14 May, 2012

2011 Yunzhiyuan "Fengyun"

This will probably be the last of the cakes from Yunnan Sourcing that I write about for some time - at least until the spring 2012 cakes appear.  It feels as if I have been drinking tons of tea from Scott, of late, and that is surely testament to his activity during 2011.

I can't help but wonder whether, as when Xizihao ramped up production, it might be wise to keep the focus on a smaller number of cakes, perhaps concentrating more on the springtime varieties, instead of the quieter autumnal cakes.  Then again, what do I know?  There have been some great cakes in Scott's 2011 range, for those willing to work through the samples to find them.  I hope that, in some small way, my humble notes here have been some assistance in helping you towards some of (what I consider to be) the better of the bunch.


2011 YS Fengyun


This "Fengyun" is a blend.  I enjoyed the Sanhezhai most of all, I seem to recall, from Scott's blends in 2011.  Certainly, that's the only one that I remember buying - the others that I bought were single-mountain cakes.

This blend, as with all of his teas, looks great - as pictured above.  We have long leaves, furry tips, and all manner of complexities thrown in for good measure.  They carry the unusual low aroma of caramel.


2011 YS Fengyun


The characters in the cake's name are hand-printed and could either be "wind" or "phoenix" for "feng", while "yun" is the hard-to-translate character approximately meaning charm / resonance / harmonious feeling that I have mentioned before.

The scent of the leaves is an interesting mixture of grassiness, butter from the wok, and rich caramel.  Good blends can be fascinating, and the complementary tones in the aroma suggest that Scott has assembled a good set of components.  As ever, he is cagey about the precise contents, saying only that it comes from "three very different areas of Southern Yunnan."  Such a desire to keep his blend a secret is, naturally, his perogative.


2011 YS Fengyun


The opening infusions have a solid, mushroom-like base that reminds me of solid Menghai-region characteristics.  It also has a "soapy" feeling, in that it is smooth and floral.  "Soapiness" is really the only way that I can describe it, which sounds terrible, but is actually rather enjoyable.

"It has a very nice bitterness", notes my dear wife; "Very drinkable."


2011 YS Fengyun 


Citrus end-notes develop in later infusions, and it copes well with unintentional overbrewing, not showing any sign of "brown" plantation characteristics.  It stays sweet and interesting, and has a very reliable kuwei [pleasant bitterness].  I wrote, "For $20, I should buy a cake."  As stable, enjoyable blends go, this one represents good value.  It outperforms many of the more expensive cakes that I have encountered from more mainstream outfits.  While not grand, it is decently strong and reliable.  See if you agree.

8 comments:

Sebastien said...

Thanks for this review :-)
I am surprised not to see the "SQ" symbol as for all new tea products for some years now. Is it on the back of the cake?

Hobbes said...

It seems that I did buy a cake, too, according to my spreadsheet...


Dear Sebastien,

I haven't found any reliable certifications that offer much in the way of enforced standard in Chinese tea, and so have stopped looking for such imprints. There may or may not be one on this wrapper! Wouldn't it be lovely if there was a meaningful quality certification that couldn't be bought illegally?


Toodlepip,

Hobbes

Anonymous said...

Nice review as usual!!

Scott already have some 2012.
These are probably the ones of your interest as the others are ripe tea and a weird white processed the pu way apparently:

-2012 YUNNAN SOURCING "MAN ZHUAN" RAW PU-ERH TEA CAKE OF YI WU *
-2012 YUNNAN SOURCING "EARLY SPRING YI WU" RAW PU-ERH TEA CAKE * 250 GRAMS

Take care.
Maxwell2079

Hobbes said...

Thank heavens - springtime tea! Thanks, Max :)


Toodlepip,

Hobbes

Tea Fanatic said...

Hello,

Yet another wonderful review! May I mail you some tea to try?

Its from the Pu-erh I posted the link to. (http://www.kungfutea.co.uk/teas.php)

Hobbes said...

Dear Tea Fanatic,

That's a very kind offer, thank you. Please e-mail me at hobbesoxon 'at' gmail.com; I'm always happy to try teas from new places - particularly when I notice from your web-site that you're based in Edinburgh.


Toodlepip,

Hobbes

Jack M said...

Finally somebody else who has articulated a pleasant floral 'soapy' taste in tea! It's not something that I have ever experienced with Pu-erh before, but usually I find it tends to come across mostly in good high mountain oolongs. Very interesting!

Best,

Jack :)

Hobbes said...

Dear Jack,

I've found it quite regularly in the 2011 teas I've been drinking of late - it seems to occur in young teas of good provenance, from time to time.


Toodlepip,

Hobbes