2007 Xizihao "Jinggu Nu'ercha"

With every fibre of my being, I will this tea to be better than the 2007 Dingji Nu'ercha.

This is an autumnal tea. The leaves (pictured above) woo me already, and soothe my damaged trust. They are lovely indeed, large and furry. I have been put off Xizihao due to the enormous disconnect between quality and vendor pricing, but this tea tempts me back in. The aroma of the leaves is sweet and pure. Clean.

Believable yellow soup, with a sweet and complex flavour - some red, processed notes, little bitterness, but a cooling and decent sensation throughout. It is so very sweet, a rich, low sweetness that started in the wenxiangbei [aroma cup] and carried through into the flavour. It is worthy of the term nu'ercha, being so sweet and gentle.

This is a skillful blend of good green leaves, for potency and character, with a larger portion of sweet, red leaves. Pictured above, we can see the contrast between the pure green leaves, and the brown/red "wulong'd" leaves.

Interestingly, the two components to this cake don't live in perfect harmony: the green leaves lend a certain sourness in the finish that rapidly declines in later infusions. This is currently priced at just under $80 for a large 450g cake. We each make our own estimations of value, but this feels more like a $30 cake (normalised to Western pricing) than anything above $50. The wrapper is pretty, though! Lots of pretty little flowers...

(Notes added to 2007 Yibang Chamasi "Gedebaohao" and 2008 Nadachayuan "Cha Chan Yi Wei".)