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Side-by-side brews! Same leaf:water ratio, water temps (205 F), steep times (10 + 3 seconds), etc. First one is the 8582 803 I have from Puerh Shop (https://steepster.com/gyokurohead/posts/441904). Second tea (this one) is the 8582 801 I just got from TWL. Time for judging!

Differences are clear from the get go. Smell of the dry and wet leaves is much less potent in the 801. Liquor of the first brew is darker for the 801 as well. The 801 has a much more rounded, subtle flavor in the first brew than the 803.

Second steep is darker still for both batches, but the difference in darkness is less now. The 803 at this time has developed a bit of an “off note” compared to the still weaker 801. The 803 has a bit of bitterness at this point. Honestly, not getting much flavor from either, but the 801 is better at this time. Main note is some hay. Both showing a bit of mouthfeel that is not very different between the two.

In the third steep, colors of the liquors have evened out fairly well now. 803 still slightly bitter. 801 staying smooth. Wet leaves are noticeably darker for the 801. More hay from both and a bit of pepper from 801. Cha qi already setting in heavily.

4th steep: 801 slightly darker again. Sweetness poking it’s head through in 801. Bitterness fading in 803. Less hay now for both. Still a hint of pepper in 801.

5th steep: Liquor color unchanged. 803 still with off note, also some smoke now. In my first note on 803, it took 10 infusions to get honey and white grapes. Wondering if they’ll appear sooner in 801 if at all…

6th steep: Where’d the smoke go? 801 sweeter still with better aftertaste and bit of honey now. Hay is gone in both.

7th steep: Off note is dissipating.

8th steep: Hint of sweetness in 803 now. 801 even better now, but hard to say how.

9th steep: Off note still there in 803. No changes.

10th steep: 803 sweeter now. Off note mostly gone. Differences becoming less noticeable.

11th steep: White grapes now in 803. 801 suddenly sweeter as well, with predominant honey, hints of almond butter (think Justin’s almond butter/honey packets).

12th steep: Even more white grapes in 803. From experience, this is a greener note, so makes sense it isn’t found in 801. Out of personal preference, 803 beats out 801 in this steep.

13th steep: 801 back on top. Less white grape.

14th steep: 49 seconds each. 803 getting worse. White grape gone. 801 losing flavor, but could still go a bit further. That’s enough tea for now, though :).

Overall a fun experiment! I definitely prefer 801, although most of the difference probably lies in storage. 801 was > 10 yrs in natural Taiwan storage. 803 probably drier although not much info about storage of either. Is it worth almost twice as much ($60 for 803, $110 for 801)? No. But 801 is noticeably better for sure. Both okay to drink now, but certainly neither has peaked.

Batch: 801

Not as good as the Jiaji. A very different tea overall. Most obvious difference is the intensity is a good bit lower. This one is also sweeter but less complex.

Moderate bitterness in middle steeps. No astringency. Longevity is 10-12 infusions. Mouthfeel is like drinking petroleum jelly. A bit off-putting. Cha qi is present and very mild.

Not a bad tea by any means, but won’t be buying anymore of these.

Harvest: Sep, 2004
Storage: Malaysia 17 yrs → Taiwan 2 years

Dry leaf: Not much
Wet leaf: Smoke
Flavors: Smoke, sweet, wet wood

I am incredibly surprised how much I like this tea!! From my prior experience with Xiaguan, I was expecting a fairly bland, potentially bitter tea. Don’t get me wrong, the characteristic smokiness is there in boatloads. But the other negatives are nowhere in sight! Perhaps the storage is much better on this one (Malaysia for 17 years) and that has made all the difference. Seems to be just entering it’s drinking window. Hard to say if it will improve with age as there is not much to mellow out in the balance and the flavor is still strong.

I get absolutely no bitterness and mild-medium astringency. Mouthfeel is fairly thick and very oily. Aftertaste is smoked sweetness that is striving to be umami in the vein of mushrooms/steak, and lasts 1-2 minutes. Character is best described as warming. Drinking this tea feels like your insides are resting by the fireside; it would be perfect on a cold winter’s eve. Cha qi is heady, mild, starts by 3rd-4th steep. Longevity is 10-12 infusions.

This tuo (my first!) is a welcome addition to my growing collection. For the price ($0.20/g), it’s really quite good. I’ll be picking up more of these with my next TWL order. On to the Teji tuo soon…

Produced: March, 2004
Storage: Malaysia for 17 years → Taiwan for 2 years

Dry leaf: SMOKE
Wet leaf: SMOKE, barbecue sauce
Flavor: Smoke, sweet barbecue sauce, pork, meat, oily, wood, hickory, astringency.

Ahhh Yiwu, my good friend. This stuff is quite nice! Last of 3 samples from LP. On the fence about caking it. Definitely can see this tea becoming great with a bit more age.

Not sure what the smell of the wet leaves are but it’s familiar. Maybe some tea tree oil with a back end of peppermint? Or maybe Aloe? Strange. None of that note comes through in the liquor. Anyways, the longevity is nice at 10+ infusions. Can do this one at boiling for sure and still no astringency or bitterness. Nice, sweet aftertaste that lingers for 1-2 minutes. Smooth, easy mouthfeel. One of the easiest drinking shengs I’ve had.

Dry leaf: peppermint, tea tree oil?
Wet leaf: same
Flavor: Smooth, vanilla, sweet.

Fairly well balanced sheng from LP. Don’t see any cakes of this on the site, but probably wouldn’t get any anyways. Definitely not bad, but there are better shengs for sure.

Has some moderate astringency that is a welcome addition to my palate. Mild bitterness in the first infusions. Longevity was 10+ infusions. Liquor is light orange. Predominant mouthfeel is a drying astringency. Flavors evolve quite a bit over the infusions as expected. No sweetness. Aftertaste is herbal and lasts under a minute.

Dry leaf: Perfume, floral, green apple
Wet leaf: Same
Flavor: Floral, astringent, bitter, herbal, smoke.

WOW!!! First time tasting a truly aged sheng, and my first traditional HK stored puerh as well. I’m amazed and feel very fortunate that I can take this journey back to 1985. Thank you for the opportunity, LP!

After this experience, I can now say that I resonate with the experiences of other tea heads that I have read about. This is certainly not a tea for everyone, but call me Ronald McDonald because I’m loving it! Only thing is, I’m not sure what camphor smells like. Maybe it’s there? There is a touch of something vaguely familiar to me. Maybe that’s the camphor? Anyways, the complexity is crazy and drives your imagination wild.

There is nary a speck of bitterness or astringency to this beauty. The smoothness of this tea at least matches if not surpasses the shous I’ve tried. But do not be deceived: the experience of this tea is incredibly different from that of a shou. Longevity is, as expected, phenomenal at 20+ infusions. Cha qi is calming and sedating. Mouthfeel is creamy and full as if a balloon is being inflated in my mouth. The aftertaste lasts at least 5 minutes and is full of flavor. Towards the back of my throat, the feeling is reminiscent of a used Swiffer duster tickling my throat (in a good way :)). On the sides and front of my tongue, especially in the later infusions, a subtle, tingly sweetness lingers.

I can’t wait to try the other samples in my order from LP, and to try more aged sheng in the future! LP – you will definitely be getting my repeat business. If money were not an issue, I’d buy every gram of aged sheng I could :).

Dry Leaf: Musty basement, wet cardboard, old dusty library books
Wet Leaf: Same
Flavors: Musty old basement, wet cardboard, wet dark wood, old dusty library books, abandoned attic, used Swiffer duster, inflated balloon, sweet, thick, heavy, cream.

Another impressive oolong from TTC. Love their packaging too. If you buy 250 g, for instance, they send it in 5 50 g packs to keep the tea as fresh as possible. This is the third of three samples I got from them and my favorite of the bunch.

Medium finish. No astringency or bitterness. Mild-medium sweetness. A bit acidic in smell and flavor. Longevity is 8-10 infusions. Super clean flavor.

I’ve determined that Taiwanese oolongs are the most consistently clean, balanced, drinkable teas for the price. Doesn’t seem I’m alone in this realization either. Hope they keep putting out amazing oolongs for many years to come :).

Harvest: May 2023
Location: Shibi shan, Yunlin County (elevation 1300 m)
Cultivar: Qing Xin

Dry Leaves: Vegetal, butter
Wet Leaves: Vegetal, herbal, barley, acidic
Flavor: Vegetal, buttery, herbal, thick, lemon, sweet

A super unique tea! Quite lovely. Don’t think I’d buy more of this, but would love to sample some of the other cultivars commonly used in Sun Moon Lake teas.

First Sun Moon Lake black tea for me, and I’m impressed. No bitterness or astringency. Aftertaste is quite long and minty. Longevity is 8+ infusions. Don’t really get any of the fruity notes mentioned by reviewers on TTC’s website. I have also read that Red Jade is often compared to the taste of cognac or brandy. Not a hard liquor person myself, but I do see the hard liquor qualities of this tea, minus the alcohol taste of course. However, the smell of the wet leaves is incredibly specific for me. Brings back childhood memories of those root beer barrel candies. Not root beer itself, but the candies specifically. Moments like these are why I love tea: the resurfacing of memories long forgotten through a simple leaf soup.

Harvest: May, 2023
Location: Sun Moon Lake, Nantou County (700 m elevation)
Cultivar: Hong Yu/TTES No. 18

Dry Leaves: Cinnamon
Wet Leaves: Cloves, root beer candy, mint
Flavor: Burnt sugar, sweet, spices, mint, cinnamon

Hmmm this one is intriguing. Very light, but what flavor there is is good. It’s quite a step back in intensity from the bold Taiwanese oolongs that Eco-cha boasts. Objectively, this is a wonderful tea. Longevity, complexity, mouthfeel, balance are all on point. And there’s some heady cha qi to boot. But in my opinion it is certainly not worth it for the price ($0.60/g). However, it was nice to try another Li Shan oolong from a different company. Still not wowed by the Li Shan name as many others apparently are. But if I want a subtle cup of tea, this is a great option. The main word that comes to mind when I tried this tea was “clean.”

Apparently Fushoushan refers to a government farm in Taiwan that used to be part of Chang Kai Shek’s summer domain at the top of the Li Shan range (> 2300 m elevation). This particular oolong comes from a garden adjacent to the government-owned parcel of land.

Undertones of sweetness with no bitterness of astringency to speak of. Longevity is nice at 8+ infusions. Mouthfeel is very thick with nectar qualities. Primary flavor for me is cucumber. Aftertaste is extraordinarily long (many minutes) and fresh.

Harvest: May 2023 (Lot 1230)
Location: Li Shan, Taichung County (elevation 2100 m)
Cultivar: Qing Xin
Picking: Hand-picked

Dry leaf: Floral
Wet leaf: Floral, honeysuckle
Flavors: Floral, melon, cucumber, sweet, nectar.

Free sample with my last W2T order that I’m just now getting around to. Has a strange front end high note that is difficult to pin down. The overall gist I’m getting from the flavor is cinnamon peach cobbler.

Medium sweetness, no astringency or bitterness. Finish is quite long. Mouthfeel is, when tied to the flavor, like spiced gelatin (think of that gelatinous pie/cobbler filling). No metallic taste, but the front-end note gives a sharp, metallic character.

Overall, a respectable tea from W2T. One of their better ones from what I’ve tried. Not rushing to order more, but might pop a couple of minis in to my next order from there, if any are left.

Dry leaf: Nothing
Wet leaf: Fruity
Flavors: Red licorice, black licorice, walnut, peach, brown sugar, cinnamon, cobbler/pie, gelatin, cherry.