Yuan Yuan Tang

Trying to run through samples, but lately most days I am either in a rush or just want to drink shou or 90s liu bao… anyway

5.5g, 90 mL ZZZ, 212f
wet leaf: clean apricot and honey
I had three steeps one day and then had to cap unexpectedly since friends came over for lunch plans way earlier than anticipated, and so finished this up the following day. So maybe not a fully fair assessment. Tea has not lost youthful notes yet and retains some bright peachy and green tea + young berry taste early on. Sometimes sth emerges that approaches bitter, but not quite bitter, and then sour sometimes too. In one steep, a hawthorn aftertaste that seems to pop up with my water for Yiwu teas of a certain age. Ended after steep 6, since mid-end is just kind of basic bitter mushroom minty sheng taste, maybe some pine, but not interesting or lasting enough taste wise to continue.

Was comparing cups today. This was darker and more full in the ruyao cup (my preference) from Jade leaf than the DXJD cup F, and in the latter seemed thinner and somewhat more astringent.

Based on this and the 2015 LSGC, I’ve had to rethink my ideas around when teas start to lose the youthful notes. Much is storage dependent, I’m sure, but I’d assumed going in that something ~12 years would not be so young tasting. This seems to be just barely starting to get some mid aged notes, but LSGC is definitely not as far along. Really need to get the motivation to put together that hotbox soon…