Order of the Banzhang Zhengshan TF sampler from PJ just arrived yesterday and I’m super excited to try all these teas out. Supposedly, this is a newer, boutique factory that started in 2006.
This tea is pretty bitter for a 15 yo tea. Bitterness is medium with medium-low astringency. Bitterness does ameliorate starting at infusion 6, but the flavor that’s left isn’t phenomenal. Leaves smell of vanilla. Mouthfeel is nothing special.
Not a bad tea, but not very impressed with it either. Not super complex to my palate and tastes more like a 5 yo sheng than a 15 yo one. Perhaps that would make it good for aging, but if I’m not loving the undernotes, I don’t plan on caking it. On to the next sample…
Flavors: Astringent, Bitter, Vanilla, Vegetal