Broken medium-sized leaves
Ailaoshan is a Simao mountain, and Scott writes that this comes from Wang Jia village, at an altitude of 2,200m above sea-level. He also notes the presence of thicker, fatter buds that "make this more like a Jinggu tea" than the usual orchid-scented [lanxiang] teas from nearby Wuliangshan.
The brew is a stable yellow-orange
An obvious buttery roast opens the aroma, and this feeling of heavy heat presence persists. It is sweet, gentle, and approachable - but not the jaunty, energising affair of its sister cakes from 2009.
A portion of the leaves' original kuwei [bitter flavour] remains, but it really isn't enough to satisfy my desire for a tea with real content.
The blend is obvious
Most of Scott's teas are priced quite fairly, and this is no exception - at $22, we shouldn't expect miracles. This is a pleasant cake, but not up to the heights scaled by some of the others in the 2009 Yunzhiyuan series. I look forward to tasting what 2010 has on offer from the same label.
Speaking of YS label, Scott included a sample of the 2010 Guafengzhai with my last order. It was quite nice. Light, but energetic with some weird smoky flavors that were hard to describe. You should pick some up. :D
ReplyDeleteDear Nick,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the pointer! I had been meaning to try it out, but various Taobao forays have kept me busy. I filled a shopping basket with samples at YS recently, and was shocked to see the price had accumulated to over $100! Those samples really have become rather pricey. I'll have to focus down on those samples that I really care about - such as the Guafengzhai that you mentioned.
(The smokey characteristics that you mentioned may dissipate in time. One of Nadacha's cakes from this year was smokey when I first tried it, but has since become smooth and "normal".)
Toodlepip,
Hobbes