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derk drank 2016 Bang Wai Gu Cha by Yunnan Craft

1622 tasting notes

First sheng from Yunnan Craft.

2016 Bang Wai Gu Cha seems like a good deal for the $23 I paid for a 200g beeng (now sold out). Impressive dry and warmed leaf aroma with a heavy and tangy mixture of toffee-plum-strawberry and faint aged florals. Balanced toffee/ripe papaya like sweetness that’s sticky but not cloying. Full sip thins nicely on the swallow. Tingling, mouthwatering, oily long after swallow until the end of my session, some camphor/menthol, very light bitterness and astringency. At one point, some chili pepper heat lit up my mouth. Light fruity aftertaste. Later steeps fade into lightly sweet hay-rice porridge?

The longevity of this tea is mid-ranged; combined with some relaxing, head-clouding qi and low caffeine, this made for a pleasant evening brew. Plenty of 2 leaf and bud sets with no obvious oxidation.

Not complex in taste but what it does, it does very well. For me, it needs some acidity to brighten things up a bit. I’d direct those newer to sheng toward this sweet daily drinker.

Flavors: Brown Sugar, Camphor, Flowers, Hay, Menthol, Mineral, Plum, Rice, Smooth, Spicy, Strawberry, Sweet, Toffee, Tropical

Preparation

Boiling 7 g 4 OZ / 110 ML

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This place, like the rest of the internet, is dead and overrun with bots. Yet I persist.

Eventual tea farmer. If you are a tea grower, want to grow your own plants or are simply curious, please follow me so we can chat.

I most enjoy loose-leaf, unflavored teas and tisanes. Teabags have their place. Some of my favorite teas have a profound effect on mind and body rather than having a specific flavor profile.

Favorite teas generally come from China (all provinces), Taiwan, India (Nilgiri and Manipur). Frequently enjoyed though less sipped are teas from Georgia, Japan, and Nepal. While I’m not actively on the hunt, a goal of mine is to try tea from every country that makes it available to the North American market. This is to gain a vague understanding of how Camellia sinensis performs in different climates. I realize that borders are arbitrary and some countries are huge with many climates and tea-growing regions.

I’m convinced European countries make the best herbal teas.

Personal Rating Scale:

100-90: A tea I can lose myself into. Something about it makes me slow down and appreciate not only the tea but all of life or a moment in time. If it’s a bagged or herbal tea, it’s of standout quality in comparison to similar items.

89-80: Fits my profile well enough to buy again.

79-70: Not a preferred tea. I might buy more or try a different harvest. Would gladly have a cup if offered.

69-60: Not necessarily a bad tea but one that I won’t buy again. Would have a cup if offered.

59-1: Lacking several elements, strangely clunky, possesses off flavor/aroma/texture or something about it makes me not want to finish.

Unrated: Haven’t made up my mind or some other reason. If it’s puerh, I likely think it needs more age.

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