Old Ways Tea

I think this might have been a freebie included a few orders ago but I’m uncertain. EIther way, thank you Old Ways Tea :) 2020 harvest.

The aroma is moderate, the taste is full and the body of the tea is delightfully creamy and oily. I suppose that means it also lacks the typical astringency or drying character of many Wuyi oolong. It possesses less mineral character than I prefer, so this might be a good introduction to rock oolong — enough minerality that it defines the style but perhaps not so much as to turn people away.

The taste is round and full, nutty-sweet and chocolatey with an orchid top note, and at times expressing a note of pleasant sourness but I can’t nail down which flavor profile matches it. A pithy bitterness arises here and there, giving a hint of edginess. The aftertaste quickly develops after the swallow and blooms into a fruity, airy, rich and sweet combination of white peach, orchid, brown sugar and semisweet chocolate. The throat feels cool.

Between the mouthfeel, tastes and aftertastes, it is a satiating tea that doesn’t have me wanting to drink cup after cup, but rather has me wanting to savor it over the course of a few days. It’s not a tea that was immediately appealing to me because I like more ‘edge’ but it is nonetheless good quality. I could see someone falling hard for this Shui Xian.

This ‘high mountain old bush’ Shui Xian is a subtle and refined rock oolong. My impression after drinking it is of horchata, like if you took the essences of fresh rice milk, floral-woody cinnamon, floral-sweet vanilla and sugar then combined those with the characteristic minerality of yancha in a spring water-like body, you’d almost have this tea.

I say almost because there is also a prominent orchid florality, a note of dry-roasted almonds skins, some delicate berry tones, and a hint of custard. A feeling of wet moss and mushrooms.

The tea feels good, smells spectacular and drinks with ease. A lingering vanilla-orchid aftertaste completes the experience.

Old Ways Tea December box.

Mmmm. Tea drunk. Feeling weightless. When I close my eyes it feels like I’m drifting on a cloud. I could barely utter complete words.

Viscous, as was the Shui Xian in the same box that I forgot to write a note on, oops.

I think of funnel cake and Pennsylvania(?).

This will be my final review of the day unless plans change. I’m dipping into my vast backlog again with this one. The first of the 2018 and 2019 Old Ways Tea samples I polished off during my sample drinking spree that started in late 2020, this one definitely comes from last year. I knew this was basically intended to be treated as a value offering by the folks at Old Ways Tea, but I was surprised to discover that it was actually a very good, solid Wuyi black tea.

I prepared this tea gongfu style. After a quick rinse, I steeped 5 grams of loose tea leaves in 3 fluid ounces of 194 F water for 5 seconds. This infusion was chased by 17 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, 7 minutes, and 10 minutes.

Prior to the rinse, the dry tea leaves emitted aromas of orchid, nectarine, blood orange, tangerine, cinnamon, and pine. After the rinse, I detected new aromas of roasted almond and roasted peanut that were accompanied by subtler scents of smoke and nutmeg. The first infusion then added a cherry aroma. In the mouth, the tea liquor presented notes of orchid, cherry, tangerine, blood orange, roasted almond, grass, and roasted peanut that were chased by hints of cinnamon, pear, nectarine, and pomegranate. The majority of the subsequent infusions added grass, mineral, red grape, hay, violet, and a stronger nutmeg scent to the tea’s bouquet. Stronger and more immediately detectable notes of pear, pomegranate, and nectarine emerged in the mouth alongside impressions of minerals, cream, malt, orange zest, baked bread, peach, plum, red grape, nutmeg, and violet. I also detected hints of smoke, hay, and pine here and there. As the tea faded, the liquor continued to emphasize notes of minerals, grass, roasted almond, malt, orange zest, tangerine, and cherry that were chased by lingering hints of red grape, plum, baked bread, orchid, blood orange, pomegranate, roasted peanut, and violet.

This tea displayed a wonderful mix of aromas and flavors, but it was not as refined or as balanced as it could have been. It had everything that would have made it an absolute knockout of an offering otherwise. As is, it was not even remotely close to being a bad offering, but I felt that it could have been much better than it was and represented something of a missed opportunity overall.

Okay, time for another review of a late 2020 sipdown. I think this one comes from late 2020 at least. I can’t really be sure. I blew through a bunch of samples from Old Ways Tea late last year and early this year, and this was the second that I finished, so I’m guessing I drank it in 2020. Whatever the case may be, I found it to be a great Wuyi black tea. It was subtler than anticipated, but it also had a ton of appeal.

I prepared this tea gongfu style. After a quick rinse, I steeped 5 grams of loose tea leaves in 3 fluid ounces of 194 F water for 5 seconds. This infusion was followed by 18 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, 7 minutes, 10 minutes, and 15 minutes.

Prior to the rinse, the dry tea leaves emitted aromas of baked bread, cinnamon, cedar, and blackberry. After the rinse, I detected novel aromas of roasted almond, roasted peanut, and cream as well as a subtle scent of hay. The first infusion saw the hay scent strengthen somewhat while aromas of grass, lemon zest, and pine also appeared. In the mouth, the tea liquor presented notes of baked bread, malt, cream, butter, grass, hay, cedar, pine, and roasted almond that were balanced by hints of cinnamon, roasted peanut, and lemon zest. The majority of the subsequent infusions added aromas of butter, cherry, daisy, sunflower, and orange zest to the tea’s bouquet, though I also occasionally noted subtler scents that reminded me a bit of coriander and blueberry. Stronger and more immediately detectable notes of cinnamon, lemon zest, and roasted peanut emerged in the mouth along with mineral, blackberry, steamed milk, sweet potato, orange zest, sunflower seed, pumpkin seed, and nutmeg impressions. There were also some subtle touches of cherry, allspice, blueberry, and coriander that popped up here and there along with some vague floral notes that reminded me a bit of a combination of daisy, sunflower, and dandelion. As the tea faded, the liquor continued to emphasize notes of minerals, orange zest, roasted almond, malt, butter, cream, grass, and lemon zest that were chased by fleeting, ghostly hints of pine, cinnamon, roasted peanut, cedar, pumpkin seed, hay, coriander, and flowers.

Plopped in my desk chair typing out this review made me think back to jotting down my impressions of this tea while I sampled it. I was stunned to discover that I recalled drinking it very vividly. This tea struck me as being so unique that the memory of trying it for the first time is now etched into my brain. Even before I sat back down to write this review, I glanced down at my notes and thought, “Oh yeah, that’s the one that tasted like sunflower and pumpkin seeds.” Fortunately, this tea offered more than just an extremely novel drinking experience. It was also an incredibly deep, complex, tasty, balanced, and sophisticated offering. If you don’t mind a tea that offers a bit of a challenge, Jin Guazi would be for you. It takes a little time to get into, but it’s so worth it.

Brewed grandpa style! It’s super smooth and fruity with notes of persimmon, beeswax, fermented tangy red fruits, banana, malt, leather, and just a little bit of smoke. So wonderfully complex yet playful!!

Photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/CWrK7ycLGOA/

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TJvqYvJ9oM&ab_channel=TheBlastingCompany

As a side note – I’m working on getting back into writing some shorter tasting notes given that Advent Season is less than a week away now and I’m going to be daily posting ALL my advents once again this year. I always feel burnt out by the time Christmas comes, so I really want to take some pressure off myself and kind of get in the mindset of knowing that I’m allowed to write shorter notes…

The experience of drinking a tree, thriving as a part of its larger environment. From the clean air to crowns and fruits. From mosses and lichens and orchids to bark. From grasses and nuts strewn about to root crowns gathering nutrients for transport. It is not an isolated process. And neither are we. This tea grounds me to what supports my being. It is life’s teacher.

I had the 2019 harvest. Please read Jade’s note for this tea as well.

Did I see Old Ways Tea mention that this Rou Gui huang pian is something special?

It is.

Cleanest energy from tea I’ve had in a long time.

Another gift from derk!

I got all out of whack making my breakfast today. I usually start the tea first so that it is ready when the food is ready and everything is hot. I was nearly done making the bacon when I realized I had not chosen a tea and this pouch was closest. Thus the first steep was western.

It smelled marvelous and was a departure from what most of us think of as breakfast tea, but I don’t drink those much anyway. It was so good that I decided to have another gong fu session after breakfast, even if the leaves were already steeped western once.

Derk was right about the tea having a lot of steeps to give. I didn’t even play them all out, but I kept going for as much water as I had put in the kettle and it was still giving.

Medium body, round mouth effect, building briskness that is not at all sour but simply dries the tongue and makes a nice tingle. I dislike the tingle of many teas, but this is a kind I like, a scrapey feeling like you would get from unsweetened cocoa, but not bitter or unpleasant. Not that I felt there were chocolate notes here, just the sensation cocoa would give.

I sniffed these leaves so hard looking for the elusive grass note derk mentioned, but I concentrated as hard as I could. Deep sniff. Not smelling grass or flowers. Deep sniff. Mental image of my mother’s purse in my childhood. What?

Deep sniff. Aaaaaah, TOBACCO! Her cigaretttes, of course!

Definite sweet-ish tobacco aroma was the dominant scent for me. I suppose that is a little grassy and flowery underneath? But also it is a rich, warm, ever so slightly sweet smell to me.

I really enjoyed this one as I have ALL of the Old Ways tea I have tried, and I was shocked to see derk’s review that said they are in California! For some reason I have always assumed they were in Asia and hard to come by. I need to take a good look at their site now that I know.

Thank you, derk! Another lovely tea session thanks to you!

Final tea from a 3-cultivar sampler from 2018? Again, this is not a 2019 tea like the Tie Luo Han I logged from this sampler.

Lots of aromatics contained within the leaf. Dry, I could smell a distinct charcoal note, dry woodiness, sweetness like brown sugar, peanut shells, hints of osmanthus and floral blueberry. The warmed and rinsed leaf smelled very strongly of red cherry, red wine, dried fruits in general, berry syrup verging medicinal. The fruity character was sharp, not as full and round as what I’ve tasted in Bei Dou cultivar. Oh, and there was gardenia, which I don’t recall experiencing in any other yancha (though maybe Bai Ji Guan?).

This tea had a prominent tangy-mineral-astringent taste and a very dry and warm character that reminded of the few Rou Gui I’ve had. All the aromas of the leaf fleeted through the main tea taste, along with tobacco, blackberry and butter lettuce, which made for a complex, engaging experience. Dry aftertaste of vanilla custard and some residual flat bitterness in the back of the mouth. I did drink the rinse which tasted of cocoa and red wine.

The overall feeling of this tea was quite robust, energetic, active and dry-warming, qualities which would make a good mid-winter’s evening elixir.

Ban Tian Yao was a cultivar I had not tried before. After this session, I can see myself purchasing it again.

This is a very charming Da Hong Pao. This type of tea often comes out too dry or too smoky. This one from Old Ways has just enough of quality smoke. And it is so juicy and sweet, with notes of flowers, pear, peach, apricot… The taste is very oolong-y as being somewhat muted and not in your face.
Mellow and so smooth.

If I am forced to find the worse sides this would be the absence of a long aftertaste, but somehow I cannot fault for the lack of it with this flavor profile.
I usually like more pronounced, drier Da Hong Paos with the long aftertaste but I am ready to be convinced that this is a better way to make it.

Another oolong from the 3-bag sampler bought maybe in 2018.

Dry leaf smelled very sweet with something vanilla or caramel-like without the dairy tone. the smell of woody-cacao and charcoal backed that up, as well as a dill undertone. Despite being a very sweet scent, it was not much concentrated. Watery?

Warmed leaf had a big aroma of dark chocolate cake and thistle, cooked raspberry.

The taste was fine but nothing special to me. Delicate sweetness, blackberry, hint of mango. Kind of a creamy tropical fruit aftertaste like cherimoya. Cooling huigan. With the third infusion, it became thicker in body than the first two steeps. I picked up on notes of chyrsanthemum and a bright butterscotch. Swallowed tangy and mineral, some tongue tingling. By the fifth infusion, the tea became very mineral.

Overall, I wasn’t too impressed with this Shui Jin Gui. It had some alluring tastes but they always remained watery, lacking the intensity of character that is common in Wuyi oolong. Also with the tea changing gears into full-on minerality instead of releasing flavors in a slow fade, I was jarred out of what could have been a mellow experience. Clunky. Not a tea I’d care to drink again, but I will still keep my eye out for another Shui Jin Gui.

The Tie Luo Han tea I had came as part of a three-bag sampler, including Ban Tian Yao and Shui Jin Gui, with no descriptions for any of the teas. At the time (2018?), I don’t think any of the three had yet been offered by Old Ways Tea. Notes by other users for these three may not reflect the same teas I have.

At first, the aroma and flavor profile had me almost uninterested in continuing to brew. As the alkalinity faded by the end of my second cup, complex herbal-spice sensations revealed themselves while my body and mind became very relaxed.

In the mineral and rice-like sweetness reminiscent of a small stream with marshy banks, I could taste wet oak logs and wet yellow chrysanthemum. My mouth instantly tingled all over.

The tea had this unique quality that made me want to keep my mouth closed. I sat, and the complex herbal tastes materialized and shifted: the herb called chocolate mint, wintergreen, horehound, celery root, lettuce, spearmint, cucumber, anise, dill — but it didn’t taste green. The tea guided me through drawing a nature scene in my notebook that featured some of the sensations I was experiencing.

This Tie Luo Han’s nuanced structure and energy certainly speak of a very high quality tea, and I know nothing more about it.

I’m still posting reviews of samples I finished in late 2020 and early 2021. There were so many of them. This was yet another. It was the first sample from Old Ways Tea that I finished during my second attempt at reducing the number of them. Prior to trying this tea, I had never tried a Bai Ji Guan from this particular vendor. I wasn’t sure what to expect at first, but luck was on my side. This tea was a winner.

I prepared this tea gongfu style. After a 10 second rinse, I steeped 5 grams of loose tea leaves in 3 fluid ounces of 203 F water for 5 seconds. This infusion was followed by 18 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, 7 minutes, 10 minutes, and 15 minutes.

Prior to the rinse, the dry tea leaves produced aromas of roasted carrot, custard, dandelion, orange zest, hay, honey, and longan that were underscored by a subtle roasted parsnip scent. After the rinse, new aromas of grass, straw, roasted peanut, roasted chestnut, and coriander emerged with touches of cannabis. The first infusion introduced aromas of watercress and dandelion greens. In the mouth, the tea liquor presented notes of butter, cream, baked bread, longan, honey, dandelion, roasted chestnut, grass, hay, coriander, roasted carrot, and roasted parsnip that were balanced by hints of straw, pear, roasted almond, plum, watercress, custard, dandelion greens, and cattail shoots. The majority of the subsequent infusions added aromas of minerals, plum, roasted almond, parsley, basil, cream, butter, spinach, mushroom, and baked bread to the tea’s bouquet. Stronger and more immediately notable impressions of straw, roasted almond, pear, plum, watercress, dandelion greens, and cattail shoots emerged in the mouth alongside notes of minerals, parsley, basil, caramel, lettuce, violet, orange zest, spinach, and mushroom. Hints of roasted peanut, vanilla, licorice, green onion, cannabis, and green apple could also be picked out in places. As the tea faded, the liquor continued to emphasize notes of minerals, grass, hay, coriander, pear, baked bread, cream, butter, dandelion greens, and roasted almond that gave way to a swell of subtler parsley, green apple, lettuce, caramel, mushroom, licorice, spinach, straw, watercress, roasted carrot, roasted parsnip, longan, and violet impressions.

Generally, Bai Ji Guan is a complex, vegetal tea with a sharp, crisp texture to its liquor, so this tea ticked all of the boxes. What I did not expect, however, was for it to be so superbly layered and balanced. There were actually some impressions present that I did not expect to perceive. Overall, this was a tremendously enjoyable and memorable tea and a very fine example of a traditional Bai Ji Guan. It was the equal of some of the more expensive teas of this type that one can find on the international market.

This was the tea that I finished immediately prior to the Qi Lan I just reviewed. I know that I have said this over and over again, but Old Ways Tea sources Rou Gui that just does it for me. I have always found Rou Gui to be less appealing than other Wuyi oolong cultivars and have never quite understood its popularity. It’s not the most prestigious, most storied, or most expensive cultivar, but it is ridiculously popular in Wuyishan, so popular in fact that tea growers have actually removed older tea trees of rarer cultivars just to plant more Rou Gui. I know the cultivar’s popularity is probably due to its ubiquitousness, and it is ubiquitous because it’s seen as being hardy, dependable, and capable of prodigious production. It’s always available, and because there is so much of it out there, it’s usually comparatively cheap and very easy to obtain. As a matter of fact, one can’t really explore Wuyi tea and Wuyi tea culture without trying Rou Gui and developing an appreciation for it. I struggled with Rou Gui for the better part of 2 years before discovering Old Ways Tea, trying a couple of their Rou Gui, and finding my opinion of a tea I previously found overly earthy and woody changing. Their 2016 and 2017 Premium Rou Gui were the teas that really pushed me to develop an appreciation for the cultivar, and this 2018 Premium Rou Gui did nothing to make me re-evaluate the quality of their offerings. It was yet another exceptional tea.

I prepared this tea gongfu style. After a 10 second rinse, I steeped 5 grams of loose tea leaves in 3 fluid ounces of 203 F water for 5 seconds. This infusion was followed by 18 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, 7 minutes, 10 minutes, and 15 minutes.

Prior to the rinse, the dry tea leaves emitted aromas of cinnamon, dark chocolate, smoke, pine, earth, charcoal, and blackberry. After the rinse, I detected new aromas of black cherry, black raspberry, plum, black currant, roasted almond, and roasted peanut. The first infusion introduced a rock sugar aroma as well as subtle scents of blueberry and strawberry. In the mouth, the tea liquor presented notes of cinnamon, pine, smoke, charcoal, blackberry, roasted almond, baked bread, and cream that were chased by hints of rock sugar, earth, roasted peanut, black cherry, black raspberry, plum, black currant, strawberry, dark chocolate, and red grape. The bulk of the subsequent infusions added aromas of red grape, caramel, leather, tobacco, charred oak, and roasted barley as well as a stronger strawberry aroma and subtle scents of coriander and nutmeg. Stronger and more immediately detectable notes of roasted peanut, earth, dark chocolate, red grape, black cherry, black currant, and black raspberry emerged in the mouth with impressions of minerals, leather, tobacco, grass, charred oak, caramel, roasted barley, nutmeg, coriander, and orange zest in tow. Hints of blueberry, dried cranberry, popcorn, and candied ginger were also present. As the tea faded, the liquor continued to emphasize mineral, earth, cream, baked bread, charcoal, orange zest, roasted barley, roasted almond, caramel, and pine notes that were gradually overwhelmed by a swell of lingering grass, roasted peanut, blackberry, black cherry, tobacco, black raspberry, coriander, leather, cinnamon, popcorn, and charred oak impressions.

An almost unbelievably deep, rich, complex, and filling tea, this one was a challenge to analyze. There was just so much to take in with it. Despite that, it never struck me as being unbalanced or overwhelming. Quite simply, this was an excellent Rou Gui. Make a point of trying some of Old Ways Tea’s Premium Rou Gui if you have yet to do so.

Time to get back on here and get a few more reviews posted. My free time has been virtually nonexistent the last several days, so I have not been able to get anything posted on Steepster. I don’t want to fall behind again after making such great progress over the last month or so, thus I am staying up tonight to bring everyone some new reviews. You’re welcome.

This was one of my sipdowns from late 2020/early 2021. I think it was from my second attempt at reducing the number of samples from Old Ways Tea that I had lying around the house. I’m generally a huge fan of Qi Lan and tend to think that Old Ways Tea handles the cultivar quite well. This one was another winner.

I prepared this tea gongfu style. After a 10 second rinse, I steeped 5 grams of loose tea leaves in 3 fluid 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, the dry tea leaves emitted aromas of charcoal, smoke, cinnamon, dried cherry, and black raspberry. After the rinse, aromas of orchid, ash, cannabis, and blackberry emerged. The first infusion introduced aromas of baked bread, roasted peanut, and toasted rice. In the mouth, the tea liquor presented notes of charcoal, cinnamon, smoke, black raspberry, toasted rice, roasted peanut, orchid, and blackberry that were balanced by hints of coffee, cannabis, dark chocolate, cream, grass, ash, blueberry, plum, and dried cherry. The bulk of the subsequent infusions added aromas of coffee, dark chocolate, plum, blueberry, orange zest, and roasted almond in addition to subtle aromas of popcorn and cooked spinach. Stronger and more immediately detectable notes of coffee, cream, dark chocolate, plum, dried cherry, and blackberry emerged in the mouth alongside impressions of minerals, baked bread, roasted almond, apricot, peach, rock sugar, orange zest, caramel, Asian pear, pomegranate, and nutmeg. I also detected hints of butter, popcorn, red apple, and spinach. As the tea faded, the liquor continued to emphasize notes of minerals, roasted almond, cream, baked bread, toasted rice, orange zest, caramel, rock sugar, and dried cherry that were chased by subtler impressions of black raspberry, blackberry, blueberry, grass, orchid, charcoal, roasted peanut, pomegranate, butter, and popcorn.

This was a very complex tea. It was not the most focused tea of this type that I have tried, but its hyperactive, constantly shifting flavor profile was tremendously appealing. Qi Lan can often be balanced, restrained, and subtle, frequently emphasizing aroma over flavor and texture, but this was a very flavorful, exuberant tea that was consistently engaging. While there were times it could have reined everything in a bit, this tea was an absolute joy to drink and pick apart.

This was an unexpected olfactory pleasure for me: the smokiness is very fresh and “real” in dry leaves and equally satisfying when brewed – with vegetal and berry notes.

The taste is enjoyable for those who like strong pine smoke, which smoothly blends with bread, honey and berries. It is not very complex but is well put together.

This tea is a bit on the pricier side but this is what it takes if one wants to get a traditional smoking process on a good base.

Somehow this type of tea evaded me up to now despite being one of the classic rock oolongs. I tried it and I liked it, and now I do not know if it is just an excitement of discovering a new type that vibes with me or if this is actually a good tea.

Anyway. Dry leaves have an appealing aroma of time and past: dust, old books…The tea, which I prepared Western style, turned out to be limpid golden liquid, which I had not expected. The taste: a satisfying and complex roast, very mineral, tangy and a bit sweet – reminded me of barely ripe apricots, peaches and Granny Smith apples.

What I liked the most about this tea was that it was extremely invigorating and energy-giving. You want to drink it and then do stuff. Even the long mineral and tangy aftertaste was energizing. At least it energized me enough to immediately sit down and right a review, so there is that.

I am going to try it a couple of times more and if the initial impression lasts I will stock up on it to make it my get-up-and-do things tea.

This was another of my older sample sipdowns. It was also a tea that I struggled to rate. In general, Rou Gui and I are not the best of buddies. I often find it too woody and chewy, but for some reason, I do better with the Rou Gui offered by Old Ways Tea than that offered by many other vendors. I knew I liked this one as soon as I tried it for the first time, but I had difficulty determining just how much I actually liked it and how I would rate it compared to some of the other Old Ways Rou Gui I’ve tried.

I prepared this tea gongfu style. After a 10 second rinse, I steeped 5 grams of loose tea leaves in 3 fluid ounces of 203 F water for 5 seconds. This infusion was followed by 19 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, 7 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, and 20 minutes.

Prior to the rinse, the dry tea leaves emitted aromas of char, smoke, pine, cinnamon, blackberry, and black cherry that were underscored by a subtle tobacco scent. After the rinse, I detected new aromas of roasted peanut, roasted almond, tar, and ash in addition to a stronger tobacco scent. The first infusion added aromas of black raspberry, blueberry, and oddly enough, celery. In the mouth, the tea liquor presented notes of char, smoke, ash, pine, cinnamon, tobacco, dark chocolate, tar, black raspberry, and blackberry that were chased by hints of grass, black cherry, blueberry, and caramel. The majority of the subsequent infusions added aromas of nutmeg, dark chocolate, red grape, plum, baked bread, roasted walnut, and roasted barley to the tea’s bouquet. Stronger and more immediately detectable notes of grass, black cherry, and blueberry appeared in the mouth alongside notes of minerals, pomegranate, orange zest, celery, roasted peanut, roasted almond, plum, roasted walnut, baked bread, red grape, and roasted barley. I also found some hints of fig, nutmeg, earth, coriander, and pear here and there. As the tea faded, the liquor started emphasizing mineral, baked bread, grass, roasted almond, roasted walnut, pine, char, and roasted barley notes that were supported by a complex mix of orange zest, earth, roasted peanut, smoke, black cherry, blueberry, pomegranate, blackberry, and red grape hints. Interestingly enough, I also found a very late emerging hint of popcorn that just kind of appeared out of nowhere.

Looking back on my notes as I write this review shedded a lot more light on this tea for me. It’s really no wonder I struggled to score it because it was very deep and complex and took a few interesting twists and turns. This was a very good Rou Gui, though it was at times daunting to analyze. I am now very much looking forward to the 2019 Handmade Rou Gui that I have yet to try.

Alright, I’m back with some new reviews. This was one of my late 2020/early 2021 sample sipdowns. Starting around November of last year, I noticed that I had a miniature mountain of samples from Old Ways Tea and started sporadically working my way through it. This was one of the first samples I drew out of the pile, but at this point, I cannot more precisely date my notes from the review session. As derk noted in the only previous review of this tea, it was very similar to the 2016 Smoked Black Tea offered by Old Ways Tea. I, however, found more nuances and less of an overpowering smokiness, since my sample had been rested longer.

I prepared this tea gongfu style. After a quick rinse, I steeped 5 grams of loose tea leaves in 3 fluid ounces of 194 F water for 5 seconds. This infusion was followed by 19 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, 7 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, and 20 minutes.

Prior to the rinse, the dry tea leaves emitted aromas of smoke, pine, ash, and charcoal. After the rinse, I noted new aromas of roasted peanut, roasted almond, butter, cream, and tar. The first infusion introduced subtle aromas of cannabis and malt. In the mouth, the tea liquor presented notes of smoke, pine, ash, charcoal, tar, roasted peanut, roasted almond, malt, and baked bread that were chased by hints of butter, cream, cannabis, and raisin. The bulk of the subsequent infusions added aromas of raisin, hay, juniper, and roasted barley to the tea’s bouquet, though infrequent scents of straw and an amplified maltiness could also be found. Stronger and more immediately detectable butter and cream notes appeared in the mouth alongside impressions of minerals, straw, grass, hay, juniper, and roasted barley. I also detected hints of caramel, vanilla, and earth. As the tea faded, the liquor started emphasizing notes of minerals, pine, smoke, malt, baked bread, tar, charcoal, roasted barley, grass, roasted almond, and cream that were chased by subtler notes of butter, raisin, roasted peanut, ash, caramel, and juniper.

This tea surprised me because I was expecting it to be less smoky than it ended up being. I would have thought that 2+ years would have been more than enough time for the smoke to fade, but that was not the case. Still, this tea was not unpleasant to drink. It was very similar to the 2016 Smoked Black Tea from Old Ways Tea, but with a deeper, stronger, and more vibrant smokiness. Fans of smoked black tea would very likely love it.

This tea is heavily roasted, but it is less austere and dry than a typical Da Hong Pao (my measuring stick for roasted Wuyi oolongs). It is more desert-like with floral sweetness and some minerals. The strongest point is the lovely fragrance of osmanthus and orchids.

A solid choice for those liking roasted oolongs or just as a change of pace for the rest of us.

Posting it here despite the fact that it is a 2021 harvest: there are not enough reviews for Old Ways Tea to split them by year.

Since I did not buy a lot of it I prepared it western style and was rather stingy with the amount of leaves. However, this tea performed quite well. Huge leaves produced a very satisfying aroma of dried fruit, apricot and bread. The soup was on the paler side.

The taste has been captured well by the previous reviewers: dried fruit (apple, apricot, peach), dark honey, nuts, sunflower seeds, some satisfying dryness. There was plenty of complexity and a long pleasing aftertaste. A lot of energy too. It reminded me of Jin Jun Mei (dryness), teas with snow chrysanthemum, and Red Temple from Whispering Pines.

All in all, this is a tea without any obvious flaws, with a unique and well-balanced taste. It comes to the personal preferences: some folks may find it solid, some – great, and I would be surprised if anyone will be outright disappointed.

Here is another of my summer Old Ways Tea sample sipdowns. I had actually forgotten about buying this tea. My reaction to finding the 8g sample pouch of this was utter bewilderment. Then I went back through my records and realized that I bought it along with a bunch of other 2018 tea samples from Old Ways Tea. Anyway, I am a huge sucker for light roasted Shui Xian, and this one was very much worth my time.

I prepared this tea gongfu style. After a 10 second rinse, I steeped 5 grams of loose tea leaves in 3 ounces of 203 F water for 6 seconds. This infusion was followed 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 emitted aromas of cinnamon, cedar, cream, baked bread, roasted almond, and black cherry. After the rinse, I detected wholly new aromas of roasted peanut, smoke, and grass as well as a subtle orchid scent. The first infusion added a rock sugar aroma and more of an orchid presence. In the mouth, the tea liquor presented notes of cinnamon, cream, roasted almond, baked bread, orchid, black cherry, and roasted peanut that were chased by hints of grass, smoke, cedar, blackberry, and blueberry. The bulk of the subsequent infusions added aromas of blackberry, minerals, orange zest, caramelized banana, and roasted barley. Stronger and more immediately detectable notes of grass, blackberry, and blueberry appeared in the mouth alongside mineral, orange zest, rock sugar, moss, caramel, plum, and roasted barley impressions. Hints of black raspberry, caramelized banana, butter, vanilla, and red grape were present too. As the tea faded, the liquor emphasized notes of minerals, moss, grass, cream, orange zest, and roasted almond that were balanced by subtler notes of butter, black cherry, red grape, blackberry, rock sugar, and roasted barley.

This was a very pleasant and drinkable light roasted Shui Xian with a ton to offer. Compared to some of the other teas of this type that I have tried, the roast that was applied to this tea seemed much lighter and more delicate, but that impression could have been at least partially due to the tea’s age. Anyway, this was definitely a very nice offering. I could see it being an especially great option for those who are exploring Wuyi teas and want to get an idea of what the Shui Xian cultivar has to offer before exploring the heavier roasted variants of Wuyi Shui Xian and/or established fans of Wuyi oolongs who are looking for something a little lighter than the average Shui Xian.

While I’m at it, I may as well crank out another of these review things. This was yet another of my summer Old Ways Tea sample sipdowns, Before I get into the meat of this review, allow me to state that I almost always love the Jin Jun Mei offered by Old Ways Tea. While Jin Jun Mei is not my favorite style of Chinese black tea (it’s not even my favorite style of Wuyi black tea), the Jin Jun Mei Old Ways offers just consistently does it for me. This tea did not buck that trend. So far, it has been my favorite of the Old Ways Jin Jun Mei I have tried.

I prepared this tea gongfu style. After a quick rinse (about 5-6 seconds), I steeped 5 grams of loose tea buds in 3 ounces of 194 F water for 5 seconds. This infusion was followed by 17 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, 7 minutes, and 10 minutes.

Prior to the rinse, the dry tea buds presented aromas of baked bread, clove, pine, caramel, molasses, cinnamon, malt, and juniper. After the rinse, aromas of roasted almond, roasted peanut, tangerine zest, butter, and lemon zest appeared. The first infusion added a slight black pepper aroma. In the mouth, the tea liquor offered strong notes of baked bread, roasted almond, pine, juniper, tangerine zest, lemon zest, malt, and marshmallow that were balance by hints of caramel, grass, butter, cinnamon, and black pepper. The bulk of the subsequent infusions introduced aromas of chocolate, marshmallow, honey, violet, candied orange peel, and minerals, as well as a subtle grassy scent. Stronger and more immediately detectable notes of caramel, cinnamon, butter, and roasted peanut appeared in the mouth alongside notes of minerals, honey, chocolate, pear, red apple, cream, violet, and candied orange peel. I also noted hints of plum, clove, and molasses. As the tea faded, the liquor continued to offer notes of minerals, cream, baked bread, tangerine zest, malt, lemon zest, and marshmallow that were chased by fleeting hints of roasted almond, grass, caramel, butter, black pepper, chocolate, and roasted peanut.

This was very much not what I was expecting. I figured that I would get a very balanced tea with a ton of baked bread, honey, and spice notes, but instead this tea was floral, sweet, fruity, and almost syrupy in places. I know that the previous reviewer felt this tea had almost a bug-bitten quality, and well, I can kind of see it. It also reminded me of both a wild Jin Jun Mei and a Mei Zhan Jin Jun Mei. Whatever the case may be, this tea was very different from the standard teas of this type. Aside from being unique, it was also very enjoyable and memorable. I am now hoping that the 2019 Old Ways Jin Jun Mei will be able to compete with it.