Yunnan Sourcing

mrmopar got 7/10 grams from this sample I picked up years ago, so I only had 3+ grams to play with. That amount was adequate for a very satisfying session in a 90mL pot. I love everything about this sheng. Exceptionally clean and clear liquor and taste. What bitterness is there gives way quickly to the perfect amount of sweetness emanating from the throat. The balance between the two is an elegant interplay. The tea flows with force through the mouth. It never bites but is smooth and swift in its expression like a rushing spring. My tongue presses against the roof of my mouth after the swallow, as if to seal a sacred potion in a vessel, then it relaxes as tingling and mouthwatering take over. I don’t bother with picking apart tastes — it’s one of those teas one simply sits with and appreciates. It helps me understand better how the Chinese seem to approach a tea and evaluate its qualities.

[Spring 2024 harvest]

A superb black tea, which is more bitter and complex, and less sweet, than most other dian hongs. I also notice a pretty strong and focusing cha qi.

It smells vegetal with a strong molasses note. The taste is bitter, medicinal, and herbaceous, but also pretty smooth and fragrant. There are flavours of cocoa, malt, menthol, and gin. The long-lasting buttery and perfumy aftertaste also brings notes of peach and coffee.

I must be a sucker for jasmine tea, but, judging by other people’s reviews (both here and on YS’s website), I think we are on to something here. I like this even better than Mark T Wendell’s Flowery Jasmine that I raved about.

Funny thing is, I really wanted to dislike this tea. I had heard that the presence of jasmine blossoms in the dry leaf is usually an indicator of a lower-quality jasmine tea. Decided to give it a go anyways, because this was an opportunity to try a Yunnan-sourced green tea scented with jasmine, which I believe is a bit different than the typical sourcing of jasmine green teas. And if it is processed in the “bi luo chun” style, well that would be wonderful.

Looking at the dry leaves, there is indeed a good amount of jasmine blossoms present in the mix, but they don’t seem to weigh much comparatively. I’d be surprised if the blossoms accounted for even 50g in a 1 kg bag. So their presence would have a minimal effect as to diluting the tea leaves, which I believe is the typical reasoning for preferring the tea to be free of blossoms.

Brewing western style, I get great results brewing at 175° for 2 minutes, and a second steep at 3-4 minutes. If I want to go for three steeps, I might brew for 1 min, 3 min, and 5 min and it is spent.

The tea is perhaps not as “strong” as MTW’s Flowery Jasmine, in that it gives a slightly lighter color and more of the floral and fruity notes minus the earthier side. Also, a touch less of the tendency to grow bitter but definitely some bitter edge still is present. But it makes up for this lessened strength with the nuanced fruity apple/green grape sweet notes of the tea playing very nicely with the jasmine florals. Just a really lovely light and refreshing jasmine tea!

This tea could be a nice base for kombucha, but maybe it’s too expensive for that.

The aroma is strong particularly after the rinse, but I cannot really describe it well. It reminds me of some food that I cannot name on top of the sweet dry grass smell that’s common for such teas.

The taste is warming, mineral, and sweet with a decent astringency. The profile does not stand out particularly, there are notes of cream, hay, pear, and pie.