TeaForum.org

Am slowly working my way through the eot yancha line up. Will add more as I go through them all

Bottom line for first 3:
2018 house rougui: nice one and good value - may reorder

2019 hui chun beidou: okay- but overpriced- not as tasty as 2018 house rougui

1997 horse head cliff sx: pretty bad tasting - and on top of that surprisingly expensive. Tea does not come close to what is described on website and on website reviews- am I drinking the same tea??

https://essenceoftea.com/collections/wu ... uyi-yancha

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LeoFox wrote: ↑

Thu May 18, 2023 5:23 pm

1997 horse head cliff sx: pretty bad tasting - and on top of that surprisingly expensive. Tea does not come close to what is described on website and on website reviews- am I drinking the same tea??

If it is that bad, it's maybe not real Matouyan. That is usually top of the crop stuff... Or gone-off storage? 1997 is a while. May also be in the boring stage of aging.

Bok wrote: ↑

Thu May 18, 2023 7:48 pm

LeoFox wrote: ↑

Thu May 18, 2023 5:23 pm

1997 horse head cliff sx: pretty bad tasting - and on top of that surprisingly expensive. Tea does not come close to what is described on website and on website reviews- am I drinking the same tea??

If it is that bad, it's maybe not real Matouyan. That is usually top of the crop stuff... Or gone-off storage? 1997 is a while. May also be in the boring stage of aging.

That's interesting. It's been a while since I tried that one - I recall it being 'sharp' as you describe, with both underlying shuixian flavours and also more prominent 'fruity' and acidic qualities that I associate with 'dry aged' / un-re-roasted yancha, which fell short of being 'sour' but which still needed to be controlled carefully. I recall acidity rather than astringency. It wasn't my favourite aged yancha out of the few that I've tried, but I did get some nice results from it after a few poor initial attempts. Maybe it would have benefitted from a re-roast, but I'm just speculating.

I don't recall any liu bao notes, though...

Andrew

Andrew S wrote: ↑

Thu May 18, 2023 8:33 pm

.

I don't recall any liu bao notes, though...

Andrew

You're probably immune, hahaha. It's the same smell as most of the teas from yee on tea - maybe just wet stored smell? My wife said it smelled like an algae infested frog puddle

LeoFox wrote: ↑

Thu May 18, 2023 8:53 pm

Andrew S wrote: ↑

Thu May 18, 2023 8:33 pm

.

I don't recall any liu bao notes, though...

Andrew

You're probably immune, hahaha. It's the same smell as most of the teas from yee on tea - maybe just wet stored smell? My wife said it smelled like an algae infested frog puddle

Yee on tea is considered to be on the wet side of storage, just my opinion. I had a few of their shu puerh that need a good zini to tame them. Also, the environment/temperature can influence our taste buds. I find myself enjoy them in a hot weather day.

DailyTX wrote: ↑

Thu May 18, 2023 9:38 pm

LeoFox wrote: ↑

Thu May 18, 2023 8:53 pm

Andrew S wrote: ↑

Thu May 18, 2023 8:33 pm

.

I don't recall any liu bao notes, though...

Andrew

You're probably immune, hahaha. It's the same smell as most of the teas from yee on tea - maybe just wet stored smell? My wife said it smelled like an algae infested frog puddle

Yee on tea is considered to be on the wet side of storage, just my opinion. I had a few of their shu puerh that need a good zini to tame them. Also, the environment/temperature can influence our taste buds. I find myself enjoy them in a hot weather day.

I probably am immune. I like to think that the little bugs that make wet storage happen have colonised me, but have formed some sort of mutually-beneficial alliance with the rest of me.

I do forget that some people don't like humid notes... When I have more time, I will try to find any more of the 1997 and see if I can detect what LeoFox does. It's still a sharp and unforgiving tea to brew in any event, though, but I recall it being nice after I realised that.

Andrew

Does this tea date to their previous suppliers of Yancha? Before there was a break of no Yancha and then a new supplier. I remember their previous Yancha left a lot to be desired, pricey and not very good.

Bok wrote: ↑

Thu May 18, 2023 9:59 pm

Does this tea date to their previous suppliers of Yancha? Before there was a break of no Yancha and then a new supplier. I remember their previous Yancha left a lot to be desired, pricey and not very good.

I think that all of the ones that are available now (including the 1997) post-date the ones that you tried (from your earlier comments on them), but I'm not sure. I don't think that I ever tried the 'old' ones which you tried. I think mine have been pre-Bok and post-Bok, so to say...

Andrew

re-reading what my findings where back then, it seems I was very polite in my judgement...

LeoFox wrote: ↑

Thu May 18, 2023 5:23 pm

1997 horse head cliff sx: pretty bad tasting - and on top of that surprisingly expensive. Tea does not come close to what is described on website and on website reviews- am I drinking the same tea??

I purchased a bit of this a few years back. It was one of the most memorable teas I tasted. Not in the sense that I found it really good, but because I remember it distinctly. My tasting notes were "raspberry pie" (as in "real cooked raspberry and dough aromas", not as in "vaguely suggests raspberry pie"), and leather (as in "shoemaker shop"). I cannot tell whether this is good tea to amateurs of aged yancha, but I was not tempted to order more.

faj wrote: ↑

Fri May 19, 2023 11:02 am

LeoFox wrote: ↑

Thu May 18, 2023 5:23 pm

1997 horse head cliff sx: pretty bad tasting - and on top of that surprisingly expensive. Tea does not come close to what is described on website and on website reviews- am I drinking the same tea??

I purchased a bit of this a few years back. It was one of the most memorable teas I tasted. Not in the sense that I found it really good, but because I remember it distinctly. My tasting notes were "raspberry pie" (as in "real cooked raspberry and dough aromas", not as in "vaguely suggests raspberry pie"), and leather (as in "shoemaker shop"). I cannot tell whether this is good tea to amateurs of aged yancha, but I was not tempted to order more.

Raspberry pie in a shoemaker shop sounds interesting, hahaha. Unfortunately, did not experience any of that. Will try their 1980s TLH next - heard it's explosively chocolatey. Will soon see - after a few days of recovery with some sencha.

Chocolate notes is mostly the roast, hopefully there is also some tea left underneath.

1980s tie Luo han

Indeed chocolate- but the kind of chocolate found on the top shelf in the closet that my mom once told me is for cooking, not eating


https://essenceoftea.com/collections/wu ... 1303613597

LeoFox wrote: ↑

Tue May 23, 2023 8:54 am

1980s tie Luo han

Indeed chocolate- but the kind of chocolate found on the top shelf in the closet that my mom once told me is for cooking, not eating

My mother did the same thing. She rarely baked; however, she quite often bought bittersweet baking chocolate which came in thick large bars. Sometimes I saw her breaking off a piece of that chocolate & eating it plain. Many years past childhood, most of the six children were together talking about strange situations in our family, & we realized that my mother definitely ate a lot of that chocolate regularly & wanted to keep that a secret. (Some of the children are not secretive about eating chocolate & not slim either.

Chocolate flavor in tea does not stop the craving....

Ethan Kurland wrote: ↑

Tue May 23, 2023 7:40 pm

Chocolate flavor in tea does not stop the craving....

I definitely agree with this. I've never been dissuaded from eating real chocolate by a chocolate tea!