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25 November, 2011

2011 Yunzhiyuan "Ailaoshan"

By odd coincidence, I drank this sample immediately after retrying the 2002 (2005?) Fuchaju "Ailaoshan", which may be the only two cakes from this mountain that I have tried.  Both came from Yunnan Sourcing, separated by four years.


2011 YS Ailaoshan


This Yunzhiyuan version is a respectable 18 of your American bucks, and comes from an area that is remarkably close to the entirely wallet-destroying 2011 Yunzhiyuan "Wuliang".  Like the latter, this Ailaoshan cake comes from Jingdong county in Simao prefecture, which is to Simao's north where it joins Lincang and Dali.  The farm was in Wangjia village, writes Scott.

He writes that this cake has less bitterness and that it is "more subtle" than its neighbour.  You can imagine that this translates into my prior assumption that it might not be quite as accomplished as the Wuliang.


2011 YS Ailao


The soup of this Ailao looks different to the Wuliang, in that it is pure yellow.  Likewise, its aroma is correspondingly different being a pure, orthodox, white-sugar sweetness.  However, it is full and long-lasting in its aroma, which is a very good sign.


2011 YS Ailao


Some of its basis is the same as its Wuliang neighbour, in that it has a gentle tobacco underneath it.  However, it is a much lighter tea, and perhaps that reduction in obvious content suggests that the aging process has less to act upon.


2011 YS Ailao


This is similar to the Fuchaju version, but the latter has the advantage of being much stronger, which is perhaps the cause of its renaissance into a very drinkable somewhat aged tea.  This Yunzhiyuan version is, indeed, more subtle, more buttery, and more "normal".

This is not at all bad for a mere $18, and Scott should be commended for selling it at the right price.  That said, in a line-up between this somewhat more ordinary example and the stunning, provincial beauty of its sister, it's not much a competition.

3 comments:

  1. You've had an YS '09 Ai Lao and XZH Huangshanlin (which I've seen from two separate sources to be an Ai Lao)

    --shah8

    I really wouldn't mind another stab at a Wuliang. People do tend to be positive about tea from that area... Just too poor...*sob*...

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  2. Just had a session with this tea today, I stuffed about 6 grams into a 60ml yixing and found the results to be wonderful. A solid base of tobacco with some light wood, and a nice high line of lemon grass and grapefruit with a smooth and long lengxiang.

    The chaqi was a bit weak but that may be due to lack of sleep/ mental fatigue from studying for exams, it was however the perfect tea to get me ready for my microbio exam!

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  3. Dear Patrick,

    Thanks for the comment - it takes a special kind of chaqi to prepare a man for examinations! I trust that you have gone on to destroy the exam in true style.


    All the best,

    Hobbes

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(and thanks)