Old Ways Tea

I have been going crazy with Wuyi oolongs since at least late July, and quite frankly, the offerings of Old Ways Tea are almost entirely responsible for that. I think I placed my first order there back in February, and since then, Old Ways Tea has become one of my go-to sources for quality Wuyi teas at reasonable prices. For some reason, I just got the urge to start drinking more Wuyi oolongs in July and have been going through at least one pouch a week since that time. That fact also makes me wonder who the hell decides to drink roasted oolongs during the hottest months of the year. Apparently a weird guy like me, that’s who. Anyhow, this was a very nice Wuyi oolong. Like several Qi Lans I have tried, it was softer and more delicate in the mouth than teas produced from some of the other Wuyi cultivars.

I prepared this tea gongfu style. After a brief rinse, I steeped 5 grams of loose tea leaves in 3 ounces of 203 F water for 5 seconds. This infusion was chased by 16 additional infusions. Steep times for these infusions were as follows: 7 seconds, 9 seconds, 12 seconds, 16 seconds, 20 seconds, 25 seconds, 30 seconds, 40 seconds, 50 seconds, 1 minute, 1 minute 15 seconds, 1 minute 30 seconds, 2 minutes, 3 minutes, 5 minutes, and 7 minutes.

Prior to the rinse, I detected aromas of cream, baked bread, blackberry, and orchid coming from the dry tea leaves. After the rinse, I detected subtle char, smoke, rock sugar, and blueberry scents along with a more defined aroma of roasted peanut. The first infusion presented slightly stronger roasted peanut, rock sugar, and orchid scents. In the mouth, the tea liquor offered notes of blackberry, blueberry, char, smoke, rock sugar, roasted peanut, and orchid that were backed by impressions of baked bread, tart cherry, and pomegranate. The following infusions saw the tea present new aromas of cedar, cherry, plum, cinnamon, and orange zest. New impressions of minerals, orange zest, grass, cinnamon, roasted almond, parsley, roasted grain, and plum appeared in the mouth. By the time I got to the last couple of infusions, the tea liquor was emphasizing a belatedly emerging popcorn note and lingering notes of minerals, cream, char, cedar, and rock sugar that were backed by roasted grain, roasted almond, and orange zest.

An approachable, but also satisfyingly complex Wuyi oolong, I could see this tea making a fantastic introduction to teas of this type or a highly enjoyable daily drinker for those who have an all-consuming love of Wuyi oolongs. One thing I especially appreciated about this tea was its smooth, creamy texture compared to some of the other teas of this style that I have tried. I also appreciated its lack of prominent bitterness. In the end, I would have no difficulty recommending this tea to curious drinkers or established Wuyi oolong fans. At least consider checking it out if you happen to fall into either of those groups.

I’m kind of surprised that I am the first person on Steepster to post a review of this tea. Like many of the teas marketed as Da Hong Pao on the market, this is not a single cultivar tea, but rather a blend. While Qi Dan is traditionally accepted to be the cultivar used in the production of so-called authentic Da Hong Pao, many others are used as well due to the rarity and expense of Qi Dan Da Hong Pao. Off the top of my head, I know that Rou Gui and Shui Xian are sometimes marketed as Da Hong Pao. Many producers, however, utilize a blend of cultivars to approximate the character of classic Da Hong Pao. These blends are often referred to as commercial Da Hong Pao and are designed to place the experience of one of the rarest and most sought-after Chinese teas in the hands of the average consumer. This tea, like so many, was a blend of oolong cultivars that had been charcoal roasted in order to approximate the experience of the primo stuff. I’m not sure which cultivars were used in this particular blend, but I can safely say that as blended or commercial Da Hong Pao goes, this one was pretty great.

I prepared this tea gongfu style. After a brief rinse, I steeped 5 grams of loose tea leaves in 3 ounces of 205 F water for 5 seconds. This infusion was chased by 16 additional infusions. Steep times for these infusions were as follows: 7 seconds, 9 seconds, 12 seconds, 16 seconds, 20 seconds, 25 seconds, 30 seconds, 40 seconds, 50 seconds, 1 minute, 1 minute 15 seconds, 1 minute 30 seconds, 2 minutes, 3 minutes, 5 minutes, and 7 minutes.

Prior to the rinse, the dry tea leaves produced aromas of cedar, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, dark chocolate, and raisin. After the rinse, I found new aromas of roasted almond, char, smoke, prune, and fig. The first infusion then introduced hints of coffee, pomegranate, roasted walnut, and black cherry to the nose. In the mouth, the tea liquor presented notes of cedar, cinnamon, dark chocolate, allspice, raisin, smoke, char, roasted almond, and coffee that were backed by hints of roasted walnut and tobacco as well as a lingering caramel sweetness. Subsequent infusions saw vanilla and tobacco appear on the nose. Stronger notes of caramel and tobacco appeared in the mouth along with belatedly emerging notes of black cherry, nutmeg, fig, and prune. There was a pomegranate presence too, but it was very faint and did not make a point of sticking around long. New impressions of minerals, rock sugar, vanilla, grass, and roasted carrot also appeared along with a subtle creaminess. The final infusions offered notes of minerals, char, cedar, cream, rock sugar, and raisin that were balanced by notes of roasted almond, vanilla, and tobacco.

This was a ridiculously deep and complex Da Hong Pao blend that demonstrated respectable longevity and balance to go along with very nice texture in the mouth and a highly unique profile. Though it now appears to be out of stock, it was a steal at $0.26 per gram. I have long thought that some of the commercial Da Hong Pao blends get a bad rap, and I must state that this one did nothing to persuade me otherwise. I will definitely be on the lookout for future DHP blends from Old Ways Tea.

Now that I have had five days off to adequately recover from my snake bite, I am getting off my lazy butt and posting a few more tea reviews. For once, I am also trying to focus on some teas that I finished more recently. I recall finishing my sample pouch of this tea back around the end of July. Although Rou Gui is almost unbelievably hit or miss for me, I enjoyed this one quite a bit.

I prepared this tea gongfu style. After a brief rinse, I steeped 5 grams of loose tea leaves in 3 ounces of 205 F water for 5 seconds. This infusion was chased by 16 additional infusions. Steep times for these infusions were as follows: 7 seconds, 9 seconds, 12 seconds, 16 seconds, 20 seconds, 25 seconds, 30 seconds, 40 seconds, 50 seconds, 1 minute, 1 minute 15 seconds, 1 minute 30 seconds, 2 minutes, 3 minutes, 5 minutes, and 7 minutes.

Prior to the rinse, the dry tea leaves produced aromas of cinnamon, cream, pastry, and dried blueberry. After the rinse, I noted new aromas of char, pine, smoke, and roasted peanut. The first infusion then introduced hints of ginger and Merlot grape to the nose. In the mouth, the tea liquor presented notes of roasted peanut, cream, cinnamon, pine, char, and smoke that were balanced by some vegetal character reminiscent of cooked green beans and hints of black cherry and tobacco. Subsequent infusions introduced aromas of roasted walnut, tobacco, cooked green beans, black cherry, and blackberry. Hints of Merlot grape, ginger, and dried blueberry appeared on the palate along with stronger tobacco and black cherry notes and new impressions of minerals, grass, blackberry, roasted walnut, and cocoa. The final infusions emphasized lingering mineral, cinnamon, cream, roasted peanut, pine, and smoke notes that were chased by somewhat more fleeting grass, cooked green bean, tobacco, and black cherry flavors.

Kind of an odd, folksy tea, but also very appealing, I could see why this tea drew such positive reviews elsewhere. It displayed a very unique profile, a nice, thick body, and strong, full mouthfeel with solid longevity. Old Ways Tea features some higher end, more refined, and more tightly focused Rou Gui in its catalog, but one could do far, far worse than giving this tea a shot.

This was another somewhat more recent sipdown of mine, as I finished my sample pouch of this oolong at the end of July. I had been meaning to try it ever since acquiring it earlier in the year mostly because I had never before tried an unroasted Wuyi oolong. Overall, I found it to be a pretty interesting tea, though not the sort of thing I would want to have on a regular basis.

I prepared this tea gongfu style. After a quick rinse, I steeped 5 grams of loose tea leaves in 3 ounces of 195 F water for 7 seconds. This infusion was chased by 13 additional infusions. Steep times for these infusions were as follows: 9 seconds, 12 seconds, 16 seconds, 20 seconds, 25 seconds, 30 seconds, 40 seconds, 50 seconds, 1 minute, 1 minute 15 seconds, 1 minute 30 seconds, 2 minutes, and 3 minutes.

Prior to the rinse, the dry tea leaves emitted slightly woody, grassy aromas with floral and fruity hints. After the rinse, I noted distinct impressions of orchid, honey, raisin, roasted peanut, and cream on the nose. The first infusion then revealed a cedar aroma and stronger scents of orchid and honey. In the mouth, I detected notes of orchid, cream, cinnamon, and honey that were balanced by roasted peanut and cedar notes. The subsequent infusions saw the nose turn citrusy and mineral-laden. A slightly stronger roasted peanut note appeared in the mouth along with belatedly emerging raisin and grass notes. New impressions of minerals, pear, roasted almond, and butter appeared in the mouth along with hints of lemon zest. The final infusions emphasized lingering mineral, roasted peanut, roasted almond, and cream notes that were underscored by lemon zest impressions.

Seeing as how I tried this tea and Old Ways Tea’s 2016 Qilan very close together, it was fascinating for me to see just how much a roast can change a tea. Without the characteristic Wuyi roast, this tea took on a character somewhat reminiscent of a baozhong, but with the heavy mineral profile so typical of traditional Wuyi oolongs. Though I most definitely prefer my Wuyi oolongs roasted, this was still a fun little tea. I’m glad I took the opportunity to try it.

Since I have been spending so much time lately posting reviews of teas I drank months ago, I wanted to take a few moments to post a review of a tea I drank much more recently. I finished a sample pouch of this tea last week. I loved the 2016 Premium Wild Style Black Tea, so making time for the 2017 production was a no-brainer. Though I did end up loving this tea, I did not enjoy it quite as much as the 2016 version. This, however, was still an excellent Wuyi black tea.

I prepared this tea gongfu style. After a very quick rinse, I steeped 5 grams of loose tea leaves in 3 ounces of 194 F water for 5 seconds. This infusion was chased by 16 subsequent infusions. Steep times for these infusions were as follows: 7 seconds, 9 seconds, 12 seconds, 16 seconds, 20 seconds, 25 seconds, 30 seconds, 40 seconds, 50 seconds, 1 minute, 1 minute 15 seconds, 1 minute 30 seconds, 2 minutes, 3 minutes, 5 minutes, and 7 minutes.

Prior to the rinse, the dry tea leaves emitted aromas of peach, honey, cinnamon, malt, baked bread, and blood orange. After the rinse, I picked up on aromas of roasted peanut, smoke, brown sugar, and dark chocolate. The first infusion saw the nose turn a bit spicier and more citrusy, though I also noted a subtle sweet potato scent and a stronger brown sugar aroma. In the mouth, the tea liquor offered notes of baked bread, roasted peanut, malt, brown sugar, sweet potato, blood orange, and honey that were backed by impressions of cream and roasted almond. The following infusions saw cream, lemon zest, and roasted almond emerge on the nose. Impressions of peach and dark chocolate belatedly appeared in the mouth along with new notes of minerals, red apple, tangerine, violet, plum, and pear. There were some subtle cedar and smoke impressions too. The final infusions emphasized lingering mineral, malt, baked bread, cream, pear, and lemon zest notes that were chased by subtler impressions of tangerine, brown sugar, and roasted peanut.

This tea was just as lively, flavorful, and energizing as the previous year’s production, though it did not offer quite as much of the fruity sweetness I enjoyed so much in that tea. Arguably a slightly deeper and more complex tea, I have no doubt that fans of Wuyi black teas would enjoy it. Definitely consider giving this tea a try if you get the opportunity.

I think I have alluded to my enjoyment of this tea in a couple of previous reviews, so I have decided to go ahead and get a review of it up on Steepster. Also, this was yet another of the black tea samples that I finished way back in May. It’s crazy to think that my backlog still stretches that far back. Anyway, as I am pretty sure I have said before, this was a fantastic Wuyi black tea.

I prepared this tea gongfu style. After a very quick rinse, I steeped 5 grams of loose tea leaves in 3 ounces of 194 F water for 5 seconds. This infusion was followed by 16 additional infusions. Steep times for these infusions were as follows: 7 seconds, 9 seconds, 12 seconds, 16 seconds, 20 seconds, 25 seconds, 30 seconds, 40 seconds, 50 seconds, 1 minute, 1 minute 15 seconds, 1 minute 30 seconds, 2 minutes, 3 minutes, 5 minutes, and 7 minutes.

Prior to the rinse, the dry tea leaves emitted aromas of peach, lychee, orange zest, malt, and baked bread that were underscored by hints of chocolate. After the rinse, I detected a stronger chocolate aroma, a guava scent, and an interesting floral aroma that vaguely reminded me of jasmine. The first infusion introduced a stronger, but still somewhat vague floral aroma (jasmine and maybe orange blossom this time) and additional citrus character reminiscent of tangerine. In the mouth, I picked up on sweet, fruity, and floral flavors immediately. Notes of guava, pear, peach, tangerine, and lychee swirled around the palate with some subtle orange zest, orange blossom, and jasmine in the background before subtler, smoother notes of baked bread and malt broke through on the swallow. I noticed something of a pine note in the aftertaste that I had not picked up on earlier. Subsequent infusions saw the nose turn extremely citrusy and perfume-like. The already powerful fruit notes were amplified as were the previously more subtle malt notes. Chocolate emerged on the palate along with notes of minerals, cream, sweet potato, butter, and brown sugar. The final infusions emphasized lingering impressions of minerals, malt, and butter that were complimented by a slight woodiness and vague hints of pear, citrus, and stone fruits.

This was one of the more powerful and robustly flavorful black teas I have tried this year. It also had a tremendously lively presence on the nose and in the mouth. A very fun, vibrant, energizing black tea, I would recommend this to anyone with an interest in Wuyi black teas or those looking for a black tea with less astringency.

Going back over my reviews of the teas from Old Ways Tea that I have posted over the past couple of months made me realize that I mentioned how impressed I was by this tea in my review for the 2017 version of it, yet I never bothered to post a review of this one for the sake of comparison. With that in mind, I dug through my review notebook, found my review notes for this tea, and promptly started hammering away on this Steepster review. At this point, I will just be a bad writer and do what I am not supposed to do by going ahead and stating that this was one of the best and most satisfying Wuyi black teas I have ever tried. You can stop reading here if you want.

For those still interested, I prepared this tea gongfu style. After a very quick rinse, I steeped 5 grams of loose tea leaves in 3 ounces of 194 F water for 5 seconds. This infusion was chased by 16 additional infusions. Steep times for these infusions were as follows: 7 seconds, 9 seconds, 12 seconds, 16 seconds, 20 seconds, 25 seconds, 30 seconds, 40 seconds, 50 seconds, 1 minute, 1 minute 15 seconds, 1 minute 30 seconds, 2 minutes, 3 minutes, 5 minutes, and 7 minutes.

Prior to the rinse, the dry tea leaves emitted aromas of malt, cedar, pine, and honey. After the rinse, I noted a new roasted almond aroma underscored by some cinnamon hints. The first infusion then brought out subtle aromas of butter, cream, and orange zest. In the mouth, the tea liquor initially presented notes of cedar and pine that were accompanied by a touch of smokiness before transitioning to reveal notes of malt, butter, and roasted almond. Subtle impressions of leather, orange zest, honey, and cinnamon then emerged on the swallow, though a subtle mineral presence was left in the mouth afterwards. Subsequent infusions saw the nose turn smokier, maltier, and spicier. The aromas of cedar and pine were more pronounced, and a subtle nutmeg aroma also emerged. Eventually, the nose became much more mineral-heavy. Cream belatedly emerged in the mouth, and the previously mentioned malt and mineral notes were amplified. New notes of cocoa, ginger, and wet stones appeared alongside subtle impressions of nutmeg and apple. A cooling herbal note reminiscent of tobacco was noticeable on each exhale after swallowing, dominating the aftertaste. The final infusions offered lingering roasted almond, malt, and mineral notes balanced by subtler impressions of pine, cedar, honey, cinnamon, leather, and tobacco.

A ridiculously powerful, captivating, and complex black tea, this was an absolute tour de force in the best qualities of traditional Wuyi black teas. After a point, all I could do was just sit back and try to take it all in. This was by far one of the best Wuyi black teas I have ever tried, and that is saying something considering the fact that I have tried an appreciable number of them. If you are a fan of such teas, I cannot recommend this one highly enough.

This is yet another tea from the backlog. I finished a sample pouch of this oolong back towards the end of May, logged review notes for it, and just never bothered to do anything with them until now. Looking back over my review notes for this tea reminded me that this tea was one of the lone bright spots in my recent run with Wuyi Shui Xian. Surprisingly, this was one of the cheapest of the lot I recently tried too.

I prepared this tea gongfu style. After a brief rinse, I steeped 5 grams of loose tea leaves in 3 ounces of 203 F water for 6 seconds. This infusion was chased by 16 additional infusions. Steep times for these infusions were as follows: 9 seconds, 12 seconds, 16 seconds, 20 seconds, 25 seconds, 30 seconds, 40 seconds, 50 seconds, 1 minute, 1 minute 15 seconds, 1 minute 30 seconds, 2 minutes, 3 minutes, 5 minutes, 7 minutes, and 10 minutes.

Prior to the rinse, the dry tea leaves produced aromas of cinnamon, char, dark chocolate, cannabis, and dark wood accompanied by some subtle orchid accents. After the rinse, I noted new aromas of smoke and roasted peanut underscored by some vague vegetal hints. The first infusion then introduced aromas of black cherry, tobacco, and pomegranate balanced by hints of lotus and hibiscus. In the mouth, the tea liquor initially offered pronounced hibiscus, orchid, and lotus notes before moving on to reveal heavier char, cinnamon, roasted peanut, smoke, and cannabis impressions, finally finishing with hints of cream, black cherry, and rock sugar. Subsequent infusions saw the aromas of fruit and flowers repeatedly assert themselves while new scents of cream, rock sugar, and minerals made themselves known. In the mouth, pomegranate, tobacco, and dark chocolate finally appeared alongside mineral, mandarin orange, grass, mushroom, caramel, and butter notes. The final infusions displayed a heavy lingering mineral presence and pleasant notes of roasted peanut, smoke, cream, and char balanced by fleeting touches of dark wood, dark chocolate, rock sugar, and black cherry.

Had this tea displayed just a slightly more pronounced fruitiness, it would have been a slam dunk for me. As is, however, this was still a very nice Wuyi Shui Xian with admirable strength, complexity, and longevity on the nose and in the mouth. I know I have said it before, but Old Ways Tea offers some impressive stuff at reasonable prices. This was yet another quality offering from them, one well worth checking out for fans of Wuyi Shui Xian.

This was yet another of the Wuyi black teas I reviewed in May and then did not bother to review here until now. I think this was the last of the four black teas from Old Ways Tea that I tried. I recall rushing to try it because I was so smitten with the 2016 Premium Old Tree Black Tea. Unfortunately, I did not find this tea to be quite as good as the 2016 version, but that is not much of a knock considering how great I found that tea to be. All things considered, this was still a very good and very satisfying Wuyi black tea.

I prepared this tea gongfu style. After a brief rinse, I steeped 5 grams of loose tea leaves in 3 ounces of 194 F water for 5 seconds. This infusion was followed by 16 additional infusions. Steep times for these infusions were as follows: 7 seconds, 9 seconds, 12 seconds, 16 seconds, 20 seconds, 25 seconds, 30 seconds, 40 seconds, 50 seconds, 1 minute, 1 minute 15 seconds, 1 minute 30 seconds, 2 minutes, 3 minutes, 5 minutes, and 7 minutes.

Prior to the rinse, I detected aromas of honey, malt, butter, baked bread, and pine coming from the dry tea leaves. After the rinse, I noted emerging aromas of roasted almond and roasted peanut. There was something of a green wood presence too. The first infusion then introduced a slight hint of smoke to the nose. In the mouth, the tea liquor presented notes of roasted almond, roasted peanut, butter, malt, and baked bread that gave way to impressions of green wood, honey, pine, cream, and vanilla. After the swallow, I noted a subtle smokiness and an unexpected note of cinnamon in the aftertaste. Subsequent infusions saw the nose turn a little smokier with cocoa, citrus, and mineral aromas also emerging. Impressions of minerals, cocoa, leather, and orange zest emerged in the mouth alongside stronger impressions of cream and cinnamon. Towards the end of the session, I also managed to pick up some subtle ginger and brown sugar notes. The final infusions offered notes of minerals, baked bread, orange zest, and malt backed by subtle leather and roasted nut notes and a cooling herbal presence on the swallow that was reminiscent of tobacco.

This was an extremely deep and complex black tea with tremendous texture in the mouth. Compared to the 2016 Premium Old Tree Black Tea, this tea did not display quite as sharp or clean of a mineral presence. I also did not find it to be as spicy, complex, or energizing as its forebear. Despite these minor quibbles, this was still a very good Wuyi black tea that only suffered a bit in comparison to a truly exceptional tea from the previous year. Try both this tea and the 2016 version if you get the chance. If you are into Wuyi black teas, I’m willing to bet that you will enjoy them.

Okay, I’m getting around to posting this review way later than planned. I finished a bunch of tea samples from Old Ways Tea last month, and until now, I have yet to get around to posting any of them. I decided to get this one up here first simply because I have not reviewed a lapsang souchong in what feels like forever. As Wuyi smoked black teas go, this was a very good one, though I also doubt it would be the sort of tea a lot of people would want to drink regularly. That’s the thing about lapsang souchong-regardless of whether or not you enjoy it, it’s not really an everyday, all seasons kind of tea. It’s also the sort of tea that you either enjoy or you don’t, and if you have tried multiple lapsang souchongs and have yet to find one that you enjoy, there is no guarantee that you will ever find one to your liking.

Naturally, I prepared this tea gongfu style. I ended up buying a couple of small gaiwans from Old Ways Tea and decided to break one of them out for this session. After a very brief rinse, I steeped 5 grams of loose tea leaves in approximately 3 ounces of 194 F water for 5 seconds. This infusion was chased by 16 additional infusions. Steep times for these infusions were as follows: 7 seconds, 9 seconds, 12 seconds, 16 seconds, 20 seconds, 25 seconds, 30 seconds, 40 seconds, 50 seconds, 1 minute, 1 minute 15 seconds, 1 minute 30 seconds, 2 minutes, 3 minutes, 5 minutes, and 7 minutes.

Prior to the rinse, the dry tea leaves emitted aromas of pine smoke, tar, char, cedar, and honey. After the rinse, I picked up emerging aromas of roasted peanut, malt, and cinnamon. The first infusion then saw the pine smoke reassert itself on the nose. In the mouth, I surprisingly found gentle notes of malt backed by subtle impressions of cinnamon, char, cedar, roasted peanut, and pine smoke. Subsequent infusions saw the nose turn citrusy and spicy. Notes of cream, minerals, brown sugar, roasted almond, and toast appeared in the mouth. I also noted the belated emergence of a slight honey flavor in the mouth as well as hints of chocolate and orange zest. The pine smoke notes were somewhat more prevalent on these infusions, though they remained much more restrained and sophisticated than the nose would have led me to expect. The final infusions offered lingering mineral, malt, and pine smoke notes backed by fleeting touches of cream, roasted nuts, brown sugar, and orange zest. A cooling menthol-like herbal impression also showed itself on the swallow.

An impressive, sophisticated, and surprisingly restrained lapsang souchong, I am willing to bet that fans of such smoked black teas would find a lot to enjoy in this one. My only real complaint was that I felt that the smokiness could have been a little more pronounced throughout, but for those who prefer a lighter smokiness in such teas, I am sure that will not be a complaint at all. Those who hate lapsang souchong will probably not be converted by this tea, but I found it to be very enjoyable. I would not want to have it every day, but it did make me hopeful that Old Ways Tea will soon bring in more smoked black teas for me to try. Judging by this one, I am certain that any future lapsang souchongs they source will be worthwhile.

Mellow, smooth. leaves are nicely roasted, not big but uniform. Imparts that calming sensation and lasting sweetness. Steeped six times then dumped leaves out of the gaiwan and into a pot to simmer for fifteen minutes. The liquor turned dark and sweetened further with an added depth of flavor. I might boil a bit longer next time to see how far I can push it.

One of the most confident and aggressive white teas I’ve tasted thus far. This one hits like a hurricane. Do not recommend drinking on an empty stomach. Deep golden liquor with good clarity. Color, scent and flavor hold strong for six or seven steeps. Halfway between tea and medicine already. Excellent aging potential.

Frick, did I love this one…though frick, my reviews of Old Ways tea are gonna get a little generic, but they are all of good quality.

I was whipped with an intense leathery note, followed by some florals and minerals. This is what I expected out of a wild style wuyi tea-it had the mineral notes I like, and a little bit of cocoa hidden in the thick viscous malt, but it ended leading up from something robust to something very sweet, mildly citrusy, and a little spicy. It had a little bit of a rhaspberry sweet note, and having some spiciness like blackberry leaves. I did do this gong fu with the 30 second rule, and the second and third steep were the best, and then the later eighth brew was incredibly sweet and minerally.

I hate that I am giving a recreated memory of this tea, but I would certainly try it again to give it better treatment. It was a good purchase, and Old Ways tea had some of the best service I’ve had with a great presentation of its sampler. Then again, I am finding that I prefer WuYi blacks anyway-specifically, without the roast.

Gong fu a long, long time ago, and this had a really great and full bodied profile. Like any old tree, it was rustic, leathery, and dry, but gentle with lingering malt and dense mineral in the texture accompanied by some fructose sweet hints that kinda reminded me of cherry tobacco, or even blackberry and spice. Emphasis on the berry. The earlier steeps were the densest and the more thick, and later steeps got sweeter with ever remaining mineral.

I’d have to drink this again to give a better review, but I do remember it being more woodsy and faint than the wild style…though they were pretty darn close in terms of taste. I highly recommend this tea to Wuyi lovers, and to those who like well rounded and dense black teas. It also has enough sophistication to appeal to lighter hong cha drinkers.

Orchid, butter, violet,macadamia, and almonds, oh my. A little bit of a sweetness, some viscousness, a lingering floral aftertaste, and medium longevity. I did gong fu in my 30 second increments, grandpa and western a while back and I greatly enjoyed it. It tasted like a lightly baked baozhong, and this was very approachable and goes in my category of “Need to try again,” even my own small amount. If I did not already order a decent amount of teas…

I am going to have to try this one again because it has been a while. This was very similar to the grass fragrance by having a bit of a citrusy and sagey hint in the aftertaste, the overall notes were like honey infused dark chocolate with something floral going on in the texture. There were some medium malty notes in the body and taste, but they were not as thick as the Old Tree or the Wild Blacks. The honey fragrance and flavor surged through in the aroma and the teas viscous texture. The little bit of a bitterness was actually very pleasant. I was able to re brew a cup 8 times using the whole sample, the first steep being thirty seconds, and adding 30 seconds times to in the latest steeps. I cannot go into more detail than that because I can’t remember, but I can say that I would make this as a pick for a daily drinker because it is priced decently at $18 for 100 grams, even $34.20 at two hundred grams. It was also that good.

I thought this was going to taste like something out of a land mower, but it was really something that came out of a garden. The dry leaf was grassy, but floral, fresh, and very smooth like bamboo amidst its rocky scent. Because this was a sample of who know’s how many grams, I threw it into my mug strainer, and rinsed at 30 seconds. The second steep was one minute, than 2 minutes and thirty seconds, than whatever lazy time amount I left it in bordering on grandpa style. The notes of the dryleaf were there when brewed, but sweeter. The initial sip started off floral and spicy, going to something like sage in the mid sip, and ended in a sweet malty aftertaste. It was almost honey like, and the later, longer steeps turned into a full, but modest honey note that was barely juicy. If only it could linger a little longer. The bamboo florals, malt, and sage dominate overall, but they are still nicely accented. The tea could get a little bitter, but as bitter as any smooth black tea can be. The first few steeps were a little astringent, but the last few had little astringency.

If you have ever had a Tongmu Wu Yi tea, this has a lot of the same slightly different. It actually reminded me of one of the newer Taiwaneese Shan Cha black tea in its grassiness, but it was not quite as fruity. This tea is still hella good and would definitely be one of my picks for daily drinkers to those who like floral black teas. Some might be a little underwhelmed or weirded out by the grassiness. More experienced drinkers might be impressed with the notes, but might snub it for the more expensive stuff…nevermind this does compare to some of the higher quality teas I’ve had. I only liked the honey fragrance that this company offers slightly more.

Old Ways Tea has been impressive, and I’ve greatly enjoyed all of their teas, this one especially. I got this one picked by the owner’s smart discretion to compare it to the unroasted one, and I got it with a sample of a good Shui Xian. Actually, a very, very good Shui Xian…I still like this type of tea more.

It is was you can expect from a good Qi Lan Yan Cha. I could drink it western or gong fu with very little effort, but I could had to go light grandpa style because it could get bitter if oversteeped..but the results were still nice with 3 grams in 12 ounces of hot water.

The charcoal roast was prominent, but very well balanced with the equally present orchid florals. Rinsing it made the florals pop out, adding some notes that smelled vaguely like violet to me amidst the orchid. Tasting it was much the same, and the roast made the notes border on chocolate orchids in overall taste. It was almost like drinking mineral water at the beginning of the sip that rose into the chocolate orchid, to the violet hint, and then to peach, butter, and finally, the roast combining with the other notes altogether into a sweet profile that reminds me of honey buns. The roast was more prominent in earlier steeps at 20 seconds or two minutes, and lightened up to a charcoal background into increasingly floral and lighter rebrews adding 15 seconds or a minute each time.

Overall, I do prefer the Qi Lan that I have from What-Cha because it’s got that jasmine note I really love, but if you want to know what a good Qi Lan tastes like, this is an awesome standard that really is not that expensive. I would very easily pick this up again and I recommend this company period. Also: you have got to try their black teas.

I got a sample of this with a teapot that I bought second hand from someone on Tea Forum. The dry leaf smells roasty with a slight fruityness. It brews a medium orange color and has a very strong mineral note, maybe the strongest I’ve experienced. It also tastes of roasted barley and overripe fruit. Lilly aroma. This was quite enjoyable, however from the second steep on I got a strong, savory cooked meat or pumpkin-like note that I didn’t really enjoy. Maybe I should have used cooler water? I’m never quite sure what temperature to brew yancha at, but I’ve seen some places recommend boiling…

I submitted this tea for review by a new company, because I think his name is worth spreading. This is one of the more enjoyable rou guis I’ve had in a while.

Prep: 100cc gaiwan, full to brim with tea, boiling water. Short steeps x3, adding 15s to each steep from steeps 4-9. Then chasing flavor with 1 min + steeps.
Sessions with this tea: 2

Taste: This has a complex bittersweet characteristic with a strong but not overpowering or forceful taste of spices. The sweetness is not that of sugar, and it blends together with a gentle roast note very well. There is minerality present as well as some wood notes. The whole effect is subtle and savory. Imagine bittersweet cooking cocoa rather than sweet hot chocolate, or nutmeg used for cooking a soup rather than a pie.

Body: A thick and dry mouthfeel, almost like you have melted that cocoa powder in your mouth. This I think is interesting, as tea usually gives me thick wet feeling, like pudding or cream. This mouthfeel, combined with “dry” aspect of taste, is what made this tea so pleasing to me. Energy is radiating warmth sitting in my chest. Very “whole” feeling, like getting praise in grade school for something you worked very hard on.

Overall one of the most pleasing rou guis I’ve had in a while. I don’t prefer sweet notes usually so I welcome yanchas without much sweetness. Plus this tea hits the perfect spot in terms of roast note, low stated bittersweet, woody/herbaceous note. All combined with a beautiful mouthfeel. Old Ways is a new vendor and I will be trying to obtain more of this tea very soon.