2001 Xiaguan 8653 Iron Cake Review (Yunnan Sourcing)

The fragrance of the rinsed leaves is very generic: hay, warm wood and sun-bathed stone, mushroom broth.

Once the stream of the hot brew first hits the walls of my teacup, it becomes quickly apparent that this is no ordinary tea, howevery. A complex and strong fragrance with notes of vanilla, oak, chocolate, beans, and dark fruit immediately puts me in a reflective mood.

The taste is very clear and lively with a a pleasant amount of bitterness. It does not get too powerful or dry the mouth, but provides a nice frame for all that flavour. A side from this slight bitterness, the mouthfeel is very soft/powdery and clear.

As I sip the tea, new aspects of the flavor and fragrance seem to appear all the time. It is pointless to waste any words on this tea. It is delicious, has a clear, well-defined and lingering character. Just amazing tea, and surely still has miles to go!

For a iron cake of this age and Kunming storage, I feel the cake is surprisingly aged. It does not have any earthy aromas and has not yet entered the third stage of its maturity, but all in all this 2001 Xiaguan 8653 Iron Cake is a very high quality semiaged sheng.

Link to the Yunnan Sourcing product page

2003 Jing Mai Round Cake Tai Lian Tea Factory Review (Yunnan Sourcing)

The initial aroma of the first infusion is definitely nutty, but also grassy and overall quite faint. As the tea cools down a bit, the fragrance concentrates and some notes of bark appear. After my senses become accustomed to the grassy scent, very faint notes of berries prevail.

The taste is slightly bitter with fruity notes instead of a grassy character I dreaded this tea would have. At first the taste seems weak, but as usual, as the tea cools down, the flavours and the mouthfeel concentrate. Here I think I can distinguish the "nutty" profile of Jing Mai tea, which is mainly felt in the back of the tongue and the throath.

The second infusion is denser with deeper flavour and clearer dark fruity notes. Here the intense but shortlived fruity aftertaste is also apparent. Grassy notes are still present, but only in the edges of the taste. Honeylike and fruity notes are in the focus, as is also the smooth nutty mouthfeel.

This tea definitely needs to be brewed strong to get the most out of it. It reveals itself slowly, but once the tea shows its true character, it is worth the wait. Link to the Yunnan Sourcing product site

Daughter of the Forest Dian Hong 2016 (Global Tea Hut)

Area: Ai Lao, Yunnan

Produced by: Ku Chuong Aboriginals

Altitude: ~2500 meters

I have tasted Dian Hong multiple times and of different grades, and honestly I have to say each time it has been a disappointed. Compared to some other gongfu hongcha out there, Dian Hong usually just has this malty and boring taste which I find quite disgusting.

As soon as I smelled the leaves of tthis "Daughter of the Forest", I knew I was in for a treat, however. The fragrance of the leaves is fresh and intensely fruity with almost no maltiness. I suspect this is due to Global Tea Hut members rolling the leaves a bit lighter when they produced the tea themselves. Thus I think this hongcha might be actually closer to 2nd flush Darjeelings than most Dian Hong. Suits me!

Then the fragrance of the first infusion hits me and for a second I think I was gravely mistaken. The maltiness is present as usual, but luckily quite as strong as in those Dian Hong teas I have grown to hate. Rather the aroma is reminiscent of Oriental Beauty, 2nd Flush Darjeelings or certain gongfu hongcha. It is fruity, even floral, and softly malty.

And the greatest thing of all, there is none of that fuzzy maltiness present in the mouthfeel or the taste. The taste is clear and a multitude of fruity/floral flavours rise to to the palate after my first sip. I could very well see myself drinking this kind of Dian Hong more often.

Good job Global Tea Hut friends!

If you do not yet know about the movement called Global Tea Hut, they run free tea centres in Taiwan, publish a cha dao magazine and send it out with some amazing tea samples each mont for those who contribute to the cost of the centre. I highly recommend you to check their website out here: Global Tea Hut

1999 Hua Yuan Jing Brand (Yunnan Sourcing)

There is no mistaking of that musty wo dui aroma, even in puerh that has been only partly fermented. In the dry leaves of Hua Yuan Jing Brand however, I am not taken aback by an immediate aversion towards it though. This is because the wo dui scent is quite weak, and it is enveloped in a more agreeable sweet and rounded freshness.

As soon as I see an almost black stream of tea pour from my teapot, my initial curiousity is all too quickly replaced by a familiar dread. Probably every tea drinker can relate to the traumas left by past misfortunate shu experiences.

The fragrance of the first infusion is not as bad as I feared though. One can hardly compare the slight spicy earthiness of this tea to a full blown shu aroma.

I did not have high expectations regarding the taste, but as soon as I took a sip of the brew, I was amazed. The taste is clear, sweet, well defined, fruity, and in every aspect quite 'sheng-like'. The taste covers the mouth and leaves and aftertaste of old wood, which changes to bubbling and almost minty fruitiness when I inhale.

I seriously hope I could find more aged half fermented tea. I've tasted only two examples of this rather unusual tea category, but both times I have been completely amazed by the fact how much I liked those teas.

Hua Yuan Jing Brand is no doubt a very high quality tea. It feels clean, complex, and characterful. This is of course paired with a strong qi, that lulls me into a sweet tea dream.

Link to Yunnan Sourcing product page