Oriental Leaf Jin Hua sheng pu'er dragonball

 

I'm reviewing a Jin Hua dragonball version of sheng pu'er, provided for review by Oriental Leaf (many thanks for that!).  I don't really know much about the background, so I'll go right to the listing information first:

On Taoism Silk Road Black Pearl Jin Hua Raw Pu-erh Fu Tea ($40 for a 200 gram tin, or there's a sample size, three 7 gram "pearls" for $4.50).

On Taosim has long focused on crafting Fu tea (茯茶) using quality raw leaves from southern China. The Silk Road Black Pearl is an interesting expression of that approach — Yunnan raw Pu-erh material from Lincang, sent to Jingyang in Shaanxi province for the traditional Jin Hua (golden flower) fermentation process, bringing two distinct tea cultures together in a single tea...

Bai Ying Shan (White Eagle Mountain, 白莺山) sits in Yun County, Lincang, along the middle reaches of the Lancang River. It's a tea area known for a relatively diverse range of tea tree varieties. This tea is a blend of several cultivars from the area, including:

Er Ga Zi (二嘎子): A wild hybrid transitional variety. Known for its smooth, soft liquor, naturally high sweetness, and low bitterness or astringency.

Mengku Da Ye Zhong (勐库大叶种): The classic large-leaf Mengku variety.

Mengku Xiao Ye Zhong (勐库小叶种): A smaller-leaf counterpart from the same area.

Bai Ying Shan is not a hyped or speculative single-origin mountain. The material cost is honest, and so is the price. This tea is designed to be a reliable, everyday Pu-erh — something you can drink without second thoughts.

It mentioned being from 2024 material, which was fermented after that.  I didn't notice that much golden flowers input or secondary fermentation effect, so I'll have to speculate about how these noted aspects relate to that, or don't, in the conclusions.  Calling it a dragonball is kind of a marketing expectations judgement; in "the West" I think that's the most common term, but calling the shape "pearls" can work.  I think of that as relating to jasmine white tea, which are always smaller, but again naming doesn't change anything.

That last part they mentioned is something I had meant to comment on.  After writing review notes I had this tea again, and it works well for something to have with breakfast, to not pay that much attention to (as I did then).  And in a sense I think this "daily drinker" theme is often connected with a low-medium quality level more than it has to be.  Tea can be pretty good and still work well without the extra focus.  I drink sheng versions all the time that serve this role well, from different places, often enough as SE Asian sheng versions.

But to extend that a little good versions of orthodox Assam comes to mind, as a tea style that's great with food.  Or Dian Hong (Yunnan black); it's not that close, but still not so far away in character.  I can't really spend 45 minutes just focusing on a tea most days, and would get bored with repeating that over and over if it did work out that way.  People do mention using lower quality teas as something to drink with food, and others for focusing on over a longer time, but I drink a broad range of teas with breakfast, and don't think through this quality level cut-off issue too much.  If I really want to experience the tea more of course I won't eat while drinking it, but beyond reviews I mostly have tea with breakfast.

Review:

First infusion:  getting this dragonball to open is going to be an issue, as is typically the case.  This infused for over 30 seconds and it's not strong enough to really say much about flavors and the rest.  Maybe it will be bright, sweet, and floral, or maybe I'm getting that wrong.  

Often it works to pry the ball open once it has been through two or three infusions, and if you don't rush it leaving the ball sit in a closed gaiwan between early rounds can seem to let it steam to open.  I'm mostly just giving it long soaks early on, letting it sit for more like a minute on the second round.

Second infusion:  this unfurled much better than these usually do.  I'm not sure why; they all seem to be compressed to the same degree, or at least you can't tell the difference.

Bitterness stands out; this was brewed for awhile.  But it's in a pleasant form.  Sweetness also stands out, and what seems to be floral character.  It will be easier to do a flavor list from a lighter infusion, so I'll write it out next round.  Feel is positive already; that strong infusion form draws out some extra astringency but in general this seems rich and full instead of harsh and dry.

Third infusion:  it's a touch cloudy; that's interesting.  It's more a bad sign than a good one but it doesn't necessarily mean much.  Flavor include significant bitterness.  I didn't use a really fast infusion and that might make sense for this.  Sweetness is still good, but unpacking generally floral range beyond the bitterness is still tricky.  

There's an intensity that sheng drinkers end up craving, and this has it.  Sweetness is really pronounced, feel is full and intense, flavors are strong, if not particularly distinct, and bitterness stands out.  For people accustomed to other kinds of tea this wouldn't be that pleasant; it takes acclimation to like this style and form.  But this is a positive example of that, if one is ok with moderate bitterness.

Fourth infusion:  it's the best this has been, balancing nicely, but bitterness is still the main flavor input.  Or taste, if someone uses those terms in a different way.  A faint hint of smoke enters in, but it's still bitter, sweet, and floral.  A touch of fruit might be picking up, a bit of citrus to join the mostly floral range.  Brightness of tone and freshness makes it positive.  Plenty of mineral range grounds the experience, adding complexity and depth.  

A good number of years ago I would've had trouble relating to this tea, earlier on in sheng exploration, but now I like it.  If this had a rougher astringency feel it wouldn't balance nearly as well, but the feel intensity is in a good range.  It doesn't stand out as a great tea version, but it seems like a good example of this particular style range.  

Fifth infusion:  some vegetal range picks up this round.  It's hard to place; sort of a spring forest scent, nothing too pronounced.  It seems like the floral tone range deepens and warms as well.  A little supporting fruit hasn't changed, and it's still not very pronounced, a matter of interpretation whether it's there at all.  

To me this is the kind of tea experience that I tend to crave once in awhile, but not often, or most of the time.  It doesn't match with food experience particularly well, but you could have this with the right kind of breakfast.  Heavier and warmer flavors would work well in opposition to it.  I'd rather have a mild black tea with something like French toast and bacon, but a lighter or mixed tone breakfast would be ok with it.  I just had scrambled eggs with Thai spinach (amaranth), some pear, and rice with milk and cinnamon, as a porridge, and that would be ok.

Sixth and seventh infusions:  the brightness, sweetness, and freshness fades over these rounds, while intensity is still good.  The profile thins a little, and that hint of smoke shifts to be a hint of ash.  It's not as positive, but still pleasant.  Extending the infusion time so much for the first two rounds probably speeded up the transition cycle, so that at least some of this tea material is now brewing similar to how it would be brewed for a higher infusion count.  There are trade-offs to this presented form, and that's one of them.  Convenience is what you gain on the positive side; this would travel well, compared to carrying around a cake and pu'er knife.

Conclusions:

I had this with a breakfast within a few days after writing those notes and it was well-suited for that.  So I guess I changed my mind?  I might have been thinking that this would be light for pairing with a heavy American style breakfast, but I typically eat two eggs, often scrambled with spinach, and also some fruit, and either yogurt or a croissant.  It's not that heavy.  It all goes well with a light character young sheng, typically, even if those are more intense, bitter, and astringent than this was.

This doesn't sound like a hei cha style tea review.  I didn't even mention it, approaching it as normal sheng, and nothing in the character shifted me off that context.  Maybe there are warmer tones or a slightly different flavor profile; to some extent that's probably true.  I end up drinking a good bit of sheng that's oxidized more than is typical, for the most standard Yunnan sheng, so I wouldn't necessarily give limited style deviation much thought.  

But this expressed bitterness, and some feel structure comparable to normal sheng, it just wasn't challenging or rough.  Floral tones stood out, and a touch of citrus, and a hint of smoke, all of which doesn't sound like hei cha.  Probably if you are "looking for it" you would notice a touch of extra yeast-like flavor, and maybe even a little more honey than is typical for sheng, characteristic of that fungus input.  And it might seem like it had transitioned more than generally occurs in two years, but to me that's so variable related to storage conditions input that it doesn't mean anything in particular.  Teas change a lot here in Bangkok in two years.

It's good.  Related to value it's fine; 400 grams would be $80, so cost is moderate as decent sheng goes ($70-some per standard sized cake amount).  Someone might be disappointed if they wanted to experience a good bit more hei cha style effect, since this just seemed like sheng to me; some of their other sort of hybrid processing versions are a lot more like that, covered in earlier reviews here.

I was just drinking an earlier Fu zhuan version from them (Oriental Leaf) as Bangkok experienced heavy rain (for two days; it's flooding), reminding me how warm toned teas go well with different cooler weather.  It's never cold here; this is about as close as it gets.  The tone of this Jin Hua ball shaped tea isn't that warm, although it's not as bright and light as some sheng.  To me I can drink light, young sheng most of the time, and it matches my mood and relation to the weather, but then I only live in the tropics, so a rare 20 C / 68 F cool morning only happens a few times a year.

Banzhang sheng pu'er from Moychay

 

I looked up this listing before trying it to clarify that it is actually sheng pu'er, since the label presents it as "Banzhang Mountain Soil."  It is sheng.  

Why would it not reference Lao Banzhang, the village?  A Google AI answer probably clarifies this, as the answer you would expect:

Lao Banzhang means "Old Banzhang," referring to a famous mountain village in Yunnan, China, that produces some of the most expensive and revered raw Pu-erh tea in the world.

Name Breakdown and Origin

Lao (老): Means "old."Banzhang (班章): The name of the village, located in the Bulang Mountain range of Menghai County, Xishuangbanna. The newer settlement nearby is called Xin Banzhang or "New Banzhang."

King of Pu-erh: 

Connoisseurs call Lao Banzhang tea the "King of Pu-erh" because of its powerful energy (cha qi), intense initial bitterness, and rapid, deep-throated sweetness (huigan).

I reviewed a Xin Banzhang version from a local Chinatown shop recently, here.  So this is probably not from near the old village area, but is tea from that general area, which would explain the pricing.

Banzhang Mountain Soul Sheng Puer (8.94 Euro for 50 grams, or $10.27 USD)

That pricing is low for standard sized cakes at this point, a $70 or so 357 gram version.  Their description:

Banzhang Mountain Soul is a raw Pu-erh tea made from old-tree leaves harvested in the Banzhang region of Bulangshan mountain, Menghai.

The tea comes from high-altitude forested areas where the large-leaf varietals grow naturally and develop a strong, structured character typical of Banzhang terroir.

The leaves are picked by hand with a standard of one bud and two to three leaves, then withered, pan-fried (kill-green), rolled, and sun-dried.

The infusion is bright golden-yellow with a firm, penetrating aroma of wild herbs, wood, and mountain air. The taste is powerful and bitter-sweet, with the characteristic “霸气” (ba qi, dominant strength) associated with Banzhang teas.

A steady returning sweetness and long aftertaste make this tea suitable for both connoisseurs and long-term aging.

It's interesting there's no year cited for this.  Maybe from spring of 2025?

Either way it sounds ok from that description; let's see.

Review

First infusion:  this is quite good.  Bitterness stands out, but so does distinctive floral range, fullness, and depth, and it's only the first infusion.  Sweetness is great.  Astringency is moderate, in a good form, positive in relation to the rest.  There is good hui gan / carried over bitterness converting to sweetness.  Even without tasting other rounds this is surely an absolute steal for tea priced at that level.

The other Xin Banzhang version I'd mentioned trying was good tea, but just a little off a most conventional form.  This is it; this is what pretty good versions of this type should be like.  

I've only tried about four LBZ versions, so I can't really conclusively pin down the right style or flavor range for there, but as far as my memory goes of that it's in the right general range.  It's marked by a distinctive warm and rich floral profile, that is intense, with notable bitterness, but nothing on the highest side of the range, that doesn't integrate well with the rest of the tea character.  Good intensity is matched by depth, and flavor range is especially positive, so heavy in complex floral tones that it almost leans to being fruity, because there is so much complexity and intensity packed in a limited floral flavor scope, carrying over to pronounced aftertaste.  Does that make sense?  Maybe not.

Moychay teas are generally solid, pretty good for matching type range, decent in quality, with range of value a little more broad, but they do offer some atypical hits and misses, outliers on both ends.  I was hoping this would be an example of the first, and it seems to be.

Second infusion:  I brewed this pretty fast; that can help with identifying flavors better, and it's intense enough that it's going to be positive and strong enough brewed lighter.  

It definitely has a lot of flavor complexity to offer.  Bitterness still stands out, but to me it's in an appropriate balance.  It may be a little higher than some LBZ I've tried, but again I'm not trying to claim to know a typical profile range, based on only trying a few versions (3 come to mind, so it's probably more than that).  

The floral flavor covers a narrow range, but it's also complex, which is an interesting effect.  It seems to pack together a set of floral flavors that match and extend beyond what one flower smells like.  Orchid might represent the brightness and sweetness, a wildflower variation might give it depth, and a warm toned flower the flavor richness.  Part of that effect could be interpreted as a hint of citrus instead, maybe as a trace of lemon zest.  You automatically "see" it as only floral, because those flavors seem to integrate and link, to be one complex experience.

It's hard to describe how the sweetness and feel contribute to that.  I've not experienced extended aftertaste that much for awhile, drinking more moderate quality sheng that can be fine in positive flavor aspects, intensity, and complexity, but that don't express all of the quality related markers that much.

Since I'm finally doing a single type tasting maybe I could identify body feel some, cha qi.  But I had breakfast before this, which seems to offset how fast that input hits you, making it much harder to identify.  The long term health of my stomach is much more of a priority than drug-like effects from tea; I don't need those.

Let's switch it up and try to cite limitations or flaws; what isn't as positive?  One could interpret that there is a dry edge to the pronounced mineral tone layer (that seems to associate; I'm fine with mixing flavor and feel range descriptions, if they seem to link).  To me that's a bit of stretch; the entire feel and flavor range is very positive.  But it probably does help define "how good" this tea is.  It's quite good, but there is room for slight improvement.  Related to even moderate aging input that might be positive; a touch of extra intensity in certain feel and flavor seems to tie to transition potential.  To me it would be crazy to hold onto this tea and see what it's like in 15 to 20 years, since it's more than fine now, but preferences do vary.

Third infusion:  a faint hint of smoke enters in; that's closer to a flaw than anything else experienced.  It's always strange to me when that picks up a few rounds in, as occurred in a very recent tasting.  If that's an external input why didn't it stand out at first?  It may be a touch of natural smokiness, just how the mineral range is evolving, even though that sounds strange.

Sweetness is still good.  It could be slightly stronger; back to the theme of looking for limitations, even in positive aspects.  Feel is rich and full but it could be a little more intense.  Aftertaste expression is pretty pronounced, that doesn't represent a thin spot in the character.  Most of the rest doesn't either; I'm describing how good teas and great teas can differ.

The brightness and flavor complexity is quite positive.  A touch of lemon stands out all the more, joining the other floral range, as it had last round, but a little more so.  This tea is really good, only limited in relation to someone hoping for "great" instead.  For someone like me, for whom basic, limited, pleasant, and interesting teas are enough, this is already better than it needs to be.

Maybe I am feeling just a little stony from this.  It would be nice to be trying it outside, but it's the rainy season in Bangkok, so the cats and I were rained out of the outdoor tasting theme this morning.

Fourth infusion:  not so different than last round.  I should keep this round's description short to make this readable, and get back to notes on the next one.  That hint of rougher astringency is gone already, evolved away, and depth seems to pick up.  Bitterness falls into a lighter balance, with lots of floral range flavors resonating into the aftertaste experience.  This is a tea experience worth taking time with, and not rushing.

Fifth infusion:  it's interesting how the forward flavor complexity has dropped, the bright floral tones, bitterness, even sweetness, but depth really ramped up.  There's a lot to taste; it's not thin.  But the effect is unusual, occurring across a broader range than you normally get.  That faint hint of smoke, which may have just been how mineral was coming across at one point, is essentially gone.  Mineral is really pronounced too in this; that's part of what I mean by depth increasing, while the most forward flavor range fades into a more even balance.  

It really fills your mouth; the feel and flavor intensity stand out, across different areas.  The lemon tone switches back to warm floral scope.  I think that kind of thing is varying based on very slight differences in brewing, maybe related to limited infusion time variation.  Temperature probably varies with how fast or slow I brew rounds, with leaves cooling to soak up more heat.  Some would also be ordinary round to round transition.

I definitely feel this more than five cups would usually cause, both a heady stoniness and deeper body feel.  I don't necessarily value all of that as many others do.  It's mildly interesting, but my normal body feel and mental state effects are fine for me.  I put my time in as a stoner and it was enough.  I suppose that could also be why it all seems moderate to me; bong hits of strong weed are 100 times stonier than this tea.  I can't even imagine what that would be like today, since I quit all that 21 years ago.

Sixth infusion:  I brewed this a little longer, to see what that changes.  Flavor tones are warmer and stronger, and feel and aftertaste effects are a bit much.  I suppose I like it lighter (brewed for 10 seconds or less, even a number of rounds in).  Related to feel effect I'll probably walk around a bit; that is adding up.  

It's interesting the way heavy mineral tone comes across, brewed strong like this.  There's a continuity between lighter, brighter range, sweetness, floral complexity, and mineral depth.  It hits across a lot of levels, but it all kind of connects.  Maybe mineral and astringency don't balance as well, brewed just a little stronger.

Conclusions

Of course that tea kept brewing beyond that; that's just where I dropped taking notes.

It can be a little awkward placing "how good" a good tea version is.  Good in relation to what?  This was a lot better than most sheng versions that you would run across.  Related to as good as versions can get is too complicated and subjective a framework.  There is higher quality range, but it's more meaningful to people focused on that than it is to me.

Placing it in relation to a Lao Ban Zhang standard type doesn't go much better.  I've only tried a few versions presented as that, maybe four, and they all were really exceptional, and all similar in some ways.  Pronounced floral tones stand out, to an unusual intensity and related to a novel flavor set.  Astringency was moderate for all of them, but then the rougher edge form of sheng drops out in better versions, for whatever reasons.  They all expressed great depth, and in some cases body feel did stand out.  

This was better than the Chinatown origin Xin Ban Zhang version I've reviewed not so long ago; that included good sweetness and floral range, but mineral tones came across the strongest in that.  That's not a terrible outcome, but very pronounced floral range supported by bitterness, sweetness, and mineral depth is nicer.

It's really not fair for me to guess if this is better or worse than four other LBZ versions I've tried over a half dozen years, and it wouldn't mean much if I did.  Who knows how great or how representative those were.  As I remember most were just a little more amazing, but some of that can be about buying into the hype.

So this tea is quite good, as described, and sort of what I'd expect for the general type (as pu'er from a broader Ban Zhang area, most likely, not necessarily from right outside the older Lao Ban Zhang village).  Value is exceptional; unusually so.  

Some would turn all that around and focus on gaps in expectations instead; there is usually some room for improvement, and expectations can soar in relation to the most exceptional type ranges.  Maybe flavor profile could center on different floral range, intensity and refinement could dial up just a little, and mineral depth, and so on.  But this tea was really good; it made for an exceptional experience.

On tea market, consumer perspective, and related social media changes in China

 

a Chinese tea expo (photo provided by Cary)

I've been seeing online content about tea perspectives in China, about how producers and vendors approach tea themes, and how consumer perspective is changing. As an example, So Han Fan, the owner of West China Tea, regularly discusses this sort of thing.  It's a fascinating subject, to me. 

The questions I wrote as part of an interview form exploration cover a lot of scope.  They're answered here by a tea vendor based in China, who I've tea from, Cary of Oriental Leaf.  He has been posting a little about tea themes in China, on Reddit, which was a second starting point for considering this kind of background.  Learning more about their vendor theme and perspective probably works best through an About Us section of their website.

It's worth pausing to consider how we receive information on how tea culture works out in China in "the West."  Vendors pass it on, either those based in China, or who visit there.  The more exposure you get to that scope, especially from different kinds of sources, leads to hearing different kinds of stories and takes.  The owners of a local Bangkok Chinatown shop, with tea making and vending family in Fujian and Hong Kong, tell much different stories than actual Chinese friends, who typically aren't that into tea, in the same kinds of ways.  Vendor and producer friends living in Fujian and Yunnan convey different perspectives.  The varying input doesn't conflict; it's that tea is taken in different ways.

This interview style input drills down into that, with more focus on modern changes, variations in demand, and social media inputs and effects, than on ordinary consumer or "tea enthusiast" perspective.

Cary is a tea enthusiast.  You can tell.  There's nothing wrong with vendors picking up a commercial interest in tea without continually exploring the subject, and self-defining through it, beyond the scope of ordinary appreciation, but it's helpful when the interest leads to ongoing deeper learning.  Only a tea enthusiast would live out the cultural changes to be able to answer these questions in this depth.  I hope that readers enjoy learning from it as much as I have.

-Has the Chinese tea market remained the same over the last few years?  How would you compare it to the Western tea market (related to types preference, overall demand, or other themes)?

Market-wise, the Chinese tea market over the past two to three years—especially following the end of the pandemic—has been experiencing a downturn, with fairly notable declines across major tea categories, particularly Puer, white tea, and rock tea (Yancha), which had previously seen significant market hype. The Chinese tea market can roughly be divided into two categories: business/gifting use and personal consumption.

Regarding the first category, due to the softening of China's economy in recent years, most industries are going through a slump, leading to a cliff-like drop in business gifting demand. To give an example, the Dragon Boat Festival and the Mid-Autumn Festival used to be peak seasons for gifting, with massive shipments leaving the tea market as vendors stocked up specifically for these two periods. However, this year's Dragon Boat Festival saw very poor performance in the tea market, and shipments for the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival have also fallen short of expectations, remaining rather sluggish. Furthermore, budgets allocated per batch of tea are now being trimmed down to cut costs.

As for the second category—personal consumption—traditional offline tea shop channels are withering away because online live-streaming has captured an increasing market share over the last few years. Live-streaming channels sell well-known premium teas at extremely low prices, though quality cannot always be fully guaranteed. A few months ago, China Central Television (CCTV) exposed a live-streaming ring in Yunnan that sold fake "famous mountain, famous village" Puer teas and faced heavy penalties, which is a prime example of this phenomenon. Aside from Puer, manufacturers of other tea categories are also aggressively deploying online channels, as live-streaming sales seem to have become a major channel for most people to purchase tea.

Regarding tea selection, Puer tea remains a primary choice for personal consumption, and of course, seasonal green teas are also vital consumption staples during their respective windows. White tea is gradually declining after peaking five or six years ago, while oolong tea—especially rock tea—still holds a relatively important position in the high-end market. Fuzhuan brick tea and Liubao tea are still considered niche categories in China, though their markets are slowly climbing. That being said, jasmine scented tea and black tea still boast massive consumption volumes; it is simply that they generate less noise in the market.

well-designed booths turn up in Bangkok, only relating coffee (Chinese expo photo from Cary)

-Can you describe Chinese tea preferences related to generally corresponding to local version preference (eg. the main local types), to often matching up with standard forms (Longjing, Tie Guan Yin), to some other types expanding in awareness and demand, or somewhere in between?  Of course this would vary by person, and individual awareness, so the question relates to standard forms of tea appreciation and broad trends, and how this changes over time.

There are no obvious tea products from a specific origin or particular tea categories showing exceptionally strong performance, nor is there any observed special consumer preference for local teas.

Marketing plays a massive role in tea selection, especially when it comes to choosing specific types of tea. The rise and fall of Puer tea over twenty years ago, the rise of white tea over a decade ago, and the decline of Tie Guan Yin ten years ago all saw marketing play a huge part. Every year, roving tea expos are held in dozens of Chinese cities, with some cities hosting two a year. These serve as a great window for observing trending fashions in Chinese tea, where one can clearly sense that Puer and white tea have been on a downward trend in recent years. Although there are indeed very good, high-quality white and Puer teas on the market, people always harbor a sense of suspicion due to market chaos and a lack of information transparency, meaning these two types of tea do not make as much noise at the expos as they did a couple of years ago. 

When it comes to choosing tea, consumers are quite diverse: some prefer local green teas out of long-standing taste habits, while others are influenced by internet information, chasing after the types of tea that everyone is recommending, especially on platforms like Xiaohongshu (RED note) and Douyin.

-Is tea used as an investment?  Does this apply at all beyond pu’er type scope?  How has this changed over the past few years?  There’s an understanding that a tea investment bubble of sorts collapsed in the last year or so; is that accurate?

Puer tea is frequently used as an investment vehicle, particularly in places like Fangcun in Guangzhou and Yiwu in Zhejiang. White tea has had an impulse in recent years to be crafted into an investment product, but it hasn't been as "successful" as Puer, while other tea categories are rarely viewed as investments. 

Among brands, Da Yi has received the most criticism in this regard, often dubbed "financial tea." A few years ago, the secondary market prices for Da Yi tea would fluctuate dramatically even within half a day. Over the past year or two, along with the softening economy, many people who previously stockpiled tea have been dumping their inventory, triggering a crash in the Puer tea market. This is indeed the case: the Fangcun market in Guangzhou, which was previously the hottest speculative hub for Puer tea, is now exceptionally quiet.

-How are hybrid styles or production of different teas in different places developing?

Such attempts are very common. For example, Fu brick tea now comes in "Golden Flower" versions across almost all six major tea categories—Golden Flower green tea, Golden Flower oolong, and so on—though the taste leaves much to be desired. Of course, there are also items like peach oolong, jasmine-scented black tea, Yunnan oolong, and chenpi white tea. I believe these are efforts made by tea factories to boost sales; every factory is innovating in the hope of igniting a specific market growth point, which might appeal more to young people, especially those who primarily buy tea via the internet. 

Oriental Leaf Fu zhuan (hei cha, with golden flowers fungus)

However, looking at the current landscape, it seems that no single blended or crossover category has achieved massive success yet. On the other hand, regarding production in non-traditional origins, some teas may have been produced elsewhere for a long time—such as Longjing tea produced in Sichuan or Wuyi rock tea produced in Yunnan. But since this kind of practice is inherently deceptive, nobody talks about it openly.

Henan origin Dong Fang Mei Ren (OB) from Wanmu (from this review post)

-If tea demand has decreased has this related to decrease in production?  Is there a change-over in demand type and forms produced instead (eg. expanding Chinese matcha production)?

According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics in 2026, China's tea production in 2025 reached 3.92 million tons, a 4.8% increase. The production end of tea does not appear to have decreased. I believe the decline in demand is primarily driven by economic factors. Furthermore, aside from personal consumer purchases, various modern milk tea/boba tea chains now consume massive quantities of different types of tea. Recently, CHAGEE (a Chinese milk tea brand) launched a Fuzhuan brick tea milk tea in the five northwestern provinces of China, which received quite positive reviews. The milk tea industry indeed consumes a substantial amount of tea.

-How do you place the Western emphasis on Gongfu ceremonial brewing in relation to standard Chinese tea appreciation?  Are there equivalent “tea enthusiasts” in China, who use a different range of brewing approaches, or embrace aesthetic themes differently, or is tea known of and approached differently in certain areas (eg. in tea production areas)?

Tea-drinking methods in China are diverse. Gongfu tea originally only popular in South China (such as Guangdong and Fujian), and it has only been adopted nationwide for about ten to twenty years. Even now, many Chinese people still brew tea in simple glass cups. In the pre-internet era of the last century, different regions truly had distinct brewing methods: the Northwest boiled brick tea with milk, Yunnan and Guizhou roasted tea over open fire, and Fujian and Guangdong practiced Gongfu brewing. Naturally, these traditional methods still exist today.

Many people also share their tea spaces and pursuits of tea aesthetics on Douyin, exhibiting drastically different aesthetic orientations, with each style enjoying a massive following.

I think the Western emphasis on the Gongfu tea ritual is quite normal, as people seek to capture the truest essence and flavor of the tea through ritual.

By comparison, I know some Chinese coffee enthusiasts who own a whole mountain of brewing gear—their grinders, powder distributors, filters, timers, and scales are extremely professional, likely surpassing the equipment sophistication of many Americans and Europeans. Many people in China criticize this approach as going overboard, even circulating videos of Italians making espresso very simply, without all these complex tools. I suppose the Western discussion around the ritual sense of tea is much like the Chinese debate surrounding coffee brewing.

-Can you describe how social media posting, online tea group discussion, and tea blogging work out in China; are there equivalent forms?

As we've discussed before, blogging is essentially dead in China, and BBS platforms or Discord don't exist there; social media is the main channel for tea-related discussions. Moreover, based on my observation, the atmosphere in Chinese tea communities is far inferior to that of Instagram, Reddit, or Discord. There is almost no serious discussion, and the space is saturated with marketing and metaphysical pseudoscience. 

Platforms like red note, Douyin, Kuaishou, Zhihu (which is similar to Quora), and WeChat Official Accounts feature a massive number of tea-related bloggers, but it feels largely one-way—meaning bloggers transmit information to their audience, and user participation goes no further than leaving comments, while online community engagement remains relatively weak. Discussions among tea enthusiasts probably take place more often in offline gatherings or through word-of-mouth among friends.

-Can you describe how your business focus relates to a specific form of tea appreciation, and how it goes connecting with a consumer base with similar interests, or developing type awareness?  Does that go differently in China and in the West?

If I were running an online tea business in China, it feels like I’d only have one real choice: live-streaming sales. I would need a mature streaming team to pull it off, and it would be utterly exhausting every single day. Offline business, on the other hand, relies mostly on acquaintance networks and suffers from severe homogeneity, making it hard to offer truly differentiated products and services. Both paths are draining, which isn't what I want.

livestream tea sales (photo credit and background article)

That’s why we chose to build an online business geared toward the international market. It allows me to reach global tea enthusiasts quite naturally, acquiring customers by sharing written content and imagery, and connecting with a broader community of tea lovers through niche influencers like you, and through online platforms. I much prefer my current state.

Regardless of whether it's domestic or international, I feel the tea business ultimately relies on reputation and repeat purchases. Good tea speaks for itself, driving customer retention and satisfaction. That’s precisely why we started with a relatively niche category like Fuzhuan brick tea. Being right here in its origin region gives us direct access to exceptional Fuzhuan, which is our core advantage.

The same logic applies to our Puer and Liubao teas. Years ago, I tasted some poorly stored Puer and Liubao teas, so I know firsthand what clean, natural dry storage actually means for dark tea. Because of that, we make it a point to convey this philosophy—and the superior tasting experience brought by dry-stored dark tea—directly to our customers.

My take on all of that

It seems very well-informed and insightful.  The parts about tea practice being different in different places, and exploration of hybrid and new styles, all match what I've heard from others.  My favorite Chinatown shop owners have mentioned following those online streaming tea sales before, commenting on how the teas can seem interesting, especially a time-dependent theme like early Longjing sales.  But they also commented that you really can't tell what is what from on-screen appearance and description, so it's a gamble buying anything from them.  The subject of some streamers being more reliable didn't come up in that limited discussion.

Tea vendors developing new business themes in China is also fascinating, mentioned somewhat indirectly here, related to their own experience.  Not much about that carries over to Western exposure, so it's interesting when it does, and all the more interesting when it relates to positive new source options.  

It makes you wonder why there aren't more commercial ties between Chinese sources and a Western market; that has been slow to evolve, in any form.  Social media content sources never overlapped.  There's the "great firewall" as a factor, but you can talk to people in China if they use a VPN, or possibly more directly if there are other connections (eg. they follow a Western blog).

It's all too much to summarize as conclusions here, or extend, and I don't have the expertise to do so anyway.  I've appreciated learning from these ideas, across a lot of different tea oriented scope.

Moychay Yiwu sheng pu'er comparison

 

Cloud Aroma Yiwu left, in all photos

I'm reviewing two Moychay Yiwu sheng pu'er samples, sent along with a set of samples for review, that I've been mentioning other teas from.  It was sent for that purpose (many thanks!), also in relation to helping out with translation review.

In these posts I won't review any teas that I don't like; there has to be a story to be told.  These two versions are in a grey area related to that.  They're good tea, but a bit unremarkable, not as distinctive as they could be.  General quality level was fine, probably better than it sounds from this description, since this doesn't focus on what I consider to be quality level markers for sheng pu'er (feel, mineral base, refinement, distinctive flavor aspects, etc.).  It's the last that could seem like a gap.  These are mostly floral in nature, but flavor aspects tend to combine.

One is clean and sweet, and the other contains a bit of extra bitterness and astringency, along the line of a dry edge, but not exactly that.  They're fine, but I don't experience them as something one would find so interesting that they'd really feel a need to place an order.  Maybe when a bit newer / younger other distinctive flavors stood out more?  Maybe they're transitioning into a character range that I don't prefer, related to an aging transition cycle?  I'm not sure.  Let's start with the Moychay page descriptions though; there could be a clue there.

Yiwu Cloud Aroma Sheng Puer (10 Euro / $11.70 USD)

Yiwu Cloud Aroma is a raw Pu-erh tea originating from the gentle, mist-covered mountains of Yiwu. The old-tree material from these forests is known for its softer, more elegant character compared to other Menghai regions...

...The liquor is clear yellow-gold with a delicate floral-herbal fragrance and a light sweetness carried by Yiwu’s characteristic soft mouthfeel.

Bitterness is restrained, allowing the sweetness to rise quickly and linger through multiple infusions. This tea is refined, balanced, and ideal for those who enjoy the gentle depth of Yiwu terroir.

$11.70 for 50 grams works out to 23 cents a gram, or equivalent to $82 per 357 gram cake.

That doesn't mention a year, when it was produced.  It was packed on December 2025, that sample, so it could be from 2025, or it's possible it's from before then, a 2024 version.  It could be an autumn harvest version; that would explain why flavors aren't quite as distinct as they could be.  Intensity was ok though, just nothing too exceptional.

YIWU SHENG CHA, from 2023  (20 Euro for 60 grams, $23, but only a 7 gram sample is available now)

Yiwu Raw Pu-erh Tea originates from Yiwu Mountain in Mengla County, Xishuangbanna, Yunnan Province. At an altitude of 1200–1500 meters, this region’s warm, humid climate and fertile soil provide the perfect environment for the Yunnan Da Ye Zhong tea variety. Yiwu Mountain is home to ancient tea gardens, with some trees aged over a century, contributing to the tea’s distinctive character.

Harvested annually between March 20 and May 30 [2023], the tea is made using traditional methods, including hand-picking, pan-firing, rolling, and sun-drying. Only one bud and three leaves are selected to ensure quality. The meticulous processing emphasizes preserving the tea’s original flavor and unique characteristics.

This tea brews into a bright golden infusion with a clean, refreshing taste and lingering sweetness. Aromatic notes of citrus peel and hints of aged wood combine with a silky texture, offering a layered and balanced flavor experience. The dry leaves feature tight, uniform shapes and a pleasant fragrance, reflecting the high standard of selection.

This version was 38 cents a gram, $135 for a standard 357 gram cake (for comparison; it's also not sold that way).

If these were pretty good Yiwu material versions, that matched standard type expectations, or at least were equivalent in some way, then the first pricing would be low, and this would about right.  The review notes cover how that seemed to go.

Review:

Yiwu Cloud Aroma:  pretty good.  Some bitterness and astringency come across this early, even though it's light, but the sweetness and floral nature is promising.  It probably includes a good bit of fruit, along with that floral range, but it will be easier to unpack in later versions, since this is just getting started.

The way the sweetness and mild bitterness complement each other is especially nice, already.

Yiwu Sheng Cha:  that's different.  A strong and warm mineral tone dominates this.  It's not that unusual for young sheng (this is from 2023, not that young / new), but Yiwu--which is really a broad area, so you can't really overgeneralize, as I'm doing--is often light, sweet, and floral, and not typically challenging.  This may be even more challenging next round, and then might ease up as further rounds progress; that's a fairly normal pattern for young sheng.

At this stage it's not nearly as promising and pleasant as the other.

Yiwu Cloud Aroma 2:  sweet and pleasant, with bitterness again balancing nicely with the sweetness.  I still can't get far with unpacking floral and some light fruit range.  Pronounced mineral gives it complexity and good flavor range balance, but makes it hard to isolated distinct flavor inputs.  Blending causes that too, but that may not be the cause in this case.  It seems not to be, it seems to just relate to how it comes across.

One could speculate about a flavors list, but these flavors are overlapping, making that difficult.  There is light floral range, warmer and sweeter floral range, and some degree of fruit, maybe along the line of pear.  It's not as fruity as some young sheng tends to be, but that is still a pleasant input, that works well along with the rest.

Yiwu Sheng Cha:  that mineral edge really increased, even though it had already dominated the first infusion.  It's clean enough, but it could be cleaner.  By that I mean that strong mineral that resembles limestone, or whatever stone, is different than mineral that one might interpret as tasting like kerosene.  This is in the middle.  

It's not bad, it's not a poorly made, low quality tea, but it's not great either, at least in relation to my own preference.  If that flavor was just a little cleaner and lighter this would be really nice, because the intensity if fine, and plenty of mineral input can work well.

Yiwu Cloud Aroma #3:  mineral and astringency edge seem to actually pick up in this, but not to reach the other's level.  Strong floral tones offset it, and it's a sweeter tea (more sweetness comes across; it's not sweet in the sense that sugar is).  Fullness and intensity are pleasant, and the aftertaste is.  It's nice.

Yiwu Sheng Cha:  that astringency edge and sort of dry mineral is easing up already, softening and warming.  This might be even better in another two rounds.  The other balances vaguely similar aspects in a nicer way, per my preference; that comparison doesn't help this tea.  

It's hard to say if this would be better in a couple of years, or have long term aging potential.  It's not exactly what I would associate with those themes.  The little aged Yiwu I've tried--maybe approaching a dozen versions, not just a few--had seemed to fade quite a bit, leaving a lot of warm-toned but subtle depth behind, while the bright floral and sweetness mostly dropped out.  It would require an unusual preference in sheng experience to love this as it is, but I suppose that some would.  

That bitterness and astringency common to a lot of sheng range, that people come to value later on, is dialed up a bit much in this.  I suppose it's possible that could relate to aging potential.

I'm rushing a bit because Saturday errands are starting to be pressing.  It would be better to drink water between these rounds, to clear my palate of this bitterness, astringency, and mineral flavor effects; I might do better describing flavors if I had.

Yiwu Cloud Aroma #4:  I'm trying a light round to see if that isolates flavors better.  It doesn't, for this tea.  It's interesting how so much depth comes across, while the higher end / more forward flavor is very light in this.  It's still smooth, sweet, floral, and complex, but not intense, not in terms of flavor.  The mineral depth still gives it balance, in a much lighter and more approachable form than the other version.

Yiwu Sheng Cha:  perhaps the best this has been.  Mineral is still a bit intense, but it balances better.  Bitterness falls into a better balance, less intense, better matched with the rest.  It's still vaguely floral, with lots more mineral input, perhaps including some fruit.  It's warmer in tone than the other, so all of that would relate to warmer versions than for the other.  I'll go a little stronger next round and then quit the notes; some other function comes up.

Yiwu Cloud Aroma #5:  it's warmer, and mineral plays more role in the profile, as occurred in the past rounds (that transition pattern).  I can't pick up any distinct flavors rushing through this.  Character is fine; it works.  Quality level seems good, but not unusual at all.  It could be more distinctive.

Yiwu Sheng Cha:  the best it has been, but only slightly softer than last round, otherwise not different.  

Conclusions:

Interesting, but not in a way that probably sounds much like high praise.  These were pretty good, but I'm evaluating them based on pretty high expectations, related to trying a lot of quite good sheng (dozens of good versions, and dozens of bad versions, and plenty in between).  Let's break those aspect related notes down to a summary.

Yiwu Cloud Aroma:  this was pretty good, pleasant, well balanced, with good sweetness, good feel, and decent intensity.  The flavors were just a bit vague, and intensity could've been dialed up a bit.  If this was an autumn harvest version, or a blend of different inputs, some of that lack of stronger and more distinctive positive range would make sense.  Or the material could just be only so good.

I ran across an interesting theme in trying a Thai sheng recently, from Wawee Tea, in that limited rain exposure that year decreased the annual harvest volume, and turned up the flavor intensity, concentrating flavor in the reduced leaf volume that was grown.  This could relate to the exact opposite, that tea plants experiencing a lot of rain input could've produced lots of leaf material, but at the cost of intensity and flavor distinctiveness being dialed down.  

Back to the value issue, for this relating to the cost of an $80 standard cake this tea is good, and a good value.  It's in the right general range for Yiwu, but floral notes could pop just a bit more.  It's very drinkable and pleasant.  I wouldn't age this, at all; I think it won't improve with even a year or two of further transition, and all the less so for another decade or two.

Yiwu Sheng Cha:  this was quite different.  An unusual mineral aspect, more bitterness, and greater intensity could've balanced better, and it wasn't as pleasant as the other tea for the first four or so infusions.  It must have been pretty intense 3 years ago, when new, since in a sense it kind of still is now.  Usually teas just evolve to lose brightness and freshness over that limited time-frame, although wetter storage conditions can shift flavors to be much heavier, and bitterness and astringency can evolve out quite a bit.  This wasn't all that heavy in tone, so storage conditions should have been moderate.

But it could've been better.  It's hard to see this as relating to a case where different preferences would relate to liking this version better than the other.  That's definitely possible; higher intensity level, heavier mineral, and more bitterness and astringency structure would suit some people.  Maybe it's even a higher quality tea than the other, in some limited sense.  But it lacked the intense, sweet floral range one might seek out in Yiwu.

I've tried some really good sheng versions from Moychay in the past.  One Nannuo version, that I actually bought in St. Petersburg, on a vacation there, was a turning point in my pu'er experience (reviewed here in 2018).  A couple of Jing Mai versions worked well for that origin area's typical character (sweet, approachable, often including a touch of pine, kind of floral beyond that).  Tea versions in general have been solid from them.

Yiwu has been an in-demand origin area for a long time.  The Tea Addict's Journal blog talks about this related to the later 2000s (or was that earlier 2010s?).  It's probably a well developed sub-set of sheng pu'er production, sourcing, and sales by now.

It's possible that has made sourcing from there problematic, as has occurred for those few really in-demand narrower origin areas (Bing Dao, Lao Ban Zhang, and so on).  Per my understanding it's not exactly a narrow or small area, but that long term balloon in demand over a number of years probably made that even worse.  That demand, or at least a part of it related to speculation, which could relate to "factory tea" versions more, has fallen off over the last year or so, but that may not help better version tea drinkers right away, or maybe that much ever.

Another thought occurs to me, related to describing how an even higher degree of inconsistency is normal from Chinatown shop sources.  These market type online vendors (like Moychay, Yunnan Sourcing, and maybe to a lesser extent King Tea Mall) carry pretty good products at good value, but there are limits to that.  I wouldn't expect too much from Wuyi Yancha or Dan Cong from Yunnan Sourcing (which of course aren't from Yunnan).  Their versions would be fine, probably better than you could buy in a grocery store in China (based on limited travel input; I've only been to China three times).  But it would probably be like this Yiwu sheng pu'er:  pretty good, but definitely not great.

So both of these teas had something different to offer, but it wasn't something that spoke as directly to my preferences as it might have.  It's not one of the more interesting stories I've ever told, but this is a lot of what tea exploration and experience is like.

Keoni on the elevated train

it was the pink line, way out there

Kalani on a ferris wheel

from around 80 feet up

this one keeps growing up too

Chen Sheng Hao 2020 and 2024 blended sheng pu'er

Someone mentioned really liking a value-oriented Chen Sheng Hao sheng pu'er online awhile back, so I ordered it, and a second cake to make a free shipping threshold (for orders over $70; that's quite fair, on the low side).  I don't remember which cake it was that they liked, of the two that I ordered; probably the 2020 version, but since personal preference varies it could have been either.

I like the idea of producers being able to make above average quality, low cost, blended input sheng pu'er cake versions.  That was always the theme for the Yunnan Sourcing Impression cakes, to be better than Dayi 7542 versions, and not cost much.  They gave up that second part; most Impression versions are over $100 now, or at least they had been, when I last checked.

I've tried a sample set of mixed versions of Chen Sheng Hao sheng before, sent by them for review.  Some samples (mini-cakes) were really exceptional, some pretty good, and some more in an ordinary range, but that was the idea, for them to present a set covering different range.  Previous individual posts would say more about all of that.

There was a problem with the shipping for this; Flash Express, a local Thai shipper, misplaced this on the last transit step.  Eventually I did get it, after some delay.  I think that's the second glitch in getting tea through them in about four tries, so they're around 50-50 for losing and then finding packages again, for me.  

Maybe it relates to the labels not being in Thai script (their local alphabet).  Transliterated place and address name use is very common here, but that may not work well for all local companies.  For people living in Thailand, and ordering tea from abroad, you really need to have it sent by standard mail / EMS anyway, so that import taxation is assigned at the local post office, versus packages being held at an import center, that they can't really make it back out of.  The process worked, this time, and as things worked out I have lots of other tea to be trying and writing about anyway, so the delay didn't matter.  But I'm getting to this fast, after getting it, because I've been curious about it.

2020 Fu Raw Pu-erh Tea  ($57 for a 357 gram cake)

Sourcing from Menghai, Yunnan

Blended (Multi-Region)

Tea tree over 80 years

The specially made Pu-erh was skillfully composed by Chen Sheng Hao with an elaborate combination of selected ecological ancient arbor tree aging material teas from tea mountain in Yunnan, China.

It affords liquid with a pure aroma and fine taste and is characterized by a sweet after-taste all its own. The tea has been well stored in the storage center of Chen Sheng Hao. The storage will help the tea to transform its bitter and astringent character into something rich and complex.

2024 Gan En Raw Pu-erh Tea  ($41 for a 357 gram cake)

Blended (Multi-Region)

Tea tree over 100 years

The 17-year development of Chen Sheng Hao owes much to the recognition and love of tea enthusiasts who have stood by us through thick and thin.

To express our gratitude to all those who have supported the growth of Chen Sheng Hao and accompanied the Chen Sheng Hao brand, we are proud to introduce the "Gan En" Raw Puerh Tea (357g ) and Gan En 99 Ripe Puerh Tea (200g). The name "Gan En 99" (感恩99) is a homophone for "Gan'en Jiu Jiu," (感恩久久) which means "Long-lasting gratitude."

The raw Puerh "Gan En" has a high, lasting aroma, a mellow and full flavor, and a sweet aftertaste.

There isn't really that much in those descriptions about flavor profiles, but that sort of makes sense.  Whatever they would have written originally about a 6 year old version would have kept changing from year to year, and even a description like "pronounced bitterness" may or may not apply well in a few years.  I'll add plenty of my own description here.

Review:  

way overbrewed, obviously; overestimating timing to get them started

2020 Fu Raw Pu-erh Tea:  warm in tone; I don't remember the age of this, but it can't be that young.  Bitterness and astringency aren't high, yet, which I would have expected from the color, but I'd expect the next round to be quite different.  This is quite promising.  Hints of pleasant warm toned floral range stands out, and there will be plenty of mineral evolving in this, it seems, and other complexity.

2024 Gan En Raw Pu-erh Tea:  a good bit sharper, with more bitterness and astringency, and one unusual vegetal range flavor, that borders on mineral tone, or overlaps with it.  It seems to include some citrus as well, along the line of dried orange or tangerine peel.  

Of course I've screwed up the proportion again; that's more or less my norm now, never adjusting for teas being on the intense side.  These are maxed out, at 8 or 9 grams, which means that I won't get too far through them (or rather I did, by way of drinking a lot of tea, and throwing away the last of some of the rounds).  It would make more sense to brew these using 5 or 6 grams, even for drinking one alone, I just don't usually make tea in that way.

A infusion #2, the 2020 version (I wrote notes without looking up names, which didn't add much later anyway):  brewed light these seem to still be opening up.  Bitterness and astringency are higher, and overall intensity, even for a flash brewed round.  Floral intensity and complexity is good; it's pleasant.  Feel is nice, although that will keep developing, as aftertaste also will.  

For a moderate cost version sheng this already stands out.  It doesn't seem like a lot of blending input has rounded off the more distinctive form of individual aspects either.  It's mostly covering floral range, which can seem a little general, but some depth to that could be different things, like cooked pumpkin or ripe papaya.  A flinty mineral edge is pleasant, and there is warm depth to the mineral as well.  It's nice.

B (the 2024 version):  that one bitter aspect really ramps up.  Someone would have to be ok with significant bitterness to like this.  I've eaten a lot of bitter gourd this year, or bitter melon, maybe some call it, grown in our garden in Hawaii, and this reminds me of that, the vegetal range mixed with pronounced bitterness.  I'm fine with a good bit of bitterness, but I tend to like more approachable sheng more.

This is so bitter that the aftertaste carries over as both bitterness and sweetness, which is interesting.  Usually the bitterness transitions directly to sweetness, but this still includes both.  Other flavor seems to be heavy on mineral.  That citrus fruit tone might re-emerge once the rest settles down a little.

A #3:  not so different; it might be a few infusions until this evolves further.  Bitterness, full feel, with considerable astringency, and warm floral and mineral tones stand out.  The balance is good.  I think it will be better once it loosens up a little more, in a couple more rounds, but it's pleasant now.

B:  other flavor starts to develop beyond the bitterness, but that bitterness really still stands out.  Did I ever read the product description, prior to ordering this?  At least it has plenty of intensity to continue to evolve; there is no way this tea would just die, over any time-frame.  

People might place this vegetal range differently.  There's a sharpness and heaviness to it that reminds me of pine sawdust, for example when you are cutting a lot of plywood, maybe to put a roof on a house.  It's also not unlike bitter melon, or bitter gourd.  I just bought that as a pre-prepared herb tea, sold in Royal Project stores here.  It's a bit intense, to be infusing as a tisane, even in a trace amount, but if it's as healthy as the rough taste implies then it would be worth it.

A #4:  this evolves into a spice range depth; that's pleasant, and a good sign for further aging transition.  It's along the line of an incense spice, some exotic bark flavor, agar wood or whatever (just placing the range; I really can't identify that particular flavor).  It's not really "loosening up" in terms of initial intensity and punch softening, but it should get there.

B:  this does continue to evolve to soften and come across as more complex, but the other has been more approachable and less intense across all the transitions.  I don't find that somewhat extreme vegetal range off-putting; it kind of works.  It's distinctive, and pretty far from the not so pleasant "tastes like kerosene" sheng flavor that puts people off, the more typical factory version input.  Maybe this starts to taste like leather instead of pine sawdust, a positive transition.  

But it's not as unpleasant as that makes it sound.  Sweetness is good, bitterness kind of works, feel isn't so bad, full and intense, but nice enough.  You're in it for the ride, with this degree of intensity, and challenging character, but it works, within that range.

A, #5:  now it loosens up, a little, gaining even more warm spice complexity.  It's hard to pin down what that newly evolved aspect is.  Let's just leave it at warm spice, and give it another read as rounds progress.

In re-trying it during editing I don't mention a dry edge to the feel, which seems to link to a particular range of mineral flavor.  For some people that would balance nicely with the rest, for others it could be inconsequential, and for others yet it could be a deal-breaker, a very negative aspect range that ruins the experience.  Higher end, more expensive, often presented as gushu material sheng tends to be different than this, to express a softer but full feel, and a lot of depth.  So I suppose it's not just personal preference in relation to aspects and styles that factors in, but acclimation to different other ranges of sheng pu'er experience.

B:  this loosens up too; that's pleasant!  Bitterness evolves to soften and fall into a lower range balance with the rest.  Tones seem a little warmer.

A #6:  this integrates as a unified, balanced experience better than ever.  It's definitely punching above its weight for a well-balanced, complex, and intense moderate cost sheng.  Feel is pleasant, and intensity carries over to a nice aftertaste expression.  Warmer mineral tones, now transitioned to include a good bit of spice, balance the lighter mineral, bitterness, and floral range.  

This doesn't include the aggressive, harsher intensity that might indicate it would still be intense in complex in another 25 years, but it doesn't seem like it would just die either.  It's in a nice place for medium age range transitioning, no matter how old or young it is just now.  Within the next 5 years or so it should keep on picking up warmer tones and depth, before it eventually might fall into a "teen years" sort of off character, not balancing as well for changing from one thing to another.  It would be pleasant during those transition years (the next 5), because it's pleasant now.

B:  it's interesting how floral range really seems to pick up in this, as if perhaps it had been there all along, but it needed the bitterness and other vegetal range to quiet down a little to show through.  It has a really pronounced green vegetal note, which I've been describing in different ways, as it keeps evolving.  Sure, it still tastes somewhat like bitter gourd.  But that flavor is quite different when it's hitting hard as a very dominant tone, and when you can get it to integrate with other range (I mean related to cooking with it, but here as it works as one component among others in an infusion).  

This may loosen up well too, over the next 5 years, with that heavy astringency, bitterness, and vegetal range giving way to whatever it transitions to.  It's not as pleasant just now, per my own preferences, but I suppose for people really into bitterness this is already just the thing.  It will probably be the best it has been within another 3 infusions or so, which I may not make it to during this round of note taking.  A dozen rounds of intense sheng is a lot to get through.  I've been throwing away some of the last of these rounds, to get a little further through, but I've been drinking most of it, so I'm 10 intense infusions in, which is an awful lot.  I'll probably do another, to mention some last thoughts on transition patterns.

It kind of goes without saying but brewing 5 or 6 grams of just one of these teas would be a lot more optimum than brewing 8 of both together.  On one level I already knew that, but it's a hard habit to break.

A #7:  the best this has been, but I could write the same words as the last round and those would work.  Warmer mineral and spice tones balance what had been present well.  I'll probably taste both of these again and notice that I missed some pretty obvious flavor descriptions.  I tried that one Viet Sun maocha again, one of the Y Ty versions, and noticed pronounced mint in later infusions, which I hadn't mentioned.  It can work out like that.  

There is so much warmth and depth in this that one part reminds me of a very light roasted coffee flavor.  You know when the berry notes present in some coffee can still emerge, because roast hasn't pulled it so far in the other direction?  Like that.  It's not overly berry-like, but something like dried blueberry might fit one part of it.  I'm not really pushing the tea hard enough to get the most conventional flavor expression out of it; these have still been very quickly brewed infusions.  That would surely mean these are only half spent so far, so that I'll miss the second half of the rounds in taking notes.  That's fine.

B:  again this balances better than ever too.  A full, syrupy feel is much more pleasant than a harsher blast of intensity in earlier rounds.  Sweetness stands out more, and floral range.  One part probably does relate to a dried citrus peel note, which was much lighter earlier on.  It's still a bit intense, and the feel is still a little harsh, in terms of pulling at the sides of your mouth, especially after you drink it.  

This might not have fully "loosened up" just yet; it may be best after a couple more rounds, at infusion 7.  If I had brewed 5 grams instead of 8 it could be much further along, for using longer infusion times, and speeding up that cycle.  Somehow this seemed like a mistake that had to be made.  I really don't understand why, but then I'm guided by intuition as much as reason, and I'm probably just botching lots of range of experience in making random choices like that.

A #8:  it might be time to start using longer than flash infusions for this.  It still provides plenty of intensity in that form, but the character would change some.

B:  for this one intensity is high enough that extending brewing time probably wouldn't help; this is enough.  The aspects description from the last round still works for both though.

A local Thai tea friend, who I don't know very well, that one guy that gets presented as a tea expert, Stephen, gave me a quite bitter sheng version a couple of years ago, that this reminds me of, in part.  It has softened and deepened to be quite pleasant, of course not losing all of that bitterness.  This probably includes a little more of a distinctive vegetal range flavor; that was just straight bitterness, with the usual floral and mineral range supporting that.

Ninth round, combined notes:  the bitterness, feel structure, and intensity ramp up for the first version, when brewed longer.  The balance does shift, back to more typical young or slightly aged sheng range, a couple years into transition.  The other tea picks up even more green wood character.  I suppose I hadn't been calling it that, but that's where it has shifted to now.   

Conclusions:

Very pleasant teas, considerably better than I expected, or even hoped for.  They're not even finished in terms of me getting a full experience of them, in general or for this brewing cycle; I can change brewing process and they'll be much different.  Within another year or two they'll be different in a different sense, actually evolving some in terms of fermentation transition, no matter how old they are.  It will be interesting looking up what these are, and commenting in relation to that.

Related to value you tend to never spend a moderate amount (around $100 for these two cakes, when many in a comparable range cost that for one), and see good results, and these were really nice, for value-oriented versions.  Again opinions would vary on that; some people would love them, and find them much better than the factory sheng that they've been experiencing, and for others accustomed to other range they could both seem off-putting.

The "older" version, from 2020, is at a decent place, for people who like a tea with a number of years of transition.  I'm accustomed to teas transitioning fast, living in Bangkok, and they surely weren't stored that hot or humid.  The storage input seems fine, related to conditions, to the extent someone can say anything about that.  They would've been better preserved, if stored quite cool and dry, so at least they are transitioning.

It's interesting to speculate about the high bitterness level and unusual vegetal nature of the younger 2024 version.  I think within 2 years it will probably come across quite differently, and I can't really guess about how it will change (especially flavor range, I mean).  For a tea sold at that price point it's great, because that's down in moderate cost factory tea range, and it's much better than that.  Of course someone needs to be ok with significant bitterness.  It doesn't include the challenging astringency that comes with low elevation grown, chopped plantation material versions, but it still packs a punch.

If you spend twice as much you can find versions like the 2020 tea that include slightly more distinctive flavor profiles, and more positive feel, but at this selling price point you probably can't do any better, if you can find anything remotely comparable to start with.  It's a perfect tea for a daily drinking rotation, when you feel like that style range; the role I hoped that it would fill.  It might hold up well to another decade of storage, and more complete aging, but I may well not find out, since I'll go ahead and drink it.

The 2024 tea might be much better after 2 or 3 more years of "early" character evolution; time will tell.  It's fine now, if an intense, bitter, somewhat vegetal range experience works for someone (with more floral flavor range expressed, but a little green wood or bitter melon flavor really stands out).  It might age well in the longer term; I really don't know.  One part of the "benchmark" theme related to the Dayi 7542, and the like, or typical Xiaguan character, is that you can expect common, known early character type to change in expected ways, but this is a little different.