Bi Yu and Lishan Taiwanese rolled oolongs

 

I'm reviewing two very interesting and pleasant Taiwanese rolled oolongs, from Tea Mania, a vendor based in Switzerland.  Peter, the owner, passed on these samples in a visit awhile back (many thanks).  There's a lot to say about them so I'll cite the product listings for more background and get on with the review notes section.

I might first add that I was really more into rolled oolong scope very early in tea exploration; it's essentially where I started, checking out Thai versions that were around (in Bangkok).  Variety and quality scale is pretty broad, and it's my opinion that the best versions come from Taiwan.  I tried a pretty good more oxidized and roasted Tie Guan Yin, from Anxi, China, not too long ago, but these are something else.  Thailand can make ok versions, and Vietnamese range can be better than Thailand's, really extending to the top of the Taiwanese quality range in the rarest cases, but it could be hard to find those best of the best versions from there.

Bi Yu  (15 CHF or $17.63, seemingly for 50 grams)

Bi Yu is a rare Taiwanese cultivar that descends from the well-known Qing Xin and Jin Xuan cultivars. The aroma profile of Bi Yu lies between the two parents, Qing Xing and Jin Xuan. A decisive difference is the pronounced fruitiness which is underlined by floral notes.

Due to the traditional processing, it can be stored without any loss of aroma. With increasing age, the aroma changes and develops its very own charm.

Harvest date: spring 2021

Aroma: fruity, with light, floral notes on the finish

Oxidation: approx. 40%

Roasting: middle

Terroir: Mingjian, Nantou, Taiwan

Lishan Gaoshan Wulong (30 CHF or $35.25 for 50 grams)

Lishan Gaoshan Wulong is a slightly oxidized, bouquet style highland tea from Lishan. Due to the slight oxidation the tea has a very floral and refreshing character, which reminds of the floral in the green tea, but due to the processing as wulong tea it has a much stronger body and is a much more intensive taste experience. With the slightly oxidized wulong, the leaves are not shaken as much, but are handled much more gently. This means that there are no red leaf edges, which makes the tea taste much more floral and refreshing. The infusion in the cup is also much brighter. The reverberation in the mouth is still clearly perceptible even over a longer period of time and it is a pleasure to trace the character of the tea in meditative silence and to fathom its complex character more and more.

Lishan Gaoshan Wulong is not roasted and only slightly but nevertheless well oxidized. Thus the character of highland teas is clearly visible. Due to the traditional processing it can be stored without any problems and without losing its aroma. With increasing age, the aroma changes and develops its very own charm.

Harvest time: spring 2020

Aroma: floral, with notes of osmanthus and honey

Oxidation: approx. 20%

Roasting: non

Terroir: Lishan, Nantou, Taiwan

Note that these are from different years, 2021 for the Bi Yu, and 2020 for the Lishan, and oxidation level is higher for the Bi Yu, with only that version roasted.  I don't speculate about those inputs in these review notes (I checked the descriptions and added them later in editing), focusing on the experienced aspects instead.  Even that tends to run long.

I've researched and written quite a bit about Taiwanese cultivars in this blog, just nothing for the last half a dozen years.  I'll also skip going into any of that, but anyone interested could search it up here.  One reference I cite in those posts covers what the older plant types and newer hybrid cultivars are.  Jin Xuan is an example of the newer range (#12 in that series), as Bi Yu must be.  Qing Xin is really a range of more original plant types, not just all one thing genetically, according to this research study reference.

this post covers more about this, with the table from this reference

Bi Yu left, in all photos

Review:

Bi Yu:  it's quite good; I expected that.  There is an intensity of floral range and mineral base that's distinctive across most Taiwanese rolled oolongs, and this expresses that.  Floral range is intense and complex.  A mineral base is harder to notice but that is what helps ground the rest, making it come across as a very complex experience.  

Intensity is good, on the high side.  I brewed this for longer than a typical infusion to get it started from still completely dry and compacted, for 30 seconds or just over, and it's not on the light side at all.  The effect is just as it should be.  

Related to regional character, tied to the origin, or the cultivar type, I won't be able to comment on what is or isn't most type-typical; I just don't drink that much Taiwanese oolongs.  I've had good versions before, but it will still even be hard to place these within the scope of the highest quality range.  It's quite good; that's all I can tell.  I may not be able to get much further than describing this as expressing complex floral range; it's not one of my things to list out 3 or 4 flowers this resembles.

Lishan:  interesting!  I had expected this to be pretty similar to the other version, but it's not.  It's creamier, and it includes a nutty sort of flavor aspect.  Plenty of sweetness and floral range too, but it's quite different.  A touch of vegetal range enters in along with the floral tone, and the rest, but it's limited, and hard to place.  That might either develop or else drop out, and then I'd have either some or no chance of describing it further.  Mineral is a little different in this too.  It's so heavy that it leans a little towards salt or metal, in a good sense.  Maybe that vegetal range links with a savory edge too, and I'm just not connecting the parts appropriately.  

In re-trying the first version after tasting this the aftertaste in the Bi Yu version extends longer.  It's really pretty close to what I expected this tea to be like.  Am I thinking of conventional Alishan character instead?  I'm not at all clear on tea production areas in Taiwan, and tea plant types also factor in.

Bi Yu #2:  I brewed these for about 15 seconds, probably long enough to draw out plenty of intensity.  I didn't have the best guess for proportion in these, having been mostly off rolled oolongs for awhile, trying only a few over the last year, but I guessed it would be a good bit, a gaiwan full, so on towards the 10 grams I might often brew at one time.  It's too much for many people's preference, but kind of familiar range to me.  It will limit getting far through a full infusion cycle of two versions.

Creaminess picks up.  Intensity would also, if it hadn't been so intense in the first round, but I think the added complexity makes it come across as stronger.  Feel is nice and rich, aftertaste range is extended and pleasant.  The main story is intense floral taste.  It's almost like that new car smell, but in a good sense, a little towards plastic of an unusual kind.  But it's heavy floral range instead, a theme that's quite familiar to anyone who has explored much above average quality Taiwanese oolongs.  

Is this an example of one of the most pleasant styles, and highest quality levels?  Maybe, at least towards that.  I've heard someone criticize Taiwanese oolongs for being too intense before, claiming that they're accomplishing that through heavy fertilizer use.  I'm skeptical that's true, but it's at least possible.  Then that leads me back to considering food issues; would we be shocked to learn that a producer is using fertilizer to grow our tomatoes or spinach?  It would be surprising if they didn't.  I love the idea of wild-grown, natural conditions produced tea as much as the next person, but I'm not hung up on it.

[later editing note]:  the product listing description places flavor range as mostly fruit, supported by floral scope, which isn't what I've interpreted it as here.  When the two themes mix in a tea it can be hard to sort out which provides more input, and what you expect can factor into judgment.  If I had read that description prior to tasting I'd have been discussing fruit tones, but without that it seemed essentially entirely floral to me.  The character would have changed a little over 3 1/2 years; it's hard to factor that in.

Lishan:  nuttiness is pronounced again.  There would be different ways to interpret that; others may not see this as tasting like nuts, and it's not exactly like nuts, just in that general range (cashews, I guess, or maybe macadamia nuts instead, or in the middle).  There is floral range as well.  

I'm not noticing even a hint of vegetal range, maybe related to brewing it so much lighter, but the mineral layer is still a bit savory.  It comes across as less full and rich in relation to the first tea really dialing up that range, but that's partly related to a comparison effect, not a gap in aspects.  I could imagine someone like either one of these more than the other, but to me the first is nicer, related to getting back to experiencing that really dialed up floral range experience again.  Pleasant mineral base, rich feel, and long aftertaste support that.

Bi Yu #3:  it would work to brew these lightly, using half the proportion that I am, and still moderate infusion times, and intensity would still be fine.  Nah; I'm dialing it up.  At least I am only brewing these for 15 seconds or so, but at this proportion that brews a strong infusion.  I think some of that relates to acclimating to young sheng intensity, which is hard to moderate, no matter how you brew it, so brewing oolongs or other teas lightly just seems thin to me.

Richness really stands out this round, and the floral tone picks up a bit of warmth, taking on a perfume-like character.  Or that also reminds me of cognac or brandy, one part of that range of experience, which I've not been through in decades, since I barely drink any alcohol, a few beers a year.  

Floral tone is heavier.  Someone more capable of describing two dozen distinct floral tone inputs would be offering a different list of them this round.  More like lavender?  Intensity has been great through all these rounds, and that's the same, it's amazing.

Lishan:  those earlier aspects settle and integrate in an interesting way.  It won't really work to describe how, exactly what I mean by that.  The nutty range is less distinct as that kind of form, and a base of what seems like less clearly defined vegetal range picks up, like a green wood tone.  Floral range is still pronounced.  It all integrates as one pleasant and unified experience more than it must sound.  Decent sweetness and bright intensity makes it work, along with a significant mineral base.  Again it seems less rich in feel with less aftertaste expression, but that's mostly in comparison with the other version.

It's interesting that the wet leaf appearance is so much greener for this version than the other, and darker.  Based on reviewing the listings (later) it's from the oxidation level being higher for the Bi Yu version, but that Lishan version seems extra green somehow, so deep and dark.

Bi Yu #4:  the progressive warming transition continues; this may be drifting just a little towards a spice tone range.  It's not there yet; maybe next round that kind of shift will be more pronounced.  Again the heavier floral range is nice.

Lishan:  maybe just a touch "greener," or it could be that I'm looking for that, after the observation about the color.  I think it's actually there too.  It makes this come across as really rich in flavor in an unusual sense, not really similar to green tea character, but I suppose it wouldn't just be a stretch if someone wanted to draw some limited comparison.  The grassiness and astringency edge isn't there, but then green teas do vary quite a bit.  Maybe more like a more savory version of one, that lacks an astringency edge.

That green part reminds me of a fresh forest scent, as much as green wood, which is how I've described it earlier.  It's like that heavy vegetal scent after a spring rain.  I suppose drawing a parallel with moss might actually make sense; it's clear enough how the different themes I'm mentioning connect.  Moss does represent the greenest and dampest fresh floral tone range, integrated with heavy mineral range.

Going back and re-trying the other version after this one the warming tones in the Bi Yu might be shifting a little towards a green wood tone, more of an actual version of that, not something comparable but different.

Bi Yu #5:  I think drinking this on the hot side emphasizes a connection to spice tone, and then in a few minutes once it cools that green wood link will stand out as much.  That's a subject I don't ever do much with, variations in drinking tea at different temperatures.  

Often I'll use two cups for making tea Gongfu style with breakfast, pouring it from one to the other one time per round, to absorb more of the heat.  I'm using a larger set of cups to prepare these, so they're drinkable right away related to temperature, but not so cool.

Lishan:  more of the same, really.  It's interesting how those heavy flavors combine, not so clearly linked to nuts range now (macadamia mostly, I guess), but combining a few dominant layers.  It's pleasant for how well it all integrates and works together.  And it helps that there are no aspects that seem like flaws, which it's easy to not explicitly notice.  

The other version is just a touch sweeter, richer in feel, and includes more aftertaste experience, but that's not really a flaw, just more positive supporting range associated with the first tea.  I suppose that someone could interpret those as "quality markers," and see it as indicated as higher in quality, but it's hard for me to conclusively conclude that.  They're just different in style.

Later rounds:  these kept going and going, of course.  In later rounds the Bi Yu faded to become thinner in profile, with more emphasis on the heavy mineral layer.  The Lishan stayed quite positive, lightening up across aspect scope except for sweetness, bright floral range, and rich feel (so forest scent / vegetal range and the mineral layer dropped out, put the other way).  It was interesting for a tea to fade in the end while retaining the most positive aspect range; usually they'll pick up a woodiness, or settle on more mineral range.

Conclusions:

It's interesting not noticing fruit from the Bi Yu vendor description, it just seeming floral.  And interesting that the version really held its own with the Lishan up until later rounds, after which the Lishan continued on as more positive.  How to place that?

One might conclude that the Lishan is a higher quality level tea, or instead that the effects of higher oxidation level and roast input lent themselves to being more positive in earlier rounds, and then to the Bi Yu version fading quicker.  Maybe it's both.

For sheng pu'er, or even for other tea types, it's easier for me to place how the different types of aspects get sorted out according to somewhat conventional preferences, from discussion of teas online, or related to vendor input.  Are the heavy green forest scent / moss aspect or macadamia nut richness in the Lishan version highly desirable characteristics, or is that negative, or neutral?  I suppose preference should really dictate that, since specific flavors don't typically serve as "quality markers."  Something like richness of feel or extended aftertaste are more often regarded as universally positive. 

It would be nice if I'd kept up more contact with rolled oolong scope, and I could do better with placing these on a general quality scale, or commenting further on value.  At a guess they're quite good, matching up well with teas sold as of exceptional quality, and 30-some and 60-some cents a gram are very fair price ranges, for what they are.  For as pleasant as this Bi Yu version is that's probably a good value, as good rolled oolong goes, but then in a different sense that could easily also be true of the other Lishan version.  

Origin area is one main input to demand level, across many tea types, and you end up paying more for what other people tend to seek out and value.  Then styles and quality level can be more variable across less demanded range, so you have to be careful about what you explore, or some experiences won't match preferences and expectations.

Looking at their Taiwanese oolong page they carry a lot of versions.  It would be tough to pick and choose among them on a tightly limited budget.  Some might seem better than others, varying with preference, but at least of what I've tried of Tea Mania versions they've all been pretty solid, with no "misses."  That would happen, if a vendor is sharing their favorite versions as samples, but I was in the habit of buying tea from them every year awhile back, before I moved on to focusing on Thai and Vietnamese teas more recently, and all that I tried was quite nice.  

You do experience more misses when exploring off-main-production-area teas, and styles vary more, so you pay a price for buying teas at lower rates.  To me that variation is nice too though, experiencing what you don't expect.

How much theanine is in tea?

 

I just looked this up related to someone bringing it up in a biohacking group, of course related to taking it as a pill supplement instead of drinking tea.  Those people love supplements, the more experimental the better, it sometimes seems.  Theanine should be harmless enough, in a normal dosage range.  But what is that?

WebMD says this; they would never steer you wrong:

L-theanine is naturally found in tea and some mushrooms. As medicine, L-theanine has most often been used by adults in doses of 200-400 mg by mouth daily for 4-8 weeks. Speak with a healthcare provider to find out what dose might be best for a specific condition.

People in that group said that 100 mg is probably ok for a starter dose, but if they mean to take that twice a day it's back to 200.  It would depend on why someone is taking it.  WebMD says this:

Possibly Effective for:  Memory and thinking skills (cognitive function). Taking L-theanine by mouth might help healthy people stay focused. It isn't clear if adding L-theanine to caffeine works better than using either of those ingredients alone.

There is interest in using L-theanine for a number of other purposes, but there isn't enough reliable information to say whether it might be helpful.

Healthline said this, more in line with what those people in that group were using it for:  

It’s said to help ease anxiety, stress, and reduce insomnia.  Before trying it out yourself, learn more about the potential health benefits, as well as any possible risks or complications.

So those two not so reliable, light content health sites said completely opposite things; that can happen.  People in that group thought that it could provide different benefits, and were taking it for different reasons.

So how much is in tea, especially in relation to standard supplementation amounts?  Scanning a few sources turned up different measured amounts, but this seems kind of middle of the road for other results:

Theanine and Caffeine Content of Infusions Prepared from Commercial Tea Samples

Materials and Methods:

Theanine and caffeine contents of 37 commercial white, green, oolong, black, and pu-erh tea samples were quantified by high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detector.

Results:

The mean L-theanine content of white, green, oolong, and black teas were 6.26, 6.56, 6.09, and 5.13 mg/g, respectively. The same values for caffeine content were 16.79, 16.28, 19.31, and 17.73 mg/g.

So just over 6 mg per gram of dry tea.  The caffeine values seem normal enough; measured amounts typically ranges between 15 and 25 mg/g, so maybe a little on the low side, but these are "commercial" products, probably low to medium low in quality level.  Both theanine and caffeine range might bump a little in relation to testing or consuming slightly better tea, but probably not too much.

Extraction rate could be a little clearer, but it seems to follow the same pattern as for caffeine, so for a relatively complete brewing process something like 90% may be extracted, possibly a little less:

So from there it's really down to daily intake, amount of dry leaf prepared per day, which is going to vary for everyone.  Someone could brew two rounds of tea a day and consume 10 grams, but I tend to brew 9 or 10 grams for each Gongfu brewing session.  10 grams at 6 mg / gram of extraction (which may be slightly lower) is 60 mg; not a lot, in relation to taking supplements, which again might be in a range of 200 mg per day (taken as pills), but that would just depend.

It's interesting that they seemed to test one pu'er sample and found no theanine in it.  That could be an anomaly, or it could be that they tested shou pu'er and fermentation really does transition that compound to become something else.  Here is that summary:

Those results are all over the place.  There may well be a correlation between theanine levels and buds and fine leaves content, versus older leaves, as there is for caffeine level, but you can't really spot an underlying cause input from this kind of list.  It would seem natural for there to be a divide between variety Sinensis and variety Assamica plants, but this definitely wasn't set up to isolate that input, or any other, really.  One sample of any given type doesn't even tell you with any certainty that other samples of the same type would follow the same pattern, and have a similar amount in them.

For me it's enough to have as a guess that we might be ingesting around 6 mg per gram of tea, since I'm not even sure what theanine would do anyway.  There's a vague understanding that it calms you while caffeine gives you a lift, so I guess a very mild speedball effect, but not much of one.  The effect would be limited if your daily consumption probably lands between 60 and 120 mg per day, and only that higher level based on drinking 20 grams worth of tea a day, which is a lot.

I glanced at a couple of other studies and they're in this general range, with some showing some black tea amounts that are a good bit higher (in this study example):

High levels of milk resulted in a marked lowering of the level of detectable l-theanine. Contrary to previous research, a standard (200 ml) cup of black tea was found to contain the most l-theanine (24.2 ± 5.7 mg) while a cup of green tea contained the least (7.9 ± 3.8 mg).

So their findings were way off that other scale, which is more typical of what other sources that I looked through were saying.  It can be confusing comparing amount per brewed cup with a derived amount per gram of dry leaf, which to me is easier to work with.  They seemed to be making tea from a standard 2 or 2 1/2 gram commercial tea bag, and then infusion time surely would've been a limitation to extraction, since you don't brew tea bags for 10 minutes.  The point here is more that studies vary on general findings, as that one study varied quite a bit in relation to measured amounts and individual tea versions, even within type categories (black, green, and so on).

Someone could keep digging if they really wanted to know, but it would be hard to factor in what these studies are not testing for:  theanine amounts in relation to tea plant material type (buds, fine leaves, old leaves), and related to tea quality level.  Guessing that a final average experienced result is around 6 grams per gram of dry tea seems good enough, with extracted amount probably just below that.  

We're taking in a significant amount of theanine when drinking tea, just not getting dosed on the high side compared to the range of 100 mg to 400 mg of intake per day.  20 grams of tea--a good bit to drink in one day, which probably would exceed that 100 mg theanine input level--might work out to 20 mg of caffeine per dry gram of ingested tea, or 400 mg of caffeine per day, the general recommended daily limit.  

That is on the high side of most caffeine level test findings; 15 to 20 grams per mg is probably a more standard range, with extraction potentially between 85 and 90%.  My point in venturing into this second tangent is that it seems that you can drink 20 grams worth of tea per day, related to not exceeding a standard caffeine input level.  Then a daily dose of over 100 mg of theanine might offset some negative effects of caffeine, feeling "jittery," as people understand might happen.  It's not completely clear that would occur, but then theanine and caffeine aren't necessarily the only two active compounds in tea, the only two that would have any effect on how you feel.

Ai Lao and Yiwu Yunnan black teas (Dian Hong)

Ai Lao left, Yiwu right, in all photos

I'm reviewing two Yunnan black teas from Tea Tracks, sent by the owner Jan to share and for review (many thanks).  Since Dian Hong means Yunnan black (/ red) tea in a sense these are definitely Dian Hong, but people also use that as a more limited style designation.  To me they're both Dian Hong.

Then Shai Hong, which means sun-dried black / red tea, is more or less a subset of that, or overlapping category, often used to identify versions that are backed off in oxidation level just a little, and more suitable for aging transition, deepening in flavor over a few years of storage time.  This post isn't mostly about all that; just mentioning it.

These are really nice.  I'll skip saying more and cite the vendor descriptions, what they are:

Yi Wu Black 易武晒红  (19.62 Euro for 100 grams, $21.92)

This Dianhong sun dried black tea is from Yi Wu, mainly know for it's Puerh teas. In Chinese this variation of black tea is called Shai Hong 晒红 (sun-dried red) as it is dried in the sun during processing. The tea has a great texture and a clean, a bit malty aroma. It can be brewed many times. For us it's the perfect breakfast tea.

Taste:  Full round body, a bit malty taste 

Origin:  Yi Wu, Xishuangbanna, Yunnan, China

Harvest:  Spring 2023

Ai Lao Wild Black 哀牢红  (19.62 Euro for 100 grams, $21.92)

This black tea comes from wild trees that grow in a protected forest near Ai Lao Shan. This tea has a clean taste with notes of berries. It's amazing to see what a fragrance and flavour this tea can produce without any flavouring.

It was a bit tricky to take a good picture of the cake. It's really that dark.

This tea has been pressed into 100g cakes.

Trees:  Wild tea trees growing in a protected forest

Origin:  Ai Lao Shan, Xishuangbanna, Yunnan, China

Harvest:  Spring 2023

the color difference is really something

separated out for brewing

Review:

Ai Lao:  tartness stands out first.  I dislike most tartness in black teas, but in some versions it can balance with the rest in pleasant ways.  The rest of this does integrate well with it, and is pleasant.  There are plenty of other layers to experience.  Sweetness is good, and general tone is quite rich.  

There's a typical malty sort of black tea base flavor, even leaning just a little towards that one orthodox Assam malt flavor aspect, and decent fruit tones beyond that.   Mineral is nice, a pleasant supporting aspect.  There are warm mineral tones, and also a touch that's a little sharper that's almost towards salt, giving it a savory edge.  It works well with the sweetness, fruit, and other complexity.

It's odd that this dry leaf is so much darker in appearance and then the brewed tea is lighter.  There may be meaning in that, but I don't know what it is if so.  When I first saw the dry versions I thought maybe the Yiwu was oxidized less, but for it brewing to a darker, redder liquid I'm not so sure.

Yiwu:  that is interesting.  A pronounced mineral range also stands out in this, also leaning a little towards salt.  Maybe there's something going on with my palate?  It's possible.  I had oatmeal for breakfast, along with two fried eggs, and some longkong and banana, with the banana mixed with chocolate protein powder, milk, and ice to make a smoothie.  A bit much, but a normal range; it shouldn't have thrown things off.

The aspect I described as malt in the other is a little drier in effect here, or so it comes across (nothing like Assam, but a short step towards that).  Feel structure is still fine, and sweetness provides a nice balance.  Both of these were brewed a little long; I went with lower proportion to stretch a large sample to two rounds, and they're probably about 6 grams worth (just a guess), so it's strange that is a low proportion, for me.  I tend to max out what the gaiwan will hold more often.  Brewing them longer related to not commenting that they'd really open up and brew next round, but it's hard to dial that in to an optimum level, the slowish start for all compressed teas.

These are compressed as tea cakes; that's interesting.  Or rather they're chunks that indicate that shape.  I suppose I should say something about aging potential along the way, or input, if these aren't relatively new.  Aging black tea doesn't change all that much, but if a version is oxidized less to begin with, as Yunnan Shai Hong style tends to be, then initially subdued flavors can pick up more over 2 or 3 more years, and then it seems to level off some.  Or maybe that's all wrong; it's just my current understanding.  I retried a pressed Shai Hong brick I bought 7 or so years ago not long ago; it might've changed some, but it seems pretty similar to me to how it was back then. 

It would be easier to blind guess sheng inputs based on a version being 1 to 3 years old, since that pattern is more familiar, but starting points vary a lot for those, as can occur some in black tea, so it would still be guesswork.

Ai Lao #2:  brewed faster and lighter; it's interesting how much difference that makes.  There is still plenty of intensity to appreciate, it's just on the light side.  Tartness fades back to a more even and integrated part of the rest; it's not at all objectionable at this level of input.  It's hard to describe the dried fruit input that I didn't put words to last round; maybe along the line of dried tamarind, or really it could be complex, a few different flavor aspects mixing.  Rich feel is nice, for it being a bit light.

It's hard to describe why this captures why I love simple black teas so much, even though this isn't any more interesting or complex than a lot of other range.  There's just something simple, balanced, and pleasant about it.  

That simplicity is actually misleading; there are a few layers of aspect range going into making this experience have depth, so it's actually not simple in aspect range.  It comes across as integrated, and less intense than sheng pu'er experience, and also less refined than higher end oolong, so I guess to me that leads to an effect related to simplicity, even though the complexity and balance is making it pleasant.

Yiwu:  a spice note picks up in this.  Fruit is still more dominant, but it's interesting the way the two ranges play off each other.  Then warmer mineral tones and that malt-like depth balance nicely, just not exactly malt, that one aspect.  Somehow I expected the other version to be more intense and complex, and for this one to have good depth but to be subdued, and in a sense that's reversed.  The fruit seems to shift towards a berry-like range, maybe in between dried blueberry and dried dark cherry, a nice range.  There is a touch of tartness in this, if you look for it, but it's a minor supporting aspect, not the main flavor as in round one for the Ai Lao version, which dropped back to a contributing aspect in the second infusion.

I suppose I like this one more, at this point, but these are both pretty good.  They're good enough that it makes me start thinking about optimums, about how they relate to a quite ideal range, or how they could be even better.  To me Dian Hong isn't really about that, the aspects matching a certain style form, and reaching towards an experienced aspects optimum.  It's great because pleasantness and depth carry the experience, regardless of what aspects are included or not so pronounced.  It makes more sense to go on about most preferred or more ideal narrow sheng pu'er types, or oolong variations, what the best Mi Lan Xiang Dan Cong is like, related to a range of styles of those, and so on.

Related to that perspective I'll continue on with describing aspects, and leave off with comparison to some type-typical or ideal form, or aspects set.  I should look up the age of these during this tasting, and try to guess more about that input.  Maybe after next round.

Ai Lao #3:  not so different.  It's a little subtle but complexity and depth is still really nice.  I brewed these for about 20 seconds, using what to me is a moderate proportion, again probably about 6 grams (which I don't weigh out), and it would work to push them harder, brewing them for over 30 seconds.

Balance of flavors is nice.  It's complex but hard to break down as a list.  I already have, and I don't suppose it has transitioned, but it's even harder to sort out those aspects now (fruit tone, warm mineral, a mild malt-like aspect).  I could relate to someone interpreting this as floral range; somewhat mixed and vague dried fruit and warm floral tones could be similar.  Feel is rich and aftertaste is fine for this tea type; they add in an experience of additional complexity.  I wouldn't judge this to include tartness in this round, brewed this way; that did fade.

Yiwu:  again there's a catchy interplay between a dried berry or fruit range and a spice note that's hard to identify, with other warmer depth really making it all balance nicely.  That warm tone, maybe covering both malt and spice, is more pronounced in this than the other version (any equivalent range; most of the actual flavors sets don't overlap directly).  The other version is pleasant, but that bump in depth, complexity, and intensity sets this apart.  Some of that you could compensate for by brewing the first a bit stronger, but it can only change character so much.

I will try these brewed for about a minute, which will probably just be normal intensity range, for them covering so much ground already in this infusion cycle.

Ai Lao #4:  a very pleasant minty aspect joins in; that's nice!  Not like drinking Red Jade, if I remember that Taiwanese black tea theme correctly, but just a hint of wintergreen, that works well with the rest.  The other intensity might be fading a bit.  That's for more forward flavor aspects; the depth is the same, the rich feel, warm mineral tones, and underlying base complexity.  This can probably be stretched for one more intense round and then it really will be on the way out.  Using longer infusions can do that, and black teas can brew out a little faster than I'm accustomed to with sheng.

Yiwu:  this is fading slightly too.  Probably as much from the power of suggestion I'm noticing a trace of mint in this too, when I probably wouldn't have if I hadn't just experienced that in the first.  To me it tastes like tea berry, which is in between berry and mild mint.  

I suppose that's a flavor that not so many people would be familiar with, since it's not something people actually consume.  I remember mentioning that flavor to my mother once, and she asked if those are even safe to eat.  I think they are, but the texture is so strange that someone might enjoy tasting them but you wouldn't keep eating them.  It's been a life's mission to pick, process, and dry teaberry leaves, since I've heard that they can be oxidized, and I may get to that soon, since I'll visit my family back in Pennsylvania in a week, for a few weeks.  I'll probably stop reviewing teas for a month.

These did brew a few more pleasant rounds, but there wasn't much more to say about them, no interesting later transitions.

Conclusions:

I did look through the product descriptions, and add them here.  Both are from Spring 2023; they've had a year and a half to settle, and change character some, but probably not much.  They both might be ever so slightly better within another year and a half, but I bet they're pretty much where they're going to be now, and it's not certain that they'll improve with a little more age.

The vendor descriptions, Jan's, say that the Yiwu is standard Dian Hong /  Shai Hong, which I've already mentioned, and that the Ai Lao includes a berry-like flavor aspect.  It was interesting how one version of fruit came out more in the Ai Lao in early rounds, which I described as seeming more like tamarind, then a different range stood out more for the Yiwu later on, which I did describe as berry.  These flavor descriptions are interpretations; if I keep trying the same teas a few times I would adjust what I notice, and how I describe it.

I guess that I liked the Yiwu better, but these are both pretty good.  I didn't explicitly say it yet here but Dian Hong is my favorite black tea type, so to me they were especially pleasant.  Others who love a bit of integrated tartness as a supporting aspect could like the Ai Lao more, but that didn't really last past the first two rounds.  For these being moderate in price someone could buy both, and see for themselves how they map to their preference.  

Related to that value the 20 cent a gram range (22) is quite fair for these; they are exceptional.  Someone could try another dozen Dian Hong / Shai Hong versions that all cost 15 cents / gram instead and find one that's comparable, but the lower quality half would fall well short of matching these, or even the average, most likely.  They're still basic character teas, in one sense, but this flavor complexity, character depth, balance, and lack of flaws can be hard to fully appreciate for what it is.

In an odd way that's what really works well with Dian Hong; if you take away some of the interesting flavor range, or general complexity, intensity, rich feel, etc. these would still be good.  Inexpensive, more lower-medium quality Dian Hong is still quite pleasant.  These are above average though.

Re-reading this during editing I've left out commenting on a couple of points.  Why was that Ai Lao so dark in leaf appearance, and why did it transition so much, changing from intense, including more fruit range, then onto being more subtle?  Wild origin tea versions can often be made from variations of conventional Assamica plants.  The purple leaf versions were this, a naturally occurring variation that ends up containing different compounds and tasting quite different.  Some wild material inputs aren't even Camellia Sinensis, or it can be hard to be sure, and accounts can vary about that.  I don't worry too much about it; the aspects are the thing.  

I own a Thai sheng ("pu'er-like tea") cake that's quite odd, not even close, and that's a little different, on a couple of levels.  You wonder what's in that, if drinking a lot would be a problem, and it's more sour than almost any tea I've tried, along the lines of that one fermented Japanese tea version (Goishi cha).  This black tea is just normal tea, but it's possible that plant genetics have drifted some over time.  

Check out how dark this purple leaf sheng pu'er version appeared (on the right, reviewed here):

I doubt this was purple leaf tea (an Assamica variation); that tastes different, in a distinctive way, often including some sourness, and a distinct grape-like fruit flavor.  The point was that maybe it's a slight variation from conventional Assamica plant genetics.

In talking to Jan he mentioned that one of these Dian Hong he likes to brew Western style.  To me it goes without saying that these would be fine brewed that way, probably not really inferior, just different.  It is as well to say it though.  I tend to brew better Dian Hong Gongfu style out of habit, and then I would drink it made that other way sometimes if I owned a good bit of it.  It really doesn't take me much extra time to brew 8 to 10 Gongfu infusions (these cycled through faster since I used slightly less than I often do, really maxing out proportion), but there is something nice about brewing two rounds in a basket infuser and being done with it, downing a couple of mugs worth.  

Of course the aspect variations, the transition, I described over four rounds would all combine, which can be better that way in some cases.  To me it makes sense to keep infusion temperature pretty hot for Gongfu brewing of all types, at or near boiling, and then people could experiment with how they prefer black teas prepared, which may vary by type range, related to brewing temperature.