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Temp 208 Degrees, Gongfu, 10 second + 5 second infusions

The leaves on this smelled like a cross between Duck Shit Oolong and Royal Peach Orchid with some almonds. I enjoyed this tea very much, definitely tasted an almond note in there. The Orchid note on this is outstanding, very strong. Even the empty cup was drenched in orchid notes. Got about 6 good infusions out of this one. I would highly recommend for a light refreshing oolong. Very good.

Season : Spring 2018
Cultivar: Wudong Shan
Origin: Guangdong, China
Picking: Unknown
Elevation: 600 Meters

Eyes – Dry Leaf: Dark Brown and black leaves. Relatively small for an oolong
Nose- Dry Leaf: Peach, Almond, Plum, Sour Candy, Orchid
Nose- Wet Leaf: Duck Shit Oolong, Almonds, Strong Orchid, Very floral, like a Duck Shit mixed with Royal Peach Orchid and some almonds on top. Yummy!
Eyes-Liquor: Milky Yellow with brown tint
Mouth-Texture: Syrupy
Mouth-Taste: Almonds, Peach, Orchid, Extremely floral in a good way
Nose-Empty Cup: Orchid, Sugar
Mouth-Finish: Smooth, lightly astringent
Eyes – Wet Leaf: Olive green, Reddish medium sized leaves
Body Sensation: Feel Good energy, mildly excited

195 Degrees F, Gongfu, 10 + 5 sec infusions

I could not get enough of this tea. So delicious. It was hard for me to put the tasting notes down, but it was very fragrant and knocked me out. I don’t normally love black teas, but this one may have changed my opinion. I would say that smokey floral notes take the lead here, but this tea is very complex and I love it. I got about 8 infusions out of it but I kept wanting more.

SEASON
March 2019
CULTIVAR
Xing Cun Xiao Zhong
ORIGIN
Tong Mu, Fujian, China
PICKING & PROCESSING
Buds
ELEVATION
1200m

Eyes- Dry Leaf: tiny dark buds
Nose – Dry Leaf: Intense sea salt, floral, fresh tobacco notes, smokiness
Nose – Wet Leaf: Super intense salt and chocolate, almost an umami note, rose petals
Eyes – Liquor: Dark golden brown
Mouth – Texture: Super smooth, light and oily
Mouth – Taste: Delicious, chocolate, tobacco, light smokiness, floral notes, roses
Nose – Empty Cup: Brown Sugar
Mouth – Finish: Super smooth and lubricatin
Eyes – Wet Leaf: Brown perfectly picked buds
Body Sensation: Slightly energizing, Happy

208 Degrees F, Gongfu, 20 sec + 10 infusions

Verdant tea recommends 10 sec + 2 sec infusions, but I found it way too light. I recommend longer steeping times. Once I pushed the tea a little more, I was pleasantly surprised by this tea. Fresh Tieguanyins can come off as a little too punchy for my palette, but the light roasting on this really mellows out the fresh cut grass and adds a deep sweet honey note to the tea. A very full bodied experience. I love heavily roasted oolongs and this was a nice change up, a bit fresher and greener. Fresh cut grass, honey, sweet potatoes, some light stone fruit notes. Tea is still going strong after 7 infusions.

Season: Autumn 2017
Cultivar: Daping Village, Anxi
Origin: Fujian, China
Picking: Unknown
Elevation: 1050 M

Eyes – Dry Leaf: Rolled olive green and black leaves
Nose – Dry Leaf: Sea Air, Charcoal, Peaches
Nose – Wet Leaf: Butter, Fresh cut grass, Rocky, Stonefruits,
Eyes – Liquor: Pear, very light yellow
Mouth – Texture: Thick and viscous
Mouth – Taste: Butter, yams, Fresh cut grass, honey, spinach
Nose – Empty Cup: Buttery spinach with honey
Mouth – Finish: Smooth, lubricating
Eyes – Wet Leaf: Large crinkly olive green leaves
Body Sensation: Pleasantly relaxed, loving life

205 Degrees F, Gongfu, 20 + 5 Sec infusions

Everything I was expecting and more. This tea is very smooth. I usually find aged whites a little bit rough around the edges. Definitely strong hay and light honey notes (as usual with aged whites), but it is very well rounded. The tea put me in a state of bliss. After infusion 2 I started feeling relaxed but after about 4, I found myself daydreaming and feeling extremely relaxed and content. It is taking way too long to write this review. Im about 6 infusions in and think there are still quite a few left but Im taking my time with this one. Wonderful tea. I will be ordering more cakes. Best aged white i’ve ever had.

SEASON Spring 2010
CULTIVAR Da Bai
ORIGIN Fuding, Fujian, China
PICKING & PROCESSING Buds, young leaves and large leaves
ELEVATION 800-1000m

Eyes – Dry Leaves: Furry Buds, Browns, oranges, grey compressed leaves
Nose – Dry Leaf: Hay
Nose – Wet Leaf: Honey, Butter, Fresh Cut Hay, Raisins
Eyes – Liquor: Golden yellow
Mouth – Texture: Thick, Oily
Mouth – Taste: Hay, Honey, mineral sweetness, raisins
Nose – Empty Cup: Raspberries, Sugar
Mouth – Finish: Very smooth, slight astringent
Eyes – Wet Leaf: Flat dark and light brown leaves
Body Sensation: Warming. Very, Very relaxed. I honestly lost interest in this review after about 3 infusions.

210 Degrees F, Gongfu, 25 + 5 Sec infusions

Amazing Da Hong Pao. The smoothest tea i’ve ever had, like a very fine whiskey. Charcoal, coffee, chocolate, cherries, whiskey barrels. The finish is just so smooth. It disappears in the back of your throat. Had to start pushing it after the 4th infusion though. Sadly it died pretty quickly after that. I got about 6 decent infusions. Possibly due to the age of this tea. It is a year and a half old. Still the best Da Hong Pao i’ve ever had, but pretty pricey. I would highly recommend this tea as a special occasion tea.

SEASON :April 2018
CULTIVAR :Qi Dan, Bei Dou & Others
ORIGIN :Zhengyan, Fujian, China
PICKING & PROCESSING :Medium leaves
ELEVATION :350-500m

Eyes – Dry Leaf: Very large, dark black and brown leaves
Nose – Dry Leaf: Charcoal, fresh wood chips, sea salt caramel, fresh linen, Coffee
Nose – Wet Leaf: Sweet cherries, Roasted coffee, cilantro
Eyes – Liquor: Crisp, Clear, Dark Brown
Mouth – Texture: Super smooth, melts in your mouth
mouth – Taste: Rocky, Charcoal, Barrel Aged Whiskey, Sea Air, Chocolate, Cranberries
Nose – Empty Cup: Honey, whiskey barrels
Mouth – Finish: Super Super smooth, very slight astringency, light drying effect
Eyes – Wet Leaf: Pruny, Dark Black mushy leaves
Body Sensation: Very relaxing

210 Degrees F, Gongfu, 5 seconds + 3 seconds per infusion

I believe this to be a good quality tea, it just wasn’t the one for me. It’s a very serious tea. Very low on the sweetness and fruit notes. Its rather spicy, it has this muskiness to it that immediately reminds me of raw pu-erh. Its like being in a forest with a bunch of sweaty lumberjacks wearing cheap aftershave. Not my thing. On the plus note, I probably got 10+ infusions out of it.

Season: Spring 2018
Cultivar: WUYISHAN ECOLOGICAL PRESERVE
Origin: Wuyi, Fujian, China
Picking: Unknown
Elevation: 600 M

Eyes – Dry Leaf: Dark brown, purple large rolled leaves
Nose – Dry Leaf: Heavy roasted, charcoal, leather, sugar, fruit, fresh pear
Nose – Wet Leaf: Initially a strong tieguanyin note, butter, fruity sweet notes definitely took a back seat and so did the roast, almost smells like a lightly roasted tieguanyin with some fruit and floral notes, pomegranate maybe.
Eyes – Liquor: The liquor is noticeably cloudy, which is strange. golden amber brown.
Mouth- Texture: Thick and soupy
Taste: Wow, spicy, a muskiness very similar to some pu-erhs I’ve tasted. Don’t know how to describe the taste other than manly aftershave but not perfumey. Roasted note is still there a little, fruit notes minimal, sweetness very minimal. To me it tastes like a pu-erh with a tinge of dan cong oolong fruitiness. Very interesting tea, but not necessarily my (cup of).
Nose – Empty Cup: Burnt sugar
Mouth – Finish: Smooth, light astringency at the end
Eyes – Wet Leaf: Large dark olive green leaves
Effect: I swear this one is getting me a little tea drunk like aged pu-erh does, rushy, getting a light sweat on. I tend to not like the effect raw pu-erh has on me though.

210 Degrees F, Gongfu, 20 seconds + 15 seconds infusions

Wooo, the smell of those leaves, yummy! Sugar, honey, lots of stone fruits. I went off of the Verdant tea website’s recommendations and increased time by 15 seconds every infusion, haven’t really brewed like that before. Its usually a 5 or 10 second increase at the most. It made each infusion really consistent and might’ve actually gotten a little stronger each infusion until number 5. I was still getting excellent flavor through infusion 7 though. I really enjoyed brewing this way. The tea was great, I like heavy roasted oolongs with a good amount of honey sweetness and fruit and this was a great tea session. The fruity notes were rather unique as well. I couldn’t quite put my finger on what fruits I was getting though. An interesting, delicious heavy roasted oolong. I love it! Will reorder. 8 Infusions.

Season: Spring 2017
Cultivar: Wuyishan
Origin: Fujian, China
Picking: Up to 3rd or 4th leaves
Elevation: 600 M

Eyes – Dry Leaf: Heavy roasted, dark dark browns and blacks, twisted, large leaves
Nose – Dry Leaf: Mmm, honey, very fruity, heavy peach preserves, maraschino cherries, so much fruit!
Nose – Wet Leaf: Granulated sugar, Honey, Still lots of fruit but not necessarily peaches, mustiness, thats all I’ve got.
Eyes – Liquor: Amber Brown
Mouth – Texture: Medium
Mouth – Taste: Heavy on the floral notes at first, orchid, then rounding out to a fruity cherry sweetness and a light charred wood finish. Not quite as sweet as I thought it would be.
Nose – Empty Cup: Burnt sugar
Mouth – Finish: Smooth, slightly drying
Eyes – Wet Leaf: Dark olive green
Body sensation: Mood uplifted, I am in a great mood right now.

210 Degrees F, Gongfu, 20 second infusion + 5

Wow! What a great tea session I had today. It made me remember why I love tea so much and cherish tea experiences like today. This tea is fantastic, but I don’t know if it was my mood, or the aging of the tea, or the way this tea was making me feel, but I loved this tea today.

Nothing sounded that exciting today so I was looking through some old teas and decided to give this one another shot. I don’t remember it being too remarkable the last time I tried it about a year ago. This one really knocked my socks off today. The smell of the wet leaves instantly drew my interest. First infusion – Dark brew coffee, then honey, a floral note and then a strong sour fruit note. Amazing. Such a well rounded tea with the charcoal roast, honey sweetness, sour fruity notes, and orchid/floral notes. Then minutes after drinking, I have this lingering honey sweetness and slightly sour peach flavor on my tongue. I doubt the year of aging benefitted this tea, but this tea really surprised me today and I will be reordering it.

Had to start pushing the tea after the 5th infusion, ended up getting 7 infusions by really pushing it. I was definitely feeling the chi from this after the 4th infusion. Wonderful tea!

Season: Spring 2018
Cultivar: Wu Yi Mountains, Xing Zhen, Cao Dun Village
Origin: Fujian, China
Picking: Large, Thick leaves
Elevation: Unknown

Eyes – Dry Leaf: Large dark brown twisted leaves
Nose – Dry Leaf: Charcoal, Heavy roasted stone fruits, dark cherries, honey
Nose – Wet Leaf: Honey, Musty Sour Candy, Cherries, Peaches
Eyes- Liquor: Golden/Amber Brown
Mouth-Texture: Thick
Mouth-Taste: Dark roast coffee, Honey, Sour peaches, Orchid
Nose-Empty Cup: Honey, Cooked Peaches
Mouth-Finish: Smooth with a lingering sweetness
Eyes-Wet Leaf: Large unraveling olive green/brown leaves
Effect: Happy

195 Degrees F, Gongfu, 15 sec infusions + 5

This tea seems to have lost some flavor over the past 2 years. I remember this tea having a more unique flavor profile but that’s what happens when you leave tea sitting in a drawer. Still a very nice breakfast tea. Theres definitely a chocolate note there. 8 infusions.

Season: Spring
Cultivar: Xingcun Xiao Zhong
Origin: Zhengshan, Fujian, China
Picking: Young Leaves
Elevation: 1500m

Eyes – Dry Leaf: Very small black leaves
Nose – Dry Leaf: Malty chocolate, wood, cranberries
Nose – Wet Leaf: Chocolate mustiness, sour apricots
Eyes – Liquor: Dark amber brown
Mouth – Texture: Medium
Mouth – Taste: Malty Roasted Chocolate, Honey, apricot
Nose – Empty Cup: Raw Cane Sugar
Mouth – Finish: Slightly bitter, pretty smooth, mildly drying
Eyes – Wet Leaf: Small brown leaf fragments
Effect: Mildly energizing

210 Degrees F, Gongfu, 20 sec infusions + 5

A very yummy Duck Shit. I was pushing infusions a bit because it felt a little weak. One of my favorite Oolongs. This one is very tasty and I enjoy the whole session very much but always find myself wanting a couple more infusions than the tea wants to give me. That could be because the tea is 1.5 years old. I get about 6 infusions. 9/10 Highly recommend

Season: Spring 2018
Cultivar: Ping Keng Tou village
Origin: Chaozhou, Guangdong Province, China
Picking: Large, Up to 3rd or 4th leaves
Elevation: 850 M

Eyes – Dry Leaf: Twisted large leaves, Dark Brown/Black
Nose – Dry Leaf: Charcoal, Wood, Nectarine
Nose – Wet Leaf: Butter, Sour Cherries, Charcoal, Tons of fruit
Eyes – Liquor: Golden yellow
Mouth – Texture: Thick and viscous
Mouth – Taste: Butter, Sour Cherries, Whiskey barrel
Nose – Empty Cup: Honey, Whiskey Barrel
Mouth – Finish: Sooth with a slightly dry finish
Eyes – Wet Leaf: Large unraveling olive green leaves
Effect: