Tea Mania Yibang and Mengsong sheng pu'er, from 2013 and 14

 

I'm reviewing two partly aged sheng pu'er versions from a Tea Mania set of samples I received awhile back.  Many thanks to Peter, the owner, for sharing them for review!  All their teas are exceptional, for the most part, so that drops out one potential concern, about whether I'll like them or not.  

Farmerleaf is like that, to add a reference point for people who aren't familiar with them.  Styles vary some; Farmerleaf is oriented more towards what that particular harvest year turns up in a local area, mostly in Jing Mai, but also beyond there, and Tea Mania uses limited input from a very reliable set of producers, from different areas.

In recent Reddit tea sub (group) posts two themes came up that relate to these, which I'll only touch on a little here.  One is semi-aged tea, particularly relating to dry storage, and the other relates to brewing dragonballs.  I didn't know where these were stored, when writing the notes, but the site listing usually includes that.  It wasn't in a place as humid and warm as Bangkok or Malaysia, and probably somewhere in Yunnan, where conditions vary a good bit.  

My input was that it can make a lot of sense to drink medium aged teas (in the roughly 10 year old range) when they are aged in dry conditions, changing very slowly.  Note that people use the terms aged or semi-aged in different ways.  For some aged sheng is 20 years old, period, so 15 years is semi-aged.  Others would shift around those times.  It really depends more on fermentation level, which ties to storage conditions input.

The same teas would push through a fermentation transition cycle fast where I am now, in Bangkok, losing the initial freshness and brightness over the first 3 to 4 years.  That's great for teas that need to change a lot, like Xiaguan tuocha versions, since they're much further through the process at 15 years, and pretty much completely ready at 20.  But for high quality sheng, versions that are approachable to begin with, it's not so ideal, unless you do actually drink the tea within that first 3 to 4 years.  Or you can wait for another dozen for more complete change-over, with 15 years old being the low end threshold for mostly age transitioned, even in wetter (more humid) storage.  This review covers more on that related to these two examples.  

But let's start with the vendor listings:

Yibang Gushu Spring 2013 (120 CHF, $148, for a 200 gram cake)

For this Pu-erh cake, teamasters Panda and Yang Ming used tea leaves from up to 300 years old tea trees (Gushu) and processed them into 200g cakes. We were especially looking forward to this Pu-erh because we personelly like tea fromYibang. The tea trees in Yibang are very special. The tea leaves of  the Yibang tea trees are noticable smaller in size and some of them turn under certain conditions purple.

Sichuan tea storage

Teamaster Panda was so kind and has left us some bing of this great tea. Since this tea was stored in Sichuan, the home of Panda, the riped very well. Sichuan is not as humid as Xishuangbanna but also not as dry as Kunming. In fact, it’s just the level we prefer.

Harvest: Spring 2013

Pressed: 2013

Taste: Fruity, a lot Cha Qi and a sweet aftertaste

Terroir: Yibang, Xishuangbanna prefecture, Yunnan province, China

Mengsong Dragon Balls ($62 for 80 grams, 10 8-gram balls)

My friend and mentor, Tea Master Panda, has once again dug up a rarity. Year after year Tea Master Panda has inspired us anew with fresh and well-known Pu-erh teas from the old tea mountains. But the lovers of stored teas were a little bit forgotten. For them we now have a well stored Mengsong Gushu from spring harvest 2014. Dragon Balls, Long Zhu in Chinese language, of 8g were made from the tea leaves in Yang Ming’s tea factory to offer the tea in small quantities or as a sample. The tea was stored in Xishuangbanna under natural conditions until 2020 and is already very ripe.

Harvest: Spring 2014

Pressed: 2014

Aroma: Mellow aroma, strong Cha Qi and fruity taste

Terroir: Mengsong, Xishuangbanna prefecture, Yunnan province, China

This same material is sold as 2014 gushu Mengsong cake, here, listing for $222 for a 357 gram cake.

Review:

Yibang:  that's very nice.  There's a really distinctive spice tone in this, in between sassafras and driftwood, or including those, and maybe some other range.  It could seem a little fruity, but it's mostly that.  Tones are warm, but this hasn't transitioned that much for being a dozen year old version.  It must have stayed in a cooler and dryer place.  Yunnan?  I'll check the description at the end.  Feel is nice, but it's too early for describing that just yet.

Later editing note:  Peter (Tea Mania) is describing this storage as in between humid and dry, but my own baseline relates to where I live in Bangkok.  Teas change fast here.  I don't think that's ideal for all types for all aging levels, but it is perfect for moving things along, if that's the intention.

Mengsong:  one of the challenges is going to be getting this to open up.  There never will be a parallel to the infusion cycles.  One positive about brewing dragonballs, which is mostly negative, as I see it, is that since the inner part starts to infuse over the first 4 rounds or so there is fresh, bright character being extracted across a lot of rounds, instead of it all transitioning over the first 3 to 5.  But beyond that it's a hassle getting it to infuse, and you don't get as clear an impression of the tea character at different stages for that mixing together of parts of the infusion cycle.

It's too light for description just yet, but this tea is really good.  There's a pretty good chance that I've tried it before; it seems familiar.  It's bright, floral, sweet, and light, but even for all that you get a sense of great intensity and complexity setting in, and maybe even refinement.  This tea version is probably worth the trouble of messing with dragonballs.  But in talking to Peter in the past, the Tea Mania owner, they pressed dragonballs to use as sample references for teas, not to sell as those, so someone buying this version--if it's still available--might relate to the cake form.

Later edit:  they sell both forms; that's convenient.

Yibang #2:  that interesting spice range picked up.  It includes medicinal herb spice as well, a general range that may or may not seem descriptive.  I get a sense that there may be a spice related flavor I'm missing referencing, that something out there does match this.  Or it's probably so complex that only a most distinctive range could match, and there would be more.  This includes sassafras, and also something like ginseng, and some medicinal spice or even incense spice (sandalwood, maybe).  Someone really dialed into this range would absolutely love it, and others might not like it.

Feel has a bit of body and dryness.  I suppose that seems to connect with what I'd expect from bark spice flavor, and again the specifics within this range are pretty open to different interpretations.  It wouldn't be unusual for someone to see that as connecting with warm mineral, or for others to miss that in a description list.  Brewing it on the fast side, slightly faster than I have been, is probably optimum.  Flavors are plenty intense, and as is typical for many warmer and mineral or mild earth oriented teas a lighter brewed intensity works better.

This certainly isn't "going dead" in terms of being in an in-between aging / fermentation transition phase, the awkward teen years theme people mention. 

Mengsong:  starting to infuse.  Warmer tones pick up in this already.  It's still fairly light and bright, especially for this age.  Where it lands in the balance is fine.  Bitterness has mostly evolved out of the flavor profile, as for the other, but I would have surely loved this at half this age, at higher intensity, with more bitterness, some extra astringency, and lighter flavor tones.  It seems like it's going to be quite positive just now, so I don't mean that as criticism.  

Flavors and feel don't always make sense at different ages and transition levels, but these both seem to.  Maybe because it's not a bit further along, because the transition process was slower due to cooler and dryer storage?  I'll add more on that in an intro at the editing phase.

A more flavor-list oriented description will probably make more sense next round.

the fermentation level color difference is obvious, but the Mengsong does darken over rounds

Yibang #3:  brewed light this is really nice; intensity is still high, and complexity comes across even better.  I broke form and didn't brew 8 grams of this, maybe more like 5 or 6, and it was a good call, to help moderate intensity.  It's odd that so much intensity comes up this far into aging transition.  It's not bitter or astringent, it's just that the flavor is intense, and you get plenty from it brewed light.

It's still in that broad spice range, all warmer tones, just not heavy in character.  Again it's sassafras, some medicinal spice (maybe back spice oriented?), with some incense spice, along the line of sandalwood, to the extent I can remember that scent.  It would be funny if this tastes a lot like patchouli smells and I just don't remember that.  

There is also a light mint note in it, that integrates with the warmer spice so much that it's hard to identify.  Thais love to smell very strong scented mixes of spices, ya dom, to clear their nose or brighten their mood, and this isn't so close to that typical mix but it might overlap a little.  That mint might be evolving into camphor range, where it had been brighter before.  Camphor probably should be on the short list of main flavor aspects.

Mengsong:  this is finally unfurled enough that I'm breaking it apart, ripping it with my fingers, so it will brew much differently next round, and the one after it will be expressing a more developed character.  At this stage it's still quite light, but also very pleasant.  It's sweet, floral-oriented, and creamy.  

I'm starting to get blasted on these teas and this one isn't even really infusing completely yet.  I may need to eat something and walk around a little after the next round.  

Ordinarily it doesn't make sense to drink two together like this, not so much because you can't identify the effects of just one, although some people value that, but because you can't make it through a 7 or 8 round infusion cycle and still drink the 14 to 16 cups of tea.  I'm not throwing this tea away to rush the process; it's too good to do that.

Yibang #4:  the proportion of the long list of flavors I keep mentioning keeps shifting.  Now camphor stands out all the more, and incense spice has replaced a lot of the rest.  It's the best this has been, and it was pretty good in earlier rounds.  Feel is smoother, richer, and not dry at all.  Depth picks up, and aftertaste intensity expands.  All of that is from using a pretty fast infusion time too, 10 seconds or so.  

This is on a path of evolving and improving so much that it may be as good or better for a couple more infusions, then I'd expect complexity to taper off a little in later rounds.  Infusion 7 isn't exactly a late round, but I mean this has been evolving to be better and better, more complex and with more depth, and usually that doesn't keep up for the whole cycle.

Mengsong:  it's a completely different tea, now that it has started brewing most of the leaves.  Flavor range is similar, but intensity is completely different, and the balance seems different, even though the character is really the same.  Mild spice tones pick up in this.  Nothing like the intensity and complexity of the other version, the Yibang, and this still connects back to warm floral range, and a lighter mineral tone base.  Sweetness is really nice in this.  It's not missing in the other, but it stands out more in this.  

Layers of complex flavors mix together.  One part seems like floral or spice, as I've mentioned, then others could seem vegetal, in a sense that's hard to identify.  It connects through a warm wood tone range, which is back to sandalwood, or even a touch of cedar.  It integrates and balances well.  For anyone who doesn't drink young sheng it may seem to include bitterness, but for a sheng drinker the inclusion is so moderate that it's easy to miss the role a very limited input of that plays.  Sweetness and other flavor range are much more intense.

These kind of show how I think that slower, dryer aging works for some brighter character teas.  In Bangkok the heat and humidity would have overpowered and shifted the brighter range in these at half this age, at 5 or 6 years instead of 11 or 12.  That's fine for making Xiaguan more approachable, or Dayi numbered series cakes, because those need a lot of transition, but these would have great to drink at half this age / transition level.  And they're still exceptional now, just in a different form, and sense.  

Next one might wonder if you couldn't just drink a wet and hot stored version of these at 3 years old to get the same effect, and although it's a personal judgment kind of the call I think not.  Moving so much faster, based on fast bacteria and fungus input, the effect isn't the same.  Bright tones drop out quickly, within 3 or 4 years, and the warmer range that enters in is slightly different.  I'm not saying that wet stored tea has to become musty, although it can be, but flavor range tends to be heavier.

Yibang #5:  I let these brew longer because someone delivered a package just as I poured that round.  It's a different perspective on the tea, I just wouldn't have tried it without that prompt, for how these were in the last round.

Intensity is a bit much.  It's not ruined, but the character is much different.  A sappy sort of resin flavor and feel emerges.  Camphor is still pronounced, and a different balance of all that spice tone I kept going on about.  It's good like this, and nothing really shows up as a flaw.  Some people might not like this flavor set or character, but to me that's not related to a quality limitation.  It's a positive sign that it drinks well overbrewed (a little; I didn't leave it for too long).  Effect is still clean, and that dry edge to the feel isn't unapproachable, it's just more resinous.

Mengsong:  this approaches the other tea's character more than it had last round.  It also picks up a woody, aromatic spice resinous character.  A hint of cedar is pronounced, and beyond that it's more incense spice range.  These might be good as truly aged teas, in however long one judges that to take, maybe another decade at this somewhat slow transition pace.  They're not fading in intensity, and the evolved character for both is still positive.  Some versions seem a lot more woody, but that often relates to a lower quality level and less positive character earlier on.  

At a guess I would have liked this tea better at half this age, better even than as fully aged, in another 8 to 10 years.  That's more about me liking younger range sheng than how this is changing, or probably will change.  I get it that many people like refined, complex, deeper flavors of aged sheng, that it's a very natural preference, especially as a developed one.  If I would have been drinking more aged sheng than young versions over the last half dozen years maybe I'd be on that page.  I do drink some, regularly, but I love the freshness, brightness, sweetness, and intensity of younger sheng, even though bitterness and more astringency go along with that.  Not the kerosene oriented flavor and harsh feel of cheaper factory teas; I mean related to versions that are good within the first few years, or even as brand new tea.

Yibang #6:  brewed lighter again the balance changes.  It is taking on a slightly more woody flavor; this is kind of fading.  This could have easily been where it was at infusion #8, if that last round had been for a normal timing.  This is still really nice, complex, with a decent feel, and good balance, but it's on the decline.  I did brew a few rounds later on and they were still positive, not noticing any unusual flavor transitions, or fast decline.

Mengsong:  this could be where part of this tea only being on it's 3rd infusion helps.  It retains some of that early-round brightness and freshness.  I suppose some of the late-round extra bitterness is already entering in too, since it was infusing for longer earlier on just to get it decompressed, so it's a mixed effect.  

This is still really positive.  A little more wood tone enters in, but not to the extent the other is moving in that direction.  The brightness includes a touch of citrus; that's something I probably missed in the last two rounds.  A little of that creaminess and floral range reminds me of the high mountain character of Taiwanese oolongs; that's pleasant, along with the rest.

Related to my own preference I do like the Mengsong better.  Again I might've liked it more 3 or 4 years ago, but it makes sense at this level, and shows promise for how it will be as an aged version, much later on.

Conclusions:

That's already most of what I thought of these.  It's hard to express in terms of aspects just how good these teas are.  They're good; quality level stands out.  It's odd saying that along with commenting that I tend to like younger versions, so for me they'd probably have been better a few years ago.  It's not at all a conflict, as I see it.

Value can be hard to assess, because the range of what is out there like these is limited, in comparison with younger / newer tea range.  Same for quality level; plenty of tea this good is available, but not as much as more ordinary versions are.  You'd have to know where to look to find it.

The Yibang version sells for $148 for a 200 gram cake, equivalent to $264 for a 357 gram version, and the Mengsong for $222 for a 357 gram cake of the same material.  That's a bit.  Only people with somewhat open tea budgets would consider these, but for sheng enthusiasts who value higher quality aged versions, who have that budget, $300-400 cakes are not such an unusual theme.  Or $1000 and up; there's no limit.  It's beyond the range I'm familiar enough with to critique, really.  But it's probably fair, maybe even a good value.

As I mentioned in the notes I've not leaned into exploring better aged sheng versions, and kind of couldn't, given that this higher pricing extends all the more to sample range, where none of it would be under $1 a gram.  In that sense buying 80 grams of the Mengsong for $62 is a good value.  People already feel however they do about the dragonball form, who are already in the process of exploring above average quality sheng pu'er.  It seems like a dozen years ago the conventional reaction was that it's a great way to try a little of these types of teas, and then within 8 or 9 years ago a loose pu'er community consensus was that they don't brew very well, so they stopped turning up as frequently.  Of course they're still around, even as newly pressed versions, but not like a decade ago.

cats coming down with the flu has been a running theme lately

her too

Oriental Leaf Fu zhuan hei cha (based on white tea)

 

I'm reviewing a Fu style hei cha from Oriental Leaf (sent by them for review; many thanks!).

Baicha Fuzhuan (Fu Xi & Fu Bao)  ($45 for 190 gram brick)

Baicha Fuzhuan is a unique style of Fu brick tea made using white tea leaves as the base material. This tea is naturally fermented to develop “Jin Hua” (金花, golden flowers) — a type of beneficial fungus (Eurotium cristatum) traditionally prized in Chinese dark teas.

What makes this tea stand out is its smooth and sweet profile, with the light floral notes of white tea combined with the earthy, mellow depth from fermentation. The result is a gentle, aromatic tea with both clarity and richness — offering a fresh take on classic Fu tea.

Crafted by On Taorism几于道, this tea proudly represented Orientaleaf at the 2025 World Tea Championship, where it won the Superior Award for both Best Leaf Profile and Best Cup Character...

The side of the box clearly states: “Source of Fu Tea: Jingyang (茯茶宗源地),” honoring the tea’s origin. Jingyang is historically known as the birthplace of Fu brick tea.

I've left out that it's sold in either red or yellow wrapping, with the tea the same.

So it's white tea processed as Fu style hei cha, similar to one other version I've tried from them (here).  It is a bit mellow and fragrant; results seem generally positive.  The notes cover that.

Review:

first infusion:  interesting!  It's not really subtle, but it's on the mellow and balanced side, with lighter tones showing up a lot more than I expected.  Fu zhuan is never heavy, earthy, and peat-oriented, as shou pu'er can be, but this is a little light in tone as others go.  A distinct sweetness that I see as connecting to the fungus (golden flowers) input stands out.  Often that will couple with a yeasty sort of note, and that's subdued in this, not overpowering, not even overly pronounced.  So it is earthy, a bit like a light rye bread, combined with light floral tone, but it's rich and creamy as well.  

I expected more intensity, but for this being clean, complex, and balanced by positive feel, and including a limited but also diverse flavor range, the overall balance is nice.  I'll be brewing this for 20+ seconds to keep the intensity up.

second infusion:  heavier flavors enter in, and intensity picks up; it will be easier to add more of a flavors list.  The bright, yeasty, towards rye bread and floral range (chrysanthemum) tones are still present, but a whole other range adds to that.  Warm, clean, balanced mineral range joins it.  I suppose it seems in the general spice range, or tied to that, so that warm mineral and moderately warm-toned spice seem to link.  The spice range is complex; one part is light, like ginseng, and another leans towards bark spice, just not cinnamon.  

Sweetness is nice; that helps the rest balance.  The effect being so clean also works well.  There is no off earthy or mineral related input, no mustiness, no challenging astringency edge, and so on.  Feel is somewhat full, kind of moderate, not as thick as the creamiest and thickest teas but with plenty of good feel to give it balance.  It's nice, altogether.

There are distinctive flavors that people could identify in different ways in this.  What I'm describing as yeasty rye bread, ginseng, or warm mineral people could interpret completely differently.  Seeing a part of it as relating to some type of dried fruit would work.  I see the chrysanthemum oriented warm and smooth floral range as secondary, a supporting element, but someone else might see it as at the core of the experience.  Describing some of those parts as light wood tones would work, along the line of driftwood, maybe, something smooth and rich but not astringent.

third infusion:   it transitions a little, but it's hard to say how.  A light dried citrus peel note seemed to enter in.  The former light, brighter range rye bread (dominant range) is transitioning, so that warmer, heavier flavors pick up more intensity.  Aftertaste is longer, the finish, and warmer mineral range picks up, joined by a slightly more structured feel.  I suspect that I could drink this during a fast; there is so little that's challenging in the mouthfeel that it might also feel fine for your stomach when conditions are problematic.

It's almost as if the golden flowers add a different kind of character in this.  There's a brighter, yeasty, towards beeswax range that often is included, and that's not completely missing here, but the tones are warm, soft, and balanced.  It's more towards that warm floral range.

it brewed darker later rounds; I must have infused that quickly

fourth infusion:  not so different than last round; it seems like this might lose intensity over a few more rounds and that will be it.  Compared to some of what I've reviewed it might sound like this had a shorter story to tell, and I guess in a sense that works.  It's also nice drinking a more mellow, basic, somewhat complex but not challenging tea.  

As a sheng pu'er drinker I tend more often crave that bright, bitter, flavor intensive, and astringent intensity.  This connects closer to my black tea preference, for which I like more of the opposite, teas that are comforting and basic, with depth but not so much complexity and intensity.  Sometimes it's nice to not be challenged by your tea, even in the sense of appreciating a lot of complexity and refinement.  It's distinctive and complex enough; I mean that it's approachable and agreeable.

I just reviewed a black tea that was almost too good, that works as an example.  You just wouldn't have such a tea with breakfast, and it would waste the experience to not focus mainly on that for at least 45 minutes or so, or a half an hour if you were rushing it a little.  You would need to be in a somewhat clear mental space to really relate fully to it, especially related to changes across infusions.  This hei cha you could just drink, with a breakfast, while doing other things, or just relaxing in the afternoon, without paying too much attention to it.  Or it is unique and pleasant; you could focus on it if you wanted to.

It's nice how today is our first day of the cool season.  It's still in the upper 80s out here, just now, 32 C (so about 89), but the much drier air feels completely different.  The rainy season in Thailand is quite hot.

Further conclusions:

That's already most of what I thought of it.  Related to it really being a white tea, as a starting base for further processing, that explains why it was so mellow and yet also fragrant, including nice floral range and lighter spice or wood tones.  It's good.  Good enough to win an award at a tea expo or contest?  Sure, I suppose.  It did, and it was pleasant, complex, balanced, and unique.

This makes me consider value; one of the benefits of appreciating Fu style hei cha is that it's often cheap, although if you need to seek out better versions and try lots that aren't as positive to get to an exceptional one that adds cost, effort, and delay, and what you waste on shipping also factors in.  Often a slight rough edge or off flavor can adjoin otherwise interesting and pleasant range, or other limitations.  Then drinking older versions can mellow a tea out to make some of those limitations drop out, and let depth increase, but then it's back to adding significant cost.

This was $45 for 190 gram brick.  For sheng pu'er that's a typical range; that would be something like $85 for a 357 gram cake.  For standard Fu zhuan range it's a little high.  But then this isn't standard Fu hei cha, it's a variation, and a higher quality example.  That other white tea based Fu processed version was sold as 10 3-gram mini tablets for $15.50, so for around 50 cents a gram; significantly more.  But then the sample theme works out like that too; you don't buy a 10 gram pu'er sample for the same unit price as a 357 gram cake.

In that post I think that I concluded that there's not an industry standard price range for teas this unique.  I suppose existing demand would also be limited.

I reviewed two 190 gram Fu cake versions from them last year, not identified as based on white tea, or some other atypical variant, and those were priced at $38.50 for 190 gram cake (two variations of it).  Compared to what market outlets like Yunnan Sourcing or King Tea Mall sell that may sound like a lot, but trying low or average quality Fu zhuan hei cha might identify that this budget-oriented approach is problematic, for the reasons I mentioned, because lots of it isn't that good.  If the idea is to buy the cheapest possible tea that could be great, but how enjoyable the tea is factors in a lot, for most.  Those were really good tea, surely in the high end of the range as Fu zhuan hei cha experience goes.  

This version is even more unique, and whether someone sees it as better or not might come down to personal preference.  I think it would appeal to a broad range of people, more so than average quality Fu zhuan or other hei cha.

Wanmu Xinyang, Henan award winning black tea

 

I just finished a great interview post with background on this tea producer, which I'll post not too long after this review, given how editing issues work out.  So I won't say much more about them; it's there.

I've tried really good, seemingly type-typical yellow teas from them, and two somewhat unconventional Dong Fang Mei Ren versions (Oriental Beauty, or local interpretations of that style).  In the past I've reviewed Maojian from the same Thai tea contact, that would have been from them, but the posts may or may not have tied the sourcing back to them, and in a sense it doesn't matter.  They were great, even though green tea isn't my favorite type, or really it's my least favorite.  Somehow I've always liked Longjing anyway, and those green teas were fine.

This should be great.  The only background is that the sample said that it won an award (these were provided for free for review; many thanks for that).  I asked Gisele, that friend who works for them, if their teas are grouped by consistent brand versions, and the answer wasn't a clear yes or no.  

As tea enthusiasts familiar with general background would know it's not really easy for producers to make versions of the exact same tea types every year, produced at volume, as companies like Lipton do.  Lipton puts a lot of effort into balancing inputs that vary, so even with year to year variations in quality and style they can adjust for that through a complex blending process.  Some other medium scale tea producers try to do the same, but in general it's the tiny, direct sourcing vendors that describe each tea as a variation related to the same version from the year before.  

I'll try to link to what looks most like this tea online, in the Wanmu site information, but it may or may not be completely identical.  I'm not claiming that they imply that the listing represents this tea; this award-related version may well be a unique one-off.  One listed won an award, but different versions could have won different awards.  Here's a black tea they identify, again which may relate to a higher volume production version, or simply a different batch:

Craftsmanship • Xinyang Black Tea

Craftsmanship Xinyang Black Tea is made from carefully selected tender buds and leaves of top-quality spring tea from high-mountain tea gardens. It is refined through the withering, rolling, fermentation, and baking processes of Xinyang black tea. The tea buds are compact and covered with golden down. The tea soup is bright golden yellow with floating tea hairs. It is smooth and mellow on the palate, with a rich and mellow aroma, and a refreshing and sweet aftertaste!

not so far off, but seemingly not an exact match, related to appearance

This image showing an award certificate and the tea looks more like that one (listed on the site), with more buds content, and that part being redder than the rest of this sample.  

The context is a little different for a producer than a re-sale vendor.  Producers might try to make different batches for sale in different channels, while small-scale vendors, or even medium scale outlets, might try to make branding themes as consistent as possible, carrying one each of a limited number or teas with a distinct theme.

Review:

dry scent:  this is as fragrant as any black tea I've ever smelled, or I suppose any tea.  To me sweet floral and fruit range stands out the most, but there is also a strong cacao note.  The buds and leaves are very fine, very small; this might share some aspect range with Jin Jun Mei as a result.

first infusion:  color is a little golden-amber, versus just being reddish.  Oxidation level should be lower than a most typical range.

Interesting!  Honey sweetness stands out most.  There is a cacao note to this, but there's a lot going on.  Floral range is pronounced, across a rich, sweet, heavy floral scope.  Fruit doesn't stand out as much as that, even though the scent implied that it would.  Warm tone range is very pleasant.  Feel is rich and thick, with a pleasant aftertaste carrying over after.  All of this is from a relatively fast first infusion, just a first look at the tea, not how it will be after full development.  

It's hard to emphasize clearly how that full, rich, thick feel and pervasive sweetness serve as a foundation for the rest.  Black tea mouthfeel range varies, but this is unique.  That sweetness actually tastes like honey was added, even though for sure it's natural.  Mineral range is warm (I've not mentioned that part yet), but the input is limited, helping balance the rest, instead of being a dominant aspect.

second infusion:  mineral intensity bumps up a good bit.  This may peak at a more evolved character range next round; it still may be transitioning to get there.  Sweetness still stands out a lot, with the flavor of honey fading just a little.  Floral range is so pronounced this probably tastes like two or three distinct flower inputs.  One part is rich and intense, like lavender.  Another is warm, smooth, and towards more subtle grain-like range, like chrysanthemum.  A hint of citrus enters in, not so pronounced, but at the same time distinct.  It tastes like tangerine, both the actual fruit and that tangier edge of the peel.  

Feel is slightly drier, with just a little more structure, but still very positive and full.  An extra touch of fruit may add to overall complexity, along the line of jujube, dried Chinese date, and the prior cacao is also still there, a bit stronger than that fruit note. 

The way it all balances is really something.  None of those aspects are remotely negative, and they come together as a symphony of flavor and tactile experience.  It's good, really exceptional.

Not just to look for any possible negatives, but it might be helpful to describe how this relates to my primary preference for black tea.  I mention here a lot that I love Dian Hong the most, Yunnan black teas, for a number of different reasons, and related to simple preference that I can't explain.  I love the depth and complexity in those, even though they sometimes give up some high end range, the forward floral or brighter fruit this is also expressing, in addition to those deeper tones (cacao, warm dried fruit, supporting mineral tone).  In those it often relates to a roasted sweet potato or yam aspect.  I suppose if someone used their imagination part of that would also relate to this tea; it's really complex.

So does this work as well for me, related to that preference?  It's more complex, more layered, interesting in terms of including more experience scope.  It has good depth.  I think in a sense I also like the simplicity of those teas, that even though they're not as complex and refined that makes them easy to appreciate.  There is less to love but what is there expresses depth.  

I can't conclude that I don't like this as much, because it is such a pleasant and unique experience.  But drinking this tea with food at breakfast wouldn't seem appropriate; you would tend to have it when you focus on the experience.  Which is great, when you are on that page.  But there's something magical about drinking through lots and lots of a more basic favorite black tea version, that includes good balance and great depth, but not those extra themes, not so much complexity and refinement.  It's comforting.  You can drink it for a half an hour or hour and then not really focus on the tea, and let it take you on an inward journey instead, or just relax, and decompress.

third infusion:  cinnamon enters in as a main aspect; it's amazing that it could transition like that.  A high degree of transition is one thing, but the tea adding dominant, positive aspect range like that each round is really something.  Maybe the bud and fine leaf content is releasing compounds more each at different phases (infusion rounds)?  Rich fruit also picks up.  What seemed like a hint of citrus across other deeper tones now comes across more as cooked peach.  Of course cooked peach, cinnamon, and other rich, creamy depth is a lot of the description of a peach pie.

Permit me a tangent.  I was experimenting with different flavor combinations during an extended pie cooking phase in my youth, in my early 20s, and settle on peach and cherry as a favorite (for a time; that kept changing).  I mentioned that to an older co-worker, and he thought it was funny that I described a very traditional Southern pie version, that his mother and grandmother had made (we were in Texas).  If you can make a butter and flour crust and go buy frozen peaches and cherries I highly recommend giving it a try.

Warm tones continue to evolve.  Cinnamon connects to that, but there's a hint of other bark range as well, maybe a cured hardwood bark flavor.  To me it balances well with the rest, the brighter and creamier range, so that I'm not describing that as a flaw or limitation entering in.  It ties to that slightly drier or more substantial mouthfeel I had described.  You can emphasize or limit those kinds of inputs simply by raising or lowering brewing temperature (higher draws out heavier flavors), or by extending the infusion timing.  I'm brewing this relatively fast, for no longer than 15 seconds, because the character and intensity is so pleasant right at that strength.

fourth infusion:  it finally stops the sequence of changing a lot each round; this isn't so far from the last.  It's a nice place for it to level off.  Cinnamon is a dominant aspect now, but cacao also hangs in there.  It would be natural to include roasted sweet potato as a reasonable interpretation.  Rich floral range didn't drop out but cooked fruit tones took over.  I suppose this does taste a bit more like roasted sweet potato than cooked peach, so it is still changing, just not as dramatically, since the total balance doesn't shift as much.  I'll describe one more round and consider it a story fully enough told, infused a little longer to see how that changes it.

fifth infusion:  citrus bumps a little more again; interesting.  The rest is starting to combine more, so it's harder to make out as those distinct flavor inputs.  It's surely far from finished, and it will probably make another 5 good infusions, but this round could represent the best of the tea already experienced.  It's interesting how that aftertaste expression works, how citrus really stands out as a distinct note, beyond the warmer tones.  It's almost as if you experience that part along the center and back of your tongue.  I have no idea what that means; I suppose it doesn't really mean anything, it's just interesting.

The feel really balances in an interesting way too.  I think there were subtle transitions in the feel all along these 5 infusions.  And this goes back to explaining how simple, basic, good tea with great depth and moderate complexity can be pleasant in a different way.  This tea demands your full attention, because there is so much going on.  That's great, for a tea review tasting, or a session with friends, when they're all focused on the experience as well.  For a mixed group with some non tea drinkers included sticking to something more basic would be better, to dial down the stimulus level, and not include so much complexity that you'd probably miss related to turning up the background noise.

The neighbors are doing construction here; that works as an example of a less than optimum input.  Drilling into concrete, it sounds like?  It's normal for me, at least, since they're half a year into that construction project.  But in general this tea might be ideal for when you have free time and no construction noise to enable focus.  

Conclusions:

What about that moderate oxidation level; would this have been different, or better, if it was a little higher?  It's not my place to guess, but I don't think so.  I think they've dialed processing into an optimum, landing in the same place the best Jin Jun Mei processing tends to favor.  It could be that a higher than usual proportion of bud content brews to a different color than leaf content, but I'm guessing that oxidation level is a part of it, keeping it slightly lower.  

It doesn't matter; the proof of the pudding is in the eating, and this tea is fantastic.  It's odd that the only potential limitation might be that there is too much to pay attention to, too much complexity, too much round to round transition, so that it would only work best when you give it plenty of focus.  Of course that's not really negative.  It's almost like I'm complaining that it's too good.  It is one of the better teas I've ever tried, not just better black teas.

Related to that quality assessment I mean that some aspects tend to stand out as either individual quality markers (indicating where a tea stands, by just one aspect), or as emergent sets of aspects in relation to overall quality.  This stands out for both.

An individual aspect marking quality might be thickness of mouthfeel, aftertaste range, or unique and distinctive flavor range.  Positive transitions across rounds are a good sign, or an appropriate mineral base flavor matching and grounding the rest especially well.  An emergent range marking quality might be complexity (covering a lot of aspect range), balance (with sweetness balancing with the rest), or refinement, the last relating to how it all comes together.  All of this extends beyond lacking flaws.  This tea version excels in relation to all of that.