2007 Xiaguan Kai Men Hong Tuo 250g

A quick review on this. I possess just one of these ‘premium’ 250g tuo and I should have ordered more. I just noticed the price double, don’t you hate when that happens? It’s mildly irritating.

It’s made of decent early spring material from 2007 and has aged very nicely.

I tested it in both Duan’ni and Zhu’ni pots – the Duan’ni polishes off any edge, but this tea has hardly any of that.

I’m looking, in my glass, at what resembles a thick-robed brandy.

Silky and full-bodied, with a soft in the mouthfeel.

The flavour begins with hints of straw and leather but gets more starchy and progresses toward a mild-sweetness very reminiscent of stewed pears (or maybe softened peaches or apricots) with a little demerara sprinkled on top.

Mildly fruity, but without any tartness or sign of sourness. Possibly a bit of an almond-skin or walnut astringency in the later steeps.

It also just keeps going… I’m on brew 12 now? I lost count after 9.

This really is very drinkable and would be a classy every day tea.

It isn’t punchy at all, Though not ‘thick’, it’s definitely full in body and plenty of this silky body holds through all of the brews which is fairly rare. In my experience (so far) this usually fades away far more noticeably.

I’ve added this to the list for future buys and I’m on my first brew, so I’d call this a very positive first impression. (I’ll edit this if I get bored of it or change my mind).

4 to 5-star tea and a solid ‘would recommend’.