C, 0:30)
Clearer and cleaner-tasting than the previous infusion, still has buttery and nutty fragrance, but also less sweetness and overall flavour.
Rating: 82

5th infusion: (84˚C, 0:30)
A bit too light on flavour now but still very refreshing as an afternoon drink.
Rating: 79

Verdict: A very respectable “poor man’s Longjing” that I would buy as a daily green tea.
Rating: 80

5g in 100ml gaiwan

Wet leaf smells smoky and a subtle fruity sweetness like juicy pear.

1st infusion: (100˚C, 0:15)
Liquor tastes gently smoky, in a very pleasing way. Slight fruitiness beneath the tobacco – a bit of apricot-like tang, and a bit of juicy sweetness like fig.
Rating: 90

2nd infusion: (100˚C, 0:15)
Smokiness is even milder than before, even more pleasant when infused into the liquor. Slight astringency and bitterness mingled with floral sweetness and the smokiness is really quite lovely.
Rating: 88

3rd Infusion (100˚C, 0:15)
Despite the short brewing time, this infusion is pretty astringent. However, I’m still enjoying the tobacco note and noticing a nice umami flavour like mushrooms.
Rating: 78

Overall Rating: 86

4g in 100ml gaiwan

Dry leaf is small rolled pieces, smaller than a Jin Xuan or Jasmine Pearl. Smells like a medium-roast, sweet oolong.
1st infusion (85˚C, 0:20)
Gives me Jin Xuan vibes – fruity and floral – sweet melon, peach, cherry blossom, slight citrus/apricot tang, milky sweetness. A bit light
Rating: 76

2nd infusion (85˚C, 0:30)
Deeper milky creamer notes, a hint of apricot/yuzu but less tangy than 1st infusion. Flavour and texture still not as full-bodied as I’d like. Maybe because the leaf fragments are quite small. No bitterness or astringency.
Rating: 79

I got several more steeps out of this but forgot to record. Overall a solid 78 rating.

Harvest Year: likely 2022 (expires 2023)

4g in 100ml gaiwan
1st infusion: (80˚C, 0:20)
- I guess this would classify as the “rinse” as the balls are not unfurled yet. Almost no green tea flavour in this. All floral. A slight soapy note which makes this unpleasant, a bit gagworthy for me.
- Rating: 65
2nd infusion: (81˚C, 0:30)
- Liquor has very slight faecal smell (?!?!?) Reminds me of a horse stable smell… hay and bitter / rubbery tinge of manure omg. But makes it complex and quite enjoyable to drink
- Rating: 75
3rd infusion: (81˚C, 0:35)
- Still a bit animalic scent but milder than before, nice like a subtle perfume. Liquor is super tasty green tea
- Rating: 80

Rating: 73