Trying three grades of Huangshan Maofeng (green tea)

I'm reviewing half of a green tea sampler set from ITea World, three grades of Maofeng green tea.  It's represented as tying to a plucking standard and quality level:

6 Flavors Superior Green Tea Leaf Grade Collection Includes Longjing And Huangshan Maofeng 87G For Morning  ($36.90)

Introducing our Green Tea Leaf Grade Collection, a specially curated collection designed to help you discover how the picking grade of green tea leaves affects its flavor, aroma, and overall tea-drinking experience. This set includes two renowned Chinese green teas—Dragon Well (Longjing) and Huangshan Maofeng—both made from traditional heirloom varietals. The only difference? The picking grade of the leaves. You’ll be able to taste three distinct grades:

One bud, one leaf

One bud, two leaves

One bud, three leaves

Each tea is handpicked and processed by the same experienced tea master to ensure consistency in craftsmanship. By tasting the subtle variations from these different leaf grades, you'll develop a deeper understanding of green tea and find the perfect grade for your personal preferences.

I'll have to see how that bud theme works out for the Longjing; it usually just looks like small leaves.

In terms of value this seems fine; maybe 40 cents a gram for pretty good green tea.  It would be more in the Spring, and maybe it would make more sense to buy it then, even paying more, but for trying something novel (for people not already exposed to this range) they could catch back up on appreciating the fresh edge and intensity more later.

I wasn't keeping track of how many sample sets they've expanded to sell now.  It's a lot.  They're quite a bit better for this latest round of different sets than earlier on; the Dan Cong alone changes everything.  They cost more too; that's how it goes with higher quality, higher demand tea types.  Those earlier basic sets were great for just getting people started on basic oolongs and black teas, and such, but now these take another step.  An aged tea set has been pretty good, better than I expected, and another Longjing set was about as good as 8 or 9 month old versions were going to be.  Good Dan Cong is on another level, to me, and somehow theirs were way better than versions most often are.

Western vendors offer sample sets too, but they don't push into the range as far, or take up the same developed forms.  Most will offer one or two sets, so that you don't need to buy whole cakes of sheng or 50 grams of each type, and can go back and order more of what you like.  Yunnan Sourcing might sell 20 different sample sets, across a lot of types range, and maybe even more, but these are packaged in a novel way, set up to try each sample individually.  Does it make a difference?  Maybe not, usually.  But it's ideal for sharing them, or traveling with them, or not getting to some for a few months.

Review:

Level 4, 2 or 3 leaves:  fresh, bright, and vegetal, with pleasant sweetness and overall balance.  I don't want to overdo it with stating and re-stating that this must have been fresher when first produced, in April of 2024.  It's still good, this just wouldn't work for everyone into green tea.  The vegetal part tastes a little like green bean.  At least it's a relatively fresh version of green bean, not like well-steamed or canned forms.  Still, it tastes like green bean.

Level 2, 1 bud and 2 leaves:  slightly brighter and fresher, with a touch of nutty range.  This is more what I like best in green tea.  It's still vegetal, not that far off green bean, but it leans a little more towards sugar snap pea instead.  Feel might be slightly thicker; I'll have to focus on that as I go to tell better.

Premier, 1 bud and 1 leaf:  the flavor profile of this is different, with more separation from the other two than the first from the second.  There's a savory note in this.  That often reminds me of sun-dried tomato; maybe it's a little like that.  It doesn't necessarily seem fresher and brighter than the others.  The extra flavor range gives it more depth, but it's in a heavier and warmer tone.  

I don't necessarily like this more than the second version, where it did map like that in the middle round; it seemed better than the first.  It's just different.  There is different vegetal range beyond that savory note, that's hard to identify.  It's more like fresh soybean; back to coupling with some savory range.  It doesn't really express the nutty aspect in the second.

I hadn't mentioned brewing approach.  This proportion is moderate, for me, at maybe 5 grams per these 100 ml gaiwans (that probably fill to 90 at the most), so I used 20 or so seconds for the first round.  I'll bump that a little, on to 30.  Of course I didn't weigh or time any of that; I'm philosophically opposed to such things.  It's just to pass on an idea of it.

Level 4, #2:  a little grassiness is picking up, a fairly standard theme across a lot of green tea experience.  I wouldn't say that I hate that, I also just don't like it.  Flavors are generally clean, and decently fresh, but that grass flavor pulls it towards a steamed spinach effect.  I eat steamed spinach, to be clear; I like it.  And some seaweed, but this doesn't go there.  It expresses some umami but not enough that it stands out.  Feel is fine, but not full or rich, just present enough to support the experience.  It's not bad, it's just also not great.

Level 2:  this changed a good bit.  Nutty flavor range is replaced by a much greater depth.  It's a little towards the sun-dried tomato in the next version, just not a direct match.  Some degree of nutty flavor is still present.  I like the balance of this more, how it all comes together.  Feel is a little fuller than the first version.  Vegetal range is still in between fresh green bean and sugar snap pea, spanning both.  To me that's pleasant, but it would just depend on preference.  Someone else might interpret this as including kale as well, which I would take to be a more negative assessment (unless they love kale?).  

Being brewed stronger probably shifted how the flavors come across.  It's normal for some of that to happen across most tea types.

Premium:  steamed soybean is a much stronger flavor input now.  I actually like those, so this kind of works for me.  I'd probably rather experience Longjing of this quality level, but I already reviewed a set of those, and there are three more in this set.  I doubt that I'll be able to identify differences between the earlier one and that one, trying the teas weeks apart.  

When you taste in comparison like this the other teas tend to set a benchmark level, not an earlier experience, or all earlier experiences.  With enough tasting exposure you could place it against another range easier.  For me I would have better luck with that for other tea types, for sheng pu'er, black teas, and a range of oolongs.

Sweetness is pretty good in this, and thickness is fine, with a touch more aftertaste experience carrying over.  Some of that could serve as subtle quality markers.  That's more or less a working concept that I made up, one that helps me place what I'm experiencing.  The aspects that tend to identify tea quality the most don't necessarily directly overlap with those that make the experience most pleasant.  But then people could value different parts, or different aspects within a range, so that's subjective, and variable.

For green tea freshness would be a main concern, and these all are giving up a bit for being 9 or 10 months old.  From there distinctive flavor range would identify them as fully type-typical, kind of related to a quality issue, but different.  For green teas intensity, rich feel, sweetness level, and clean effect (like "refinement," an emergent property based on different aspects) would all identify quality.  Aftertaste expression kind of links with intensity, but it's something else as well.

To me this tasting a lot like cooked soybean and then sun-dried tomato and green bean beyond that is not an unusual theme (although I'm definitely no Maofeng expert), but back to preference it's also not completely positive.  The tea is good, but again I'd rather drink Longjing.  I'll brew these lighter next time, for more like 15 to 20 seconds, just to check on the difference that makes.

Level 4, #3:  lighter doesn't work as well for this; the sweetness seems to back off, and it comes across more like water vegetables were steamed in.  It's still ok, in one sense, but not as pleasant as the first two rounds.

Level 2:  again lower intensity isn't better for this, but to me the style and character hold up much better at this lower infusion strength.  Some intensity of flavor carries over better, even though it's also light.  The nutty aspect still stands out, in a nice way.  Vegetal range works well as a background input, not too focused on any one cooked vegetable theme.  I suppose sugar snap peas stand out most.  Grassiness doesn't enter in much.

Premier:  cooked soybean is now coupled with more cooked vegetables; this is a bit like a much stronger version of broth than the first was.  Warmth, depth, and some umami range stand out.  The Level 2 version covers brightness and freshness better, at this stage.

Nine cups of these teas is so much.  I'm curious about what one more strong round would be like, but it's getting to be a lot.  I'll take a break, and I may get back to that, or may not.  I would expect it will be more of that I've been describing, without much of a development or twist.

Fourth round, combined notes:  after a short break I did go there.  I do like these better brewed a bit longer, and they're holding up to this many rounds well.  None of the three are improving, or evolving in interesting and positive ways, more just hanging in there.  The descriptions from earlier rounds still apply.

Conclusions:

It's interesting liking the character of the Level 2 version the most, that flavor profile.  The Premier version is definitely a little more intense, with quite a bit more umami experience, but I don't like the taste of cooked soybeans with a little sundried tomato more than nuttiness with some brighter vegetal background.  The Level 4 version, the first, is more grassy, with more standard vegetable range.

I'm not sure this divide relates mostly to a plucking standard (what the material is made from).  They didn't confirm that plant types were identical, although they might be quite similar, or the same, and there's nothing in here about microclimate / terroir, them being from slightly different places.  Even being located on two different sides of the same hill could change things, a little, or broader inputs like elevation can.  Of course I'm not going to speculate about specifics.  They said that the same producer made them, implying that all other conditions were held to be as similar as possible, but who knows.

All in all this was an interesting experience.  It's hard to place in relation to Maofeng I've tried in the past; it's been awhile, and I've drank a good bit more Longjing, and not very much of that compared to sheng pu'er.  For a green tea drinker I think this would be all the nicer.

But then there's the freshness edge sub-theme; these must have had a little more of a fresh pop when first produced.  They're not settling into warmer, murkier flavors, necessarily, but it's quite possible that the comments here about cooked vegetables would've been about brighter or more floral range aspects when these were brand new.  I think exploring green tea right before the Spring harvest season is a little odd, but it could still make sense.  You would need to place it for what it is, considering that as one input.

It might be interesting for them to bundle left-over 2024 versions along with new 2025 teas.  I'm speculating about aging transition inputs, but in direct comparison you could try to sort that out, beyond different versions just varying for different reasons.  Aged green tea isn't a common thing, but to me transitions across different time-frames are interesting.  Black tea settles more over the first few months than people might expect, for example, and of course sheng pu'er does a lot more.

2015 aged Peony white tea mini cake

I'm reviewing one of the last samples from a set by Oriental Leaf, sent for review (many thanks).  This is described as Peony, also known as Bai Mu Dan.  Often Fujian (Fuding area) pressed white teas are Shou Mei instead, made mainly from older leaves, with Bai Mu Dan a mix of buds and finer leaves.  Typical processed style seems similar, between the two, but overall effect, the aspects, can vary a good bit in relation to the different material type used.

I'll keep this simple, citing their description after making notes, and writing what I think of it in those.  9 years old is a suitable amount of aging input; often 7 years is cited as a somewhat full transition level time period.  It would depend on storage conditions, and the tea would keep changing later, but 7 years is long enough for a lot of the basic changes to occur, picking up depth, warming in tone, etc.

2015 Aged Second-grade White Peony White Tea Mini Cake  ($6 for two 5-gram samples)

White peony tea  (Bai Mu Dan), a type of white tea characterized by its large, open leaves, is typically picked in the spring when the young leaves and tea buds are most tender. Peony tea has a light, delicate flavor often described as floral or fruity and is lower than silver needle.

This tea is made with second-grade tea leaves, which are slightly lower quality than first-grade tea leaves, but at a more reasonable price. The tea has a more complex flavor and a more prolonged aftertaste.

The tea has been aged since 2015, further developing its flavor. The tea has a rich, mellow taste with notes of honey, flowers, and nuts. The aftertaste is long-lasting and refreshing.

This tea is perfect for experienced tea drinkers who appreciate the complexity and depth of flavor that comes with aging. It is also a good choice for those who enjoy the mellow taste of white tea. The caffeine content in white tea is relatively low. Different types of white tea may require different water temperatures for brewing. White peony tea can be like loose-leaf tea or compressed sheets. The quality of white tea depends on factors such as the source of the tea plants and the processing methods. 

So far so good.  I think that's more a myth than actual reality that white teas are lower in caffeine level, but it's not that much of a red flag that the vendor shares that.  Some people still think that.

The description works, matching the tea experience.  The cost seems ok, $6 for 10 grams, or 60 cents a gram, even though that's on the high side in relation to buying in higher volume.  You can brew two rounds for those two tablets worth of tea, at $3 each, and it wouldn't change that much if it cost $2 instead.  It's on the high side for Shou Mei, but it's not Shou Mei.  Samples tend to cost a bit more per gram; it's just how that often goes.  They do sell these same samples for less when you buy more of them, so you can scale up purchase amount and reduce cost, if that's of interest.  It's as well to just try teas first though, to see what you make of them, before committing to buying much.  

Different vendors bundling more mainstream, common types and grades into sets that are quite moderate in cost doesn't contradict all that.  Here we would probably be looking for uniqueness, for an aging input making this tea more interesting than a standard white tea offering, and I'll return to whether or not that shows through in the conclusions.

Review:

#1:  I gave this a nice long soak to get infusion started, about a minute.  It will still probably be a bit light, since tablet or disc shapes take time to open up.

Yep, it's light.  Flavor that does show through is positive, quite promising (a hint of floral tone, and a hint of cinnamon spice).  Often this range of white tea forms can be too subtle, so that I tend to never buy pressed Shou Mei versions.  Maybe for this being Bai Mu Dan it will include more sweetness and floral range; we'll see.  

The tone for those should have warmed over 9 years, but if this was stored completely sealed in that multi-layer material sample package it might have been relatively preserved, unchanged no matter how long it spent in there.  I think the transition process is different for white teas than sheng, not involving the same degree of bacteria and fungus input, actual fermentation, but I'm not sure if it can change with essentially no external air contact input.

I'll give it another minute, to make sure this gets going.

#2:  thickness, sweetness, and intensity all pick up, but it's still not there yet.  One more long soak may only get the tea fully wetted, so the fourth infusion may tell more of the story.

One interesting type of background enters in that people can sell aged white tea that's not really aged.  How?  It's easy enough for producers to let white teas oxidize more during processing, to give them a long wither (let them sit), then the color will change, and flavors will deepen, in a vaguely comparable way to what 7 to 9 years of aging would cause.  Could I identify the difference?  Maybe, maybe not.  It would help if I'd been drinking a good bit of aged white teas over the last half dozen years, instead of very little of it.  I can still describe character, and if it's quite positive, even though "artificially" achieved, then it's still quite positive.  

"Real" aged white tea can still lack intensity and complexity, it seems to me.  I suppose that more dried fruit range should evolve, versus a partially oxidized white tea version just increasing warm tones a little.  Real aged versions should probably be a little sweeter, but when teas are subtle to begin with making that determination can be problematic.

People say that you should "use trusted sources," but then they never seem to move on to what kind of vendor profile or backstory is likely to indicate that they are trustworthy.  A vendor can be very convincing and still ingenuine, or provide very limited background information and story and still be telling the truth.  You need to be able to judge the tea itself, and that requires a lot of experience.

#3:  in a sense this is really nice, but in another sense intensity is so low that there isn't much to experience.  That's normal for a lot of white tea.  If I were to say that it tastes like warm floral tones, cinnamon spice, and rich autumn leaf scent, with a mild toffee-like sweetness, that wouldn't be wrong, but it's all just so light.  Some vendors would add another 3 or 4 flavor aspect descriptions, varying them over rounds, all but guaranteeing to you that flavor complexity and intensity are positive.  Then the tea might still be subtle like this, expressing a hint of this or that.

Bear in mind that I'm a sheng pu'er drinker, and oolongs tend to come across as limited in intensity to me; my expectations are dialed up a bit.  Acclimation can lead to that.

I'll let this brew just over a minute again, and it might show more intensity, since it's finally in the range of being fully wetted.  Four minutes of total brewing time is a good bit, but while half of the tea isn't soaked through yet that part hasn't been releasing much flavor.

#4:  the cinnamon evolves a bit more than the rest.  This is pleasant, just still on the subtle side.  You could have a comparable but more intense experience buying decent Oriental Beauty (relatively more oxidized Taiwanese oolong, that comes across as fruity, with some spice).

Since preference is always a main yardstick I can't necessarily clearly identify limited intensity as a flaw, but to me it's like that, a limitation.  Of course it's possible to push the tea, to use full boiling point water, higher proportion, and a longer infusion time, and intensity will pick up.  I'm brewing something like 5 or 6 grams in 100 ml gaiwan, it looks like, so using a minute for infusion time isn't as much when you consider this is using less material than I typically do (more often 8 to 10 grams, with proportion maxed out, even using much more intense types of teas).

I'll give this a two minute soak and then leave off the notes.  It's fine; it's ok.  People on this page for tea character would enjoy it.  People getting rocked by sheng pu'er intensity most days would probably see it as a miss, more often.  Even a black tea or oolong drinker could see the limited intensity as a problem, but that would just depend.  It's normal for white teas though; this is in a normal range.  I would have a standard Shou Mei version from 7 or so years ago stashed somewhere; I could keep going with comparison.  There wouldn't be much point though; there would always be the question of just how good that version really was, if it expressed the best of the range or if it was below average.

#5:  Since I hadn't ripped the pressed sheets apart even after infusing for nearly 6 minutes now the innermost layers aren't completely soaked through yet.  Getting the most out of this version probably relates to messing with it, to doing that.  I did just break it all apart and re-added the water, giving it two infusions with the same liquid, but brewing temperature must have dropped way off, since this has been soaking for well over two minutes.

It's slightly more intense, richer in feel, with deeper, warmer flavors showing through.  It's nice.

Just how nice, though?  Does it seem definitely "real," tea that actually has been around for 9 years?  Is the flavor distinctive, complex, and compelling?  To me it's just pleasant, none of all that.  But then I don't love aged white tea that much.  It always promises to deliver on deep, rich, complex, varied, sweet tones, and then when you try it it's fine, and those things are there, if you look for them, but intensity is limited, and complexity occurs across a relatively narrow range.  It always seems like maybe there's a different, better example out there, that you just aren't sourcing right to find it yet.

I can go a little further with that.  In 2017 I did a combined white tea tasting that didn't necessarily make sense, this one:

Comparing compressed white teas, shou mei, gong mei, and one freestyle

Those teas ranged from 2008 to 2015, so the oldest then was supposedly 9 years old, as with this one.  One is Gong Mei, the style of white tea that contains even more bud content than Bai Mu Dan, if I've got that right.  Probably it's not quite that simple, and there is more to typical background themes and typical style, but it works to say that both are represented as not being made from mostly older leaf material.

I've drank most of all those teas since, just not all of them.  I think a chunk of the Gong Mei is at the bottom of a storage box somewhere.  I use aged white tea to drink while fasting, to get a break from shu pu'er, since those two types work best on an absolutely empty stomach.  I'm not sure any changed all that much in relation to aging another 7 years since, which would make the one 16 years old now, but I think it's already gone.

That older version had been kind of so-so in quality level, so the aging status is less meaningful.  Maybe they were "faking" aged shou mei versions even back then, 7 years ago, and it was just more oxidized white tea, not a version that old.  Who knows.

I didn't frame that as a selling point but aged white tea can be great to drink when you are sick.  It has a depth to it, and sweetness, and it's quite mild and approachable, and all that fits perfectly well when you are too sick to appreciate stronger versions of teas.  I would've been happy to drink this when I had the flu last week.  

Or day to day preference varies; maybe just for a change sometime.  I wouldn't be open to spending much on having this kind of experience; white teas like this tend to not cost all that much, and to me there isn't enough distinctive about the experience to justify that.  Then again if someone had never tried decent aged white tea and wanted to that would increase the draw quite a bit, and this probably wouldn't turn up for 20 or 30 cents a gram either.  It'll be interesting to see a listed price.

Conclusions:

So it's 60 cents a gram; a bit more, probably related to this being a sample, and tied to the distinctive aged version and Bai Mu Dan parts.  It's fine as an experience, and fine for trying this kind of tea, but I think someone would come away from it questioning if they had the best range of this kind of experience.  

What about the "second grade" part; couldn't it be better as the highest grade?  Would the aging input be clearer to identify and stronger if it hadn't been quite as completely sealed from all air contact?  White tea doesn't necessarily ferment, like sheng pu'er, but limited air exposure might help it transition, being stored in a cake in a wrapper that's not well-sealed.

As with trying lots of other samples lately I think this is fine for an entry into this kind of experience, but for people already further along the path this would be similar to what they've already explored, and they'd probably be interested in seeking out even more exceptional ground.  Or at least an inexpensive aged Shou Mei from a Chinatown market shop, sitting all but forgotten in a basement section, would be so inexpensive that it would be worth buying 357 or so grams to have an easy to drink white tea around.  

If this had "popped" just a little more, extending into dried fruit range, for example, then it might justify being a next level experience better.  As it is it's fine, pleasant for this kind of thing, just a bit unremarkable.

Comparing Son La (Vietnamese), Naka, and Bangwai sheng

 

Son La left, Naka middle, Bangwai right, in all photos

In reviewing two Tea Mania gushu sheng pu'er versions recently I felt as if I didn't really place quality levels and style as much as I'd hoped to.  In comparison reviewing a vendor's teas along with each other the main current benchmark, the other version, tends to be something similar in style and quality level.  This adjusts for that.

Of course there are flaws and limitations to the approach.  Style of tea varies a lot, and you need to take that into account in description.  Personal preference can favor a style most others would see as inferior to experience, related to their preference.  I try to make all that explicit in these notes, but I can't drill down too far across all the scope.  When reviewing a number of teas together it's natural to focus on flavor aspects more than mouthfeel or aftertaste range; that narrowing of scope of consideration happens automatically.

I want to keep descriptions short here because comparison reviews run long.  Let's let the vendor's descriptions introduce what these are.

Viet Sun Son La cake (the 2023 version, the one I tried, seems to be sold out; I can cover 2024 instead related to product description, and mention what I knew of the other).

2024, 200 gram cake, selling for $48

A very special tea from Sơn La province in northwest Vietnam.

This is a tea from arguably the best ancient tree gardens in Bắc Yên district of Sơn La province growing at 1400m. The people living and making tea here are of the H'Mông ethnicity.

This tea was made in an area called Tà Xùa, one of the more well known areas for old tree Assamica tea in Vietnam and is located just south of where the 2023 Sơn La tea was made. Tà Xùa mainly produces wok made green tea but we were lucky enough to have the chance to get some of the raw puerh version.

This tea has some aggressiveness and kiss of smoke from the wok which is typical of this area although subdued compared to the 2023 tea. This tea brews up into a rich gold green soup. Heavily floral, fruity and sweet with some citrus notes, medium bitterness/ astringency. This tea has a pleasant minerality with a rich lasting Huigan and strong qi.

Apparently the 2023 version listed for $77 for 370 grams, so 21 cents a gram instead of 24.  What is that, a 15% increase in a year?  Viet Sun teas always were going to increase in price once awareness and demand ramped up, and this is probably how this will go.  They'll outpace inflation for a half dozen years and level off as costing what main source Yunnan teas do now, $100-120 per cake.

Cheng Sheng Hao Naka sample, part of a sample set, selling for $79 per 195 grams.

That's not double the Viet Sun pricing but getting on towards that.  Some of their teas included were really exceptional, and some more ordinary, making it hard to assess value.

2022 Na Ka (那卡)

“Na Ka” is the sweetness representative of Pu-Erh tea. The soup has an attractive pale-gold color in the cup. The aroma and taste are alluring, exhibiting a noticeable peach-like flavor and strong sweetness in the later infusions. There is also a strong cup scent left behind in the early brews. 

Tea Mania 2022 Bangwai sheng, 200 grams for $111

Harvest: Spring 2022

Pressed: 2022

Typ: Sheng

Aroma: Spicy, much Cha Qi and sweet finish

Terroir: Bangwai, Lancang prefecture, Yunnan province, China

The rest of the description pretty much just says that it's gushu, from old plant material.  It includes description like this:

The Bangwai Gushu is celebrated for its meticulous, traditional handmade processing and the selective use of the finest tea leaves. This dedication to quality is evident in every sip, making it a treasured choice among collectors. Due to the limited availability, Pu-erh teas from the Bangwai region are released in small quantities each year, adding to their exclusivity and allure.

So these sell for 24 cents a gram (the 2024 Son La version, the only one available now), just under 40, and 55 cents a gram; quite a range.  

It's not a fair comparison with the Naka version because 3 of the 7 in that set were presented as more exceptional, higher demand, award winning versions, and the other 4 at representative of a local origin type.  There's no way to estimate how some better versions represent higher value for the average, without looking up other things that they sell, which I'm not going to do here.

These teas are from 2023 (the Son La version), 2021 (Naka), and 2022 (Bangwai); that will throw off comparison a little too.  I won't emphasize likely changes from aging input and storage conditions here, going more by experienced character, because again a three-way comparison tasting is a lot to cover, and to read.  

I really wanted to try a sample of a 2024 Son La tea with these, to get to tasting a little sent along with the last re-order of a 2023 cake, but to keep the aging input more consistent I didn't.

Review:

Son La #1:  this won't be a fair comparison at this stage because this version is loose, ready to start brewing right away, so I infused it for less time, 15 seconds or so, versus over 30 for the others.  It still won't balance; it will start faster.

This is ready to review for flavor profile description, even if a little light.  Floral range is pronounced and complex, sweetness is good, bitterness not really started yet, and feel is starting in.  There might be a faint hint of smoke but I think that drops out.  It's good, a personal favorite.

Naka and Bangwai:  I'll skip saying anything; even next round these might not be started yet.  Compressed forms are like that, and separating apart these forms is not easy.  

I'll use 10 seconds for the Son La version and a minute or so for both others again to get these to balance being wetted better, but that will probably even up more in a third round.

Son La #2:  intensity picks way up.  Bitterness does really enter in, and sweetness elevates to match.  Flavors range is mostly floral, although I'd interpret some of it as fruit as well.  Feel is nice, a bit full, not overly structured, and not challenging.  Intensity draws out aftertaste experience already, even though this has only been brewing for about 20 seconds so far.

Naka:  there's an odd woody flavor component to this.  I've always wondered if using cardboard as storage container wouldn't impart some flavor, if that's not what I pick up when some teas taste a little like cardboard or wood.  It will probably fade fast as the main tea flavors pick up.  I had an interesting experience with the earlier two Tea Mania teas I tried barely getting started in the first two rounds, as the tea opened up and wetted; that may be going on with this.  It's not soaked through yet.

Bangwai:  a really catchy fruit tone shows through.  It seems like it's probably coupled with a spice input, which makes it seem all the more complex and interesting.  It's still too light for clear evaluation though.  I'll again brew the Son La version for about 10 seconds and the other two for over 30, backing off the full minute I gave them last round.  Of course I'm breaking normal form and discarding most of these first two rounds, since tasting three teas will add up fast for volume.

Son La #3:  a bit strong; I've probably botched proportion for using an amount too close to my normal range, maybe backing off to 8 grams instead of 10, but it's still too much.  [later edit:  wetted leaf volume, a better indicator of amount, if you don't weigh the material, indicates there isn't as much difference as it seems through most of this tasting].  Warm tones pick up in this round, and intensity is high.  Bitterness is pronounced, and sweetness; they balance.  

It's clear from the leaf color alone that oxidation level varies in this tea, which some people would see as a flaw.  For me the final experience is the thing, and this works, so it's not really that, just unique in style.  That warmth and richer flavors in the profile must relate to that, at least in part.

Naka:  this tea is quite decent, but it's probably going to suffer in comparison with these other two.  Sweetness level isn't pronounced, but it includes some sweetness.  Floral range is there but it's also a bit muted.  Feel is decent, with moderate fullness, but it all seems a bit muted in comparison with the Son La version.  That tea is much further along for brewing, so it's not a fair comparison.

Bangwai:  flavor range is quite novel for this.  I'd place that mainly as root spice, at least at this round.  Floral range fills that in, but it's less distinct.  Bitterness and feel aren't so pronounced or challenging, but it works for balance.  It comes across as refined; there are no negative inputs or rough edges, and there's an experience of depth.  

A friend recently asked what I mean by root spice.  Does this taste like sassafras, ginseng, ginger, turmeric, or horseradish?  It's the first, a lot like sassafras, maybe leaning a little towards ginseng.  There are other roots that can be brewed as tisanes, just as there are plenty of other bark spices beyond cinnamon.  They can tend to group up across a common character range, even though many are very spicy, while others are mild.  I went through a decade long tisane drinking phase, during which I could've placed all that better.  As a placeholder, if someone is thrown off by this description, they can just swap in sassafras root, and if that's not familiar think of it as tasting like ginseng, or ignore the description.

The Son La version is dialed way up across most aspect range in comparison, with more intensity, flavor complexity, bitterness, sweetness, and feel structure, but there's something pleasant about a more limited flavor range, good balance, refinement, and depth.  It's a different kind of pleasantness.  Again this tea isn't fully wetted yet, so it might change a good bit over the next two rounds.  Some leaves will have been brewing for 5 rounds by then, so it will gain complexity by mixing inputs across an infusion cycle.  

Son La #4:  bitterness seems to stand out all the more.  How much I notice that might vary over time, depending on expectations, or just paying attention.  In comparison with less bitter teas it's hard to miss.  I'm still brewing this pretty fast but at a high proportion it's going to be intense; I would imagine most people might like it lighter, using less leaf and still a short infusion time.  Probably how I drink teas varies day to day, with mood, especially infusion strength.

Some of the plant-stem sort of flavor that relates to a connection with bitterness might divide people on preference for this.  I'm fine with it; it works for me.  Five years ago I probably wouldn't have liked it as much, but I've drank a lot of relatively bitter tea in that time.

Naka:  again this tastes like pretty decent sheng, and it balances ok, and has a decent profile, but it comes across as muted after trying the Son La.  It being two years older probably isn't helping with that.

It's probably better that high bitterness and edgier feel are not present, that it balances more at fullness.  It just doesn't have pronounced sweetness or strong floral range to fill in complexity.  I think tasted alone it would seem better.  No part of this seems like a flaw, beyond flavors being limited.  Feel is fine.  Given it was described as being unusually sweet I guess that's a let-down, but still it's ok.

Bangwai:  this stands out for being the opposite, in a sense, unusually distinctive.  It ties mostly to a limited range of flavor input, that's not all one thing, but is complex across a limited range.  It seems like mainly root spice, to me, with some floral input supporting that, and range that might seem more vegetal across a more medicinal range, like herbs.  Feel is smooth, full, and "round," not challenging at all, bringing across an impression of depth.  

For someone looking for the blast of bitterness, sweetness, feel intensity, and strong flavor in the Son La this could also seem muted, but to me there is a good bit going on.  It's just a very different kind of experience.

I've not been mentioning aging input differences, and that could be a factor.  The Son La is from 2023, the Naka from 2021, and Bangwai from 2022.  The Vietnamese version would pick up depth and lose sharper range and some intensity over two more years.  I see that as good and bad; to me those are positive, they work.  Maybe since intensity and complexity is so significant it will improve from that trade-off.  I've drank about two thirds of this cake, so it won't be around for me to know in two more years, but I bought a replacement of it to fill that role.

The Naka is most muted from aging longer, 3 years instead of 1 or 2.  That can bring across a positive experience of warmer tones and depth, and to some extent that occurs in this version.  It's just hard to appreciate when it's giving up intensity, complexity, and distinctiveness in relation to the other two versions, as described in detail in these notes.  If someone really loves a softer, richer, less challenging tea version it could be better, but the Bangwai also lacks rough edges.

I haven't finished all of these rounds, discarding some, but part of 12 cups was already a lot, right when the second two are finally fully wetted.  I'll need to take a break and eat something to offset the stomach impact.

Son La, #5:  again quite pleasant.  Strong intensity, even brewed quite fast, stands out, along with sweetness, bitterness, and a plant-stem sort of flavor input.  Floral range that I interpret as including some lighter, hard to pin down fruit component makes it complex and balanced.  I think match to what I like is more of the appeal than some abstract and objective quality level, but not much of this would be regarded as a flaw, as I see it.

Naka:  again I think this would come across better without the direct comparison, because it seems a bit muted and lacking in flavor complexity.  It has good depth though, and is clean in flavor range, with balancing bitterness and full feel.  Flavor range is fine, but it's just indistinct floral range.

Bangwai:  that distinctive flavor range, a set, really, is evolving.  It's still in root spice / Chinese herb medicinal range, but different now.  I suppose preference for this tea would depend on if someone loves that kind of novel flavor experience or not, that particular version of it.  I could imagine a lot of people loving this as a novel experience but not preferring to experience it over and over, as a 357 gram cake.  These are selling as smaller cakes; 200 grams isn't the same thing, since this would still be novel for the first half dozen sessions. 

I think it partly relates to having basic tastes, preference, but for drinking a tea version over and over I'd go with the Son La.  This Naka version isn't offensive in any way, maybe the most neutral of the three, with pretty decent overall balance and depth, so it could work well as a sort of plain tea to have with breakfasts.  Why not have that be lots more intense though?  Maybe that's what sheng pu'er is supplying that I end up craving.

Son La, #6:  it's interesting brewing this faster across the whole tasting, but part of that is getting the proportion wrong, using too much of this.  It's more intense than the others but not that much more intense.  

later edit:  there is a slightly higher proportion, as shown by wet leaf volume, but not that much.  It's a more intense tea than the other two.  That's normal for it being younger / less transitioned.  Astringency is higher too; I don't mention much of that as a trade-off, because to me it's not so negative, but it could be to others.

This is better than ever; the initial rough edges are smoothing out, and it picks up warmth and depth.  Richness of feel picks up, evolving from a slightly rougher structure earlier.  The rest is as described earlier.

Naka:  not evolving, as described before, pretty good and decently balanced, just not as intense and distinctive as the others.

Bangwai:  not really evolved in relation to the last round.  This is the most unique and distinctive as flavors go, and has the most refinement and depth.  

As objective quality level assessment goes this is probably the best, but match to personal preference is something else again.  That flavor set someone might love or else not like.  I have no idea about match to a conventional local origin type or standard character.  

It would seem odd to me that this could be typical, given how distinctive it is, but I really don't know.  Maybe versions from there tend to be distinctive in different ways, so it is a common generality, just not in terms of this exact aspect set.

Conclusions:

Going in this wasn't a fair test for the Naka version, from the Cheng Sheng Hao vendor.  The Son La tea is a personal favorite, and Tea Mania is sourcing some pretty good tea versions, and selling those at medium-high pricing rates because of that quality level and distinctiveness.  

This Naka tea wasn't presented as one of the best versions from that vendor, more as representative of a local origin type.  I'm not sure that it lived up to that.  I'm particularly bad at memorizing a matrix of typical local origin sheng pu'er aspect sets, but per description sweetness was the thing to look out for, and it was no sweeter than the others, and less so than the Son La version, which included other range some might find off-putting.

The story of the Bangwai version was novel flavor profile, along with depth and refinement.  It's a pretty good theme.  The last post comparing Tea Mania teas mentions a tasting set that they sell; that's probably a good way to assess some different versions to help place them in relation to preference, and to judge quality for yourself.

The one limitation I want to address here relates to people not being able to experience a volume of different teas, to costs really adding up.  Of course someone could spend over $100 on sets from each of these vendors (often free shipping starts in at around that price level), and they'd have their own impressions, but $400 might be most of a conventional annual tea budget for a lot of people.  Drinking tea every day for not much over $1 a day is pushing it, but it is practical to only drink 5 to 8 grams of a 20-some cents per gram tea per day.  

It can get a little annoying seeing people present photos of $500+ orders in tea groups, as if this isn't even a factor for them.  It seems to be about them promoting being ahead in some sort of exposure game.  It would be nice to be able to spend thousands of dollars a year on tea, but I'm not trying to set up a high level of spending as some sort of assumed norm here.  

No one is missing that much for not ever trying these three teas, or anything like them.  It's just tea.  If you acclimate to prefer what others regard as quality markers, and seek out rarer in-demand tea types, your required expense will escalate, but it's not necessary to spend $100 on a cake, or 30-some cents per gram, to get decent tea now.  But to buy tea that's in the highest demand that's probably not even close to enough.

On the other side of that if someone spends $8 a day on a coffee drink they have the same beverage experience, over and over.  To me that's $240 a month essentially wasted.  It's better to spend $70 to 100 on a 357 gram cake, drink 8-10 grams of tea a day worth, and have that cover more than a month of experience.  Sampling different sheng helps with placing where to go with that exploration.  

Spending $100 on a month and a half worth of tea still works out to an $800 per year expense; it's still too much for everyone at or under the average in income, both in the US and in Thailand, the two places that I tend to live.  I suppose that's just how it has to go, that people experiencing above average quality tea on a regular basis would face an above average level of expense.  That doesn't mean that good tea is only for the wealthy, but there is significant buy-in, when it comes to above average quality sheng pu'er range.

Oriental Leaf Too Pure sheng pu'er

 

I'm reviewing a second tea from Oriental Leaf, a China based vendor who sent teas for review (many thanks!).  They seemed to specialize in hei cha as much as anything else, the first version's type that I reviewed.  That tea was quite pleasant, a Fu brick golden-flowers version.  This is sheng pu'er.

It's a little odd that I'm not seeing mention of what it is beyond that, sheng from where.  This is represented as TooPure Raw/Sheng Puerh Tea Cake, with a code number identification of T007.  It lists for $2 for a 10 gram sample, and $68.50 for a standard cake (357 grams).

It says that it's a blend; it's possible that a number of location inputs was used.  Someone might interpret this as "generic sheng," as being too plain to have an origin location, but blending different areas' teas together can make sense.  It's possible that this is a main White 2 Tea vendor theme, that it can work to make well above average sheng versions by creating atypical, broad area sourced mixes, versions more balanced than any of the inputs.

This is the third China based vendor that I've been contacted by and have reviewed teas from, two this year, with ITea World originating last year.  I can't really speculate what's going with that, why it's happening now, when it hadn't before, but of course I'm going to guess anyway.  It would only require for a tea vendor to know a bit about tea, and hopefully tea vending, then also about online sales, website sales page development, and English language use to pull it all together.  Maybe the last part is a main influence, that even though relations between China and the US have been a bit up and down as of late the broad study of English language there was initiated quite awhile back.

It's even more speculative, but a cooling in the Chinese economy could be adding pressure for people to initiate new sales ventures by seeking opportunities abroad.  

I suppose it doesn't matter.  I think this recent shift is probably positive for "Western" consumers.  There have been a limited number of main sales channel businesses that have supported a lot of the Western tea enthusiast markets, and expanding on that can allow for supply and demand to settle in a more natural way, for more options to emerge, and potentially for value to increase.

Review:

#1:  as always the first round is too subtle to get a full experience from it, but it points to where things are going.  This seems relatively age-transitioned, not like 10 or 20 year old versions, but reasonably far along for this being a 2021 tea (shown on the wrapper).  In quite dry conditions a sheng might only transition this much in 6 to 8 years.  

I'm not as opposed to dry storage as many are; it's a way for teas that don't need a lot of transition to stay relatively the same for awhile, losing the most intense astringency and bitterness slowly over time.  Then sometimes an odd flavor note can enter in, one part of what people object to, tasting a bit sour, or like cardboard.

It's a warm-toned version of sheng.  It probably was before any aging input; this is one part of a broad continuum of normal range.  Warmer mineral base usually adjoins spice or aromatic wood tones in such sheng.  Plenty of people could go further, and place origins for which this general style is typical, but I'm not really great at keeping a large matrix mapping of origins to styles in mind.  The more common Yunnan origins I'd be sort of familiar with some character from, but then even for that I'd be mixing broad and narrower areas, based as much on how things tend to get marketed as related to geographical scale designations that make sense.  

I'll review this based on character, describing aspects, and I can place quality level to an extent, but not so much trueness to type tied to origin areas.  It might be possible to look up more about this cake, and producer, but that doesn't always work.

#2:  I brewed this round fairly quickly, but intensity is definitely still moderate, not light.  That's normal for sheng at this proportion, that faster infusions are fine (maybe brewing 8 or 9 grams per 100 ml gaiwan; I kept it moderate, related to my inclination to really pack out the gaiwan).  Heavier, warmer tones pick up.  Bitterness and astringency are fine, still medium, lending complexity to the experience.  Sweetness level is kind of medium, not as pronounced as it could be.  

Flavor range is warm:  warm mineral, towards wood tones, with a bit of spice.  It may develop to include more spice or dried fruit range; that's a nice transition for this kind of style.  For now there is some floral range supporting the warm tones, but it's mostly oriented towards aromatic wood or even incense spice, just more woody at this point.  It's a little early to be speculating about earlier starting point or aging potential but I'll get to that.

#3:  it might've picked up just a little more complexity; as far as that goes it's fine.  The warm-toned character is what would make or break this tea for people.

I've been mostly drinking intense, sweet, floral and fruity young sheng for awhile, more of it from Vietnam and Thailand than from China.  Producers in these places often include a little extra withering in the processing to add some oxidation, countering or eliminating some of the bitterness and astringency.  The effect is quite different than when moderate aging does the same thing, 3 or 4 years, or at a higher level 6 to 8 years, all depending on storage conditions.  

That other range of teas is relatively opposite from this one.  It's not really challenging, to me, with the 3 years of transition moderating aspects that probably were so earlier on.  But this character never was what I liked most in sheng range.

It's pleasant in a sense; I don't mean that it's of low quality, or is hard to appreciate in general.  Quality level is kind of moderate, but style is as much or more of a concern.  It's decent, but it's the kind of sheng that is warmer in tone, again towards spice and wood, which will probably age to taste a lot like wood in another decade or so.  Or maybe spice tones will evolve more; I can't be sure.  There is a "greener" vegetal range countering that warmth, offsetting it, giving this complexity and balance.  It's divided between greener wood and a connection to that other floral range.

#4:  more of the same, really.  Intensity is nice in this; it's at a decent level.  With more sweetness and just one more interesting aspect range it might come across better, differently.  As it is it's fine, for the character it expresses.  It will probably be similar and keep swapping out edgier, greener range for the next few years, so this may be fine as a kind of medium aged version.  

Related to general quality level I think it's pretty decent.  It may even be exceptional in another decade; I'm not the right person to guess.  Teas that emphasize wood tones haven't been a favorite for me, in the past, so I think the same kind of challenge in preference would probably carry over to aged range too.

This may pick up just a little more complexity as it settles in to this local climate, the unusually high level of heat and humidity.  It rested for a couple of weeks but that's not really enough.  Storage conditions can impart slight negative aspects to teas, for example a mustiness from pushing it for humidity level, that can fade over a longer but limited cycle, over a couple of months, but this tastes clean; it didn't experience that.

#5:  the balance is fine; it might be integrating different flavors range better as it transitions through infusions.  This may be a blend of relatively different inputs, accounting for why it covers warm mineral, wood tones, floral range, and vegetal edge that's harder to isolate, I suppose closest to green wood, or potentially interpreted as some sort of medicinal range.  Overall intensity is good, which could've related to it being relatively challenging initially.

It's strange claiming that this may work out well as a medium aged tea, in the 5 to 7 year range.  I've drank plenty of sheng aged to a moderate level, but it's an odd theme, to me at least.  Some versions can be very pleasant once initial challenging range settles out, without the tea needing a full 15 to 20 year cycle to age, but more often it's at one extreme or the other, best when drank within the first 3 years or else best quite age-transitioned.  A vendor friend that I just met (again) mentioned liking some sheng at medium age ranges (5 to 10 years, or whatever that meant); it's not that atypical a theme.

I'm not seeing this as competing well with the narrower origin, newer style, higher quality in-house teas that tend to sell for $90 to 100 per cake, when brand new.  Really that mixes a few separate themes:  quality level, style / character type, preference, and market demand for a particular style.  The last part relates to different vending outlets; price range shifts by the other factors, but also just by where a tea is bought.  It's the style in particular that throws off making that assessment.  I think quality level is fine for this tea, it's that the style doesn't match what I tend to like most, but it's still pleasant.

In comparison with most "factory sheng" this is at a higher quality level.  Then again style just varies too; for teas produced from chopped or broken material astringency tends to be much higher, and those can be quite hard to appreciate without a full aging cycle.  With enough acclimation, and within a unique preference context, someone could drink 5 year old Xiaguan tuo tea or Dayi 7542 and like it, but it generally doesn't work out like that.

#6:  it's a gradual process but this is improving over the rounds; that's a good sign.  A deeper fragrant floral range shows through more now, a perfume-like character.  It's replacing the warmer tones, so this comes across as lighter.  

That mineral edge has an unusual character I've not been describing, I suppose tasting like rocks, or even tipping a bit towards cement, and that's still present, but also in a lighter balance.  It was overshadowed by warmer range earlier on, which is fading across rounds now.

#7:  this is the best this has been, more floral and fragrant than before, with rich feel replacing astringency that came across as structure earlier on.  Often teas in a similar flavor range, really more applicable to those earlier rounds, when wood stood out more, can exhibit a thinness in the feel and general character, and this doesn't.  It's complex, feel is full enough, and aftertaste extends the impression of complexity.  I suppose to "name names" some Changtai teas tend to be like that, limited across a dimension that can be hard to identify, although I suppose their higher end range wouldn't be, and complexity, feel, and the rest would be just fine.

I've mentioned bitterness in relation to this tea, but it might've come across as understated in the description.  Sheng tends to be bitter, until it ages quite a bit, and at a moderate level I might just mention it in passing and then drop it, accepting it as normal context, even though it is a main input / aspect.  It's moderate in this version, but still quite significant, in a normal range.  

Over time sheng drinkers accept bitterness as a positive input, as giving balance to the rest, but for people new to the type it could seem a little challenging.  Even for me drinking straight through 7 rounds gets to be a lot; it's easier to experience when drinking tea with food, as I typically do with breakfast.  Then your palate can switch between experiences, and the effect doesn't seem to build up so much.  Feel and overall intensity can be a bit much too; this is strong tea.

#8:  this is softer, more fragrant, and more approachable at this stage, I suppose potentially even fading slightly in intensity, but not much, if any.  Probably for people not adapted to sheng intensity brewing this kind of tea lighter would make sense, using a proportion of 5 grams for a 100 ml device, and still using moderate brewing times [I just noticed that's their proportion recommendation on their web page, during editing these notes; that's an unusual coincidence].

It's tempting to try to place quality level for this tea even further; I've been drinking some Yunnan sheng lately, and lots from other places.  But again I think the quality level isn't likely to be an issue for people as much as the style, whether or not they like this range of tea aspects.  It will be interesting to try this a few more times, to get a deeper impression of it, to see if it changes over some weeks, or if being more familiar with the range helps me relate to it.  Then the next theme would take longer, seeing how it changes over the next couple of years.

Conclusions:

I've already concluded enough, but I can clarify my interpretation as a recommendation (for or against the tea, I guess).  For someone just exploring sheng this might be fine, but typically people buy samples early on, to avoid being stuck with teas they don't like.  

For people onto the middle of the experience curve it depends on preference for character / aspects; some would like warmer toned sheng versions more than I do.  I really liked that hei cha version, which of course is warm in tone, so I can clarify this clarification further.  Aspects work as sets, with the overall balance either making sense and working for someone or not.  Often one particular aspect can cause the rest to fall into or out of balance, inputs like sweetness, bitterness, or astringency.  

For sheng I like a high level of sweetness, and floral tones, or versions including fruit even more.  Jing Mai sheng tends to be approachable (to relate this to a somewhat broad origin area, which seems to often relate to a standard form, even though not all versions would), and a typical aspect set works for me, lighter floral range, which often includes a bit of pine.  

I suppose related to liking Thai and Vietnamese sheng made to be even sweeter and more approachable, often using some extra oxidation input to achieve that, one might say that I like "oolong pu'er" variations.

If someone wanted to try a whole cake of a sheng type (which probably isn't the best idea early on, even though that's one approach I used) this could work, related to being approachable.  People sample first for a reason though; trying this and others they sell, and some hei cha, would place it in relation to preference better than guessing from a description.

Trying wild origin tea versions, white and oolong (Wuyi Yancha style)

I'm trying two more wild origin teas from ITea World, probably the last of that set I'll get to.  There is a green version but that's my least favorite kind, and reviewing it tends to boiling down to mentioning a few aspects, beyond some vague talking around quality level.

That tea was from this set:

Chinese Wild Tea Sampler: 5 Flavors for $5 with Free Shipping

That's it, not much at all for 25 grams of interesting tea.  Their marketing oriented descriptions:

Wild White Tea:  Plucked wild in Fuding, our Bai Mu Dan white tea features downy silver needles releasing a dewy floral bouquet mingled with sun-ripened fruits and meadow sweetness. Each sip delivers a mellow, soothing creaminess.

Wild Oolong Tea:  Hailing from a Wuyi Mountain tea family, our artisan has over 15 years of expertise in handcrafting traditional-style Wuyi Rock Tea and black tea, having learned the art from a young age by apprenticing with family members.

They seem a bit like that, with less to go on there about what the oolong is like.

Looking around that site the white tea lists for $20-some for 40 grams, and the oolong is around $30 for 40 grams (I'm seeing pricing in Thai baht, initially, so the pricing listing isn't exact).  $25 and 30 it is, switching that over.  I never do really evaluate value later in this post, since that gets speculative anyway, trying to fold together issues related to demand per type, quality level, novelty, and then likely final preference.  

Pricing over 50 cents a gram is getting up there, but for some specialty tea range that's still normal.  I tend to try to buy teas that are more like 20 to 30 cents a gram, or less, but then I also buy relatively directly from producers.  I usually drink sheng pu'er or black tea, with some better oolong and rarer white tea range running a little higher in cost.  

I guess the pricing is probably ok, but more direct comparison with similar versions would tell more of that story.  Then when you are considering novel wild-origin teas it can be harder to find similar products, of any kind or at any price level.

Review:

white, #1:  that's nice.  It's smooth, sweet, rich, and distinctive.  An unusual and pleasant flavor profile may be the story of this tea.  It seems to include a bit of mint, and then warmer depth offsets that, giving it complexity.  The mint is like wintergreen mint, or at least the artificial flavor represented as that, very mild in comparison with something like peppermint.  One part is vegetal, a little like fennel.  It might be easier to break down the rest next round.

oolong:  that's catchy too.  I'm not noticing a distinct familiar Wuyi Yancha style this fits into, which is probably just as well.  The warm tones and good balance seems to relate to this being a bit more oxidized and roasted than a modern lighter style that I'm more familiar with.  When it all works this other range can be even nicer.  Of course mineral tones are part of it, as a base for the rest.  From there it's complex, but hard to really break down.  One part may be closest to warm spice, and another range like dark wood.  Sweetness might tie to something like toffee.

white, #2:  the fennel part picked up most, which works.  It shifts to warmer tones, off fresh fennel into fennel seed range a bit.  It's harder to notice a mint background note but it still seems to be there.  Complexity seems pretty good; it's hard to communicate how that works based only on a couple of flavor descriptions.  Part of a warmer base also seems to relate to autumn leaf range.  To me that can be expressed differently, as dry, light, sweet tones or instead as wetter, heavier range, relating to fresh dry leaves or wet versions.  This is the first case, dry, light, and sweet, and also complex.

oolong #2:  this warms and deepens.  It includes that one peach-like note that can be distinctive in Dan Cong; interesting seeing that stand out this much in a Wuyi Yancha version.  I suppose interpreted differently it's just floral, but to me clearly peach.  It's so pronounced that at this round it seems like a pretty good Dan Cong version, which is not a bad range to fall into.  

It lacks the rough edge that often adjoins those, the harsh astringency, but in my experience that seems to tie to quality level in Dan Cong, and to some extent probably also to growing elevation.  Most likely the connection is a bit incidental, and cheaper higher volume production, low elevation farmed Dan Cong is not processed quite as well, with plants stressed with fertilizer input to get the most out of them, and higher elevation sources are harvest less, and allowed to grow more naturally.  All just guesses, of course.

The sweetness carries over as a pleasant aftertaste.  It could extend a little longer; as a quality level marker--if taken that way--this suggests that this is upper medium quality range, with room for improvement.

white, #3:  creaminess picks up; that's an interesting shift.  I hadn't even mentioned it before; I suppose that it had factored in.  Trying this a little lighter probably shifts what comes across.  I suppose it's worth noting again that I write all this before I see any vendor description; it's interesting that creaminess is mentioned by them and also stands out.

It still works to describe this as like fennel with a hint of mint, with warmer but sweet complexity along the line of autumn leaf.  It's transitioning though; within a round or two a different description will probably work better.

oolong:  still pretty close to a Mi Lan Xiang Dan Cong that happens to taste a lot like peach, with some supporting floral range and warm tones.  It's fairly clean too, with good sweetness; all the other aspects indicate this is a little better than just "upper medium quality level."  Maybe not some elevated "best of the best range," but then it's not even matching a standard type that its origin relates to anyway.

This reminds me of one of Cindy's Wuyishan origin teas, from Wuyi Origin, tasting a lot like peach one year, when it normally might've included that but certainly didn't typically include such a pronounced aspect.  Terroir inputs can vary some year to year, and of course by narrow location.  

I looked at the vendor page for more description, since there wasn't much flavor breakdown in that initial sampler-summary version:

...tea exhibits a rich floral and fruity aroma that infuses the water. Upon sipping, the floral and fruity notes rise, filling the nose with their fragrance.The flavor is robust and refreshing, with a pronounced sweetness that stimulates the salivary glands and leaves a clear, crisp aftertaste. The enduring sweetness provides a lingering, delightful aftertaste that is truly memorable.

Heavy on marketing spin but that actually kind of works.  They might've mentioned peach.

white, #4:  there is another shift; that creaminess has edged towards creamsicle, which I guess relates to citrus picking up a little.  This will probably eventually transition to warmer tones, or at least heavier vegetal range, but I'll probably leave off taking notes here.  8 infusions is a lot for my patience, and the short quiet window on a Saturday morning for tasting will end before too long.  

This tea exceeded my expectations; I expected some positive character from it, but it's normal for a lot of white tea range to come across as much thinner, and more limited, not as complex or intense.  Beyond including that the flavor set is interesting, integrated, and positive.  I've not mentioned much for feel structure but it's not thin either.  Aftertaste expression is there but limited, which I don't see as that much of a limitation; it can vary in different tea versions.

oolong:  not that much transition, maybe just a slight shift in earlier aspects balance.  Dominant warm peach flavor works especially well for me, so that's fine.  

This is definitely a tea that a Dan Cong lover could appreciate, even they had adjusted to expect higher quality range.  Feel range is pretty good; it could be a little thicker, but it's fine.  Aftertaste is positive; it trails on afterwards nicely.  Complexity is good; warm toffee range fills in depth beyond the peach and supporting floral range.  

There's not that much mineral base, as lots of Wuyi Yancha oolongs go; I suppose that could be interpreted as a limitation.  Really it not being fully type-typical is either a main weakness or else a good thing, since the range expressed is so nice.  Someone splitting hairs could say that the feel structure not being full enough is a limitation, since it's not well-balanced by that input, but to me that's not really even a flaw in this, never mind a significant one.  It's quite good, and the "wild origin" description leads me to expect something a little off the standard range.  More natural growing conditions can often lend to novel flavor inputs entering in, as has occurred with both these teas.

These seem particularly well made.  Starting with good material is one thing, but teas need to be processed skillfully to bring out a well-balanced character.  There's a synchronicity that comes with all of it coming together in an amazing way, how the best of the best standard versions come across, and I'm not saying that these are there, because they're quite good but not that fantastic.  There are essentially no flaws to point out in either though, just a limitation here or there, an aspect range that could be dialed up a little.

For the white tea that comes with the general style; it usually doesn't match the complexity, intensity, and full feel and aftertaste expression of many other tea types.  For that tea it being so positive, complex, novel, and pleasant to experience is enough.  

The Wuyi Yancha could pass for pretty good Mi Lan Xiang Dan Cong, even with oxidation and roast level appropriate for that, better than most tend to be, which to me is generally a good thing, just maybe a little unusual related to the trueness to type theme.

Not from this tasting, instead from drinking some random sheng pu'er yesterday, I wanted to mention something relating to this teaware.  You don't need to spend much to use functional, pleasant teaware.  I buy these 100 ml, plain, white gaiwans in a Chinatown shop, selling there for around $3, but $10 might be more typical from other sources.  These cups I buy at a Japanese ceramics outlet shop, for around $1 each.  It's like the Ross Dress for Less theme, I think; they sell extra versions from large batch local production.

Then I use two so that I can pour the tea from one to the other to cool it.  I tend to use an extra to re-hydrate some goji berries every morning, eating those as a supplement.  I think it's a good source of beta carotene, what vitamin A is derived from, and supposedly it contains anti-aging related compounds.  I'm not really endorsing that, just explaining why my daily tea setup uses three cups.