What HeiCha are you drinking
maybe its because I don't drink so much of it as I used to these days, or maybe it is because I am used to the flavor profiles... but I really don't get this fishy shou thing. like everyone seems amazed as if its a miracle every single time they have one that doesn't taste like that. I think I've only ever had one that still had any sort of considerable unpleasant pile tasting, and it was very cheap and very heavily fermented. maybe some of them get rushed to market, being pressed and then put up for sale too quickly, especially after being way over-cooked? stop buying crappy cheap shu
-
Tea Adventures
- Posts: 56
- Joined: Fri Mar 06, 2020 1:45 am
- Location: Belgium
I guess everyone buys bad tea at firstwave_code wrote: ↑Mon May 17, 2021 2:19 ammaybe its because I don't drink so much of it as I used to these days, or maybe it is because I am used to the flavor profiles... but I really don't get this fishy shou thing. like everyone seems amazed as if its a miracle every single time they have one that doesn't taste like that. I think I've only ever had one that still had any sort of considerable unpleasant pile tasting, and it was very cheap and very heavily fermented. maybe some of them get rushed to market, being pressed and then put up for sale too quickly, especially after being way over-cooked? stop buying crappy cheap shu
I cant stand wo dui, hahaha. It's why I cannot order from ys or teavivre. And recently, had a bad experience with that witch's brew from white2tea.
In those ys youtube videos, Scott sometimes proclaims that he can easily ignore the wodui and sometimes finds it pleasant. Not me.
In those ys youtube videos, Scott sometimes proclaims that he can easily ignore the wodui and sometimes finds it pleasant. Not me.
Wodui sensitivity seems to vary a lot from person to person. I've actually come to dislike pronounced wodui more in the last couple years than I did early on, when I'd drink young, big factory shu with heavy fermentation like it was water 
-
Tea Adventures
- Posts: 56
- Joined: Fri Mar 06, 2020 1:45 am
- Location: Belgium
A couple if years ago, I got the 2018 Charlie from w2t and that is exactly what I experienced. This was when I started out so didn’t know any better.LeoFox wrote: ↑Mon May 17, 2021 6:22 amI cant stand wo dui, hahaha. It's why I cannot order from ys or teavivre. And recently, had a bad experience with that witch's brew from white2tea.
In those ys youtube videos, Scott sometimes proclaims that he can easily ignore the wodui and sometimes finds it pleasant. Not me.
Now several years later, I cannot drink it anymore...
it would be interesting to see how many people are sensitive to the presence of any kind of wo dui note that also do or don't like any kind of humid or traditional storage or even fermented tea at all, or if most people make clear distinctions between the two of not liking one but maybe enjoying the other. I don't want my tea to taste like its still being cooked or to smell like oyster sauce, but at the same time I do like humid storage character and don't mind some wetter storage when it suits the tea well. though maybe I finally found where I draw the line on that too thanks to @Balthazar 
I find at least with liu bao the thing that gets me more is when something is still too young I get these sort of strong starchy vegetal/potato like notes and if they are too strong I find it much more off-putting. but even some heavier fermented teas I do enjoy while they are maybe still a little sharp and haven't mellowed or sweetened up so much yet.
I find at least with liu bao the thing that gets me more is when something is still too young I get these sort of strong starchy vegetal/potato like notes and if they are too strong I find it much more off-putting. but even some heavier fermented teas I do enjoy while they are maybe still a little sharp and haven't mellowed or sweetened up so much yet.@wave_code: I tend to enjoy wet stored flavours in pu er, but I don't enjoy young cooked pu er.
Some of that may be because I tend to find cooked pu er to be thin, simple, and lacking in any pleasant feeling, whereas I find that wet stored tea has a deeper flavour and a more interesting feeling to it.
But I still don't really like the flavour of young cooked pu er. And I haven't had much young liu bao, so I can't compare the two.
Andrew
Some of that may be because I tend to find cooked pu er to be thin, simple, and lacking in any pleasant feeling, whereas I find that wet stored tea has a deeper flavour and a more interesting feeling to it.
But I still don't really like the flavour of young cooked pu er. And I haven't had much young liu bao, so I can't compare the two.
Andrew
Coincidentally, humid/traditional storage seems to be the quickest cure for excessive wodui, with some years of HK trad storage being enough to reduce it to more tolerable levels (at least in the examples I've tasted).
I think traditional storage sheng and the wodui of young shu are often lumped together into the "dank notes" category and therefore are seen as similar, but to my taste buds they're really quite different (with the former have a very pronounced and unique sweetness that I don't associate with wodui). (Not talking about "shu notes" in general here, only the wodui part.)
I think traditional storage sheng and the wodui of young shu are often lumped together into the "dank notes" category and therefore are seen as similar, but to my taste buds they're really quite different (with the former have a very pronounced and unique sweetness that I don't associate with wodui). (Not talking about "shu notes" in general here, only the wodui part.)
Ending a long weekend (no more public holidays before December 
) with a lightly fermented tianjian.
A 2020 Gaomaerxi, a bit too young still, but the pinesmoke is really not all that sharp. Citrusfruits, honey and a slight creaminess. Good body. Lasts for around seven steeps, which is close to the limit for what I can allow myself in the late afternoon.
This is one of the last Yepinyuan samples I have left. It's been an interesting journey. But (as so often is the case when something is described as "interesting" is used) nothing really mindblowing. What I can say is that his teas are really good value for the money. And they all feel very, very clean.
(Also worth mentioning is the "2002 Sun Yi Shun Liu An" from thetea.pl, which @wave_code sent me a sample of. Had two really nice sessions with it over the weekend. the traditional storage really shows but it's still retained plenty of nuance. A very warming and calming tea for me. I just recalled that I actually received a sample of the same tea from @polezaivsani last year too, with a pot I bought. Need to try some more liuans.)
) with a lightly fermented tianjian.A 2020 Gaomaerxi, a bit too young still, but the pinesmoke is really not all that sharp. Citrusfruits, honey and a slight creaminess. Good body. Lasts for around seven steeps, which is close to the limit for what I can allow myself in the late afternoon.
This is one of the last Yepinyuan samples I have left. It's been an interesting journey. But (as so often is the case when something is described as "interesting" is used) nothing really mindblowing. What I can say is that his teas are really good value for the money. And they all feel very, very clean.
(Also worth mentioning is the "2002 Sun Yi Shun Liu An" from thetea.pl, which @wave_code sent me a sample of. Had two really nice sessions with it over the weekend. the traditional storage really shows but it's still retained plenty of nuance. A very warming and calming tea for me. I just recalled that I actually received a sample of the same tea from @polezaivsani last year too, with a pot I bought. Need to try some more liuans.)
2020 Chenshan Yejian - The last of the Yepinyuan samples turned out to be the best one! This is another lightly fermented tea, with a really unique taste profile. There's honey, some fruitiness and just the right amount of pine smoke for my taste (like one of those well-balanced Lapsang Souchong's that it's getting increasingly hard to find). What's more, the body and aftertaste is very decent too. This really ticks most of the boxes for me. Sadly only had this one-session sample.
This tea isn't available from his Taobao store. Wasn't planning on making a new order on there anytime soon, but I'm excited enough about this one to reach out and see if he has more.
This tea isn't available from his Taobao store. Wasn't planning on making a new order on there anytime soon, but I'm excited enough about this one to reach out and see if he has more.
revisiting the traditionally processed liu bao from chanting pines the last few days in different pots. its a funny tea to me still - the material is really nice and the processing looks good too, but I'm still not sure I'm totally sold on it. either I'm just not getting my head around it, or maybe its just not exactly the type of character I look for. it still has some storage notes which normally I do like, but its playing out in a funny way. if you brew it at higher ratios gong fu style while a nice sweetness builds up it also gets a little overshadowed by something that I am guessing comes out of the storage that becomes a sort of copper penny/soapy sort of flavor that also lingers and sort of kills the while thing for me. going for big pot brewing in nixing its still noticeable if you really look for it, but its doesn't build up and become overpowering, so maybe its more that traditional processing needs more traditional brewing. it came in a pretty heavy plastic bag over the paper, so I think I might leave it out and let it breathe for a while before checking back in on it.
Finally following up on this! I agree with you: neither of the teas I got from this factory made much of an impression on me. Not bad, just not much there at all.
Sorry for the very slow response, btw. I've been moving and in the midst of a very busy time at work, so my forum time has been pretty limited!
Despite the busy-ness, I've still been drinking a lot of tea. I find myself coming back to the GJS Cha Duo Tang I mentioned a few months ago; I bought 500 grams of this one, which seems like so much yet will be easy to get through.
I've also been drinking a Xiang Yi sample from YS-- I really like this one, it's like aged sheng yet not-- and the CYL Liu Bu Xi Village tianjian. The latter is extremely smokey to start, but, to my surprise, I love that aspect of it and how it transitions to being smooth and sweet as the smoke dissipates.
All three are awesome in a little Green Label zini pot I bought from a member here a while ago.
Currently have a Xiang Yi brick and some liubao sitting in customs, hope they make it to me soon.
Also thinking about branching out from just Western-facing vendors now that I've developed some basic instincts about these teas.Was the Xiang Yi sample the heizhuan brick YS currently stocks? And what's the brick you have on the way? I've had two samples from that brand, both fuzhuans. That heizhuan looks interesting. And no worries, just moved houses a couple months ago myself, certainly doesn't leave much time for browsing forums...
I've had the 2018 Mojun Yi Hao a couple more times by now, it still remains baffling how devoid it is of any character whatsoever. I agree that it's not really bad, as in having any unpleasant characters. I don't think I've ever tasted anything quite as "empty" in all areas (taste, body, huigan, energy, etc.). If I was a tea vendor with a bent toward Dharma speak I'd "white wrapper" it and pass it off as "Śūnyatā cha" or something like that, a priceless (i.e. pricey) trip into the realm of absolute nothingness. Had it not been so young, I would have assumed it had undergone some sort of strange storage to reach this state.
In any case, I added some of this in a recent sample exchange with @wave_code. Would be interesting to hear what he thinks, if he's gotten around to trying it.
I've had the 2018 Mojun Yi Hao a couple more times by now, it still remains baffling how devoid it is of any character whatsoever. I agree that it's not really bad, as in having any unpleasant characters. I don't think I've ever tasted anything quite as "empty" in all areas (taste, body, huigan, energy, etc.). If I was a tea vendor with a bent toward Dharma speak I'd "white wrapper" it and pass it off as "Śūnyatā cha" or something like that, a priceless (i.e. pricey) trip into the realm of absolute nothingness. Had it not been so young, I would have assumed it had undergone some sort of strange storage to reach this state.
In any case, I added some of this in a recent sample exchange with @wave_code. Would be interesting to hear what he thinks, if he's gotten around to trying it.
I also have to agree ; the couple Mojun I tasted were a little boring... But then we should point out they are way cheaper than most other brands out there.
Speaking of better brands, I too enjoyed the GJS, but the best I had so far must be the Yun Tai Shan Fu brick. A little pricy for a Fu, but worth every penny, especially if you don't mind a bit of smokiness !
Speaking of better brands, I too enjoyed the GJS, but the best I had so far must be the Yun Tai Shan Fu brick. A little pricy for a Fu, but worth every penny, especially if you don't mind a bit of smokiness !