2014 Shou Mei white tea, 1995 Shui Xian oolong

 

iTeaworld 2025 New Year Tea Gift Set (Year of the Snake Edition) - The Collection of 10 Aged Teas

1995 Shui Xian Oolong Tea

1998 Tie Guan Yin Oolong Tea

1995 Aged Phoenix Dan Cong

2003 Sheng Pu-erh Tea

2003 Shou Pu-erh Tea

2008 Double-Steamed Liu Bao Tea

2014 Shou Mei White Tea

2014 Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong Black Tea

1998 Jasmine Green Tea

1980s Fu Brick Tea

Listing for $75.90 for 100 grams, it's hard to determine relative value, given that this range is a bit rare.  It also depends on quality level; older teas aren't always pleasant, and didn't always hold up well to storage inputs.  These did; I'm including the product information after doing the review notes.  76 cents a gram is probably fine for good quality teas in this rare a type range.

Let's get right to the review then.

a slightly better look at the dry leaves

Review:

2014 Shou Mei:  this is nice.  It's not as intense as it will be for rounds after this, even though I brewed it for nearly 30 seconds, but it's started nicely.  A warm spice aspect stands out, and richness of feel, and depth.  Honey-like sweetness is pronounced.  Other warm tones might include pastry, like a danish tastes.  So far no dried fruit is standing out, but this includes most of the rest of the range aged white teas typically might.

1996 Shui Xian:  that's interesting.  On the one hand there's a much stronger age-related flavor than is typical in just about any tea version, aged books or furniture or whatever.  I've been drinking a lot of aged tea lately so that's familiar, in different forms.  Then other warm range is more like leather, or even towards coffee.  Only the long-faded remains of a probably initially high level of roast remains.  A dark caramel flavor aspect is promising; that might pick up.  Strong and dark mineral tones ground the rest.

It doesn't integrate as well as it might, but then this is only an early round, and some aspects tend to "burn off" within a round or two.  It's not very musty.  One part of that aged furniture or books range includes a little funkiness, but it's moderate for this being a 30 year old tea, and this being the first round.  It's not sour either; that could easily creep in, depending on storage conditions (included dampness).  This was stored fairly well.  It will be interesting to see how it evolves.  Of course it's a bit "stronger" than the white tea, in terms of intensity, but the other version has greater depth.  All that could still shift though.

Shou Mei #2:  richer and deeper in flavor and feel.  Still, this conveys what is positive and limiting about aged white tea, even though it's a pretty good version of one, type-typical and pleasant.  Flavors are nice, and feel is rich.  It balances well.  Sweetness is good, and it's clean in effect.  Then it's also a bit limited in intensity, in a couple of senses.  There is no astringency edge to offset the rest, only a rich feel.  Flavor is positive but the range it spans is limited.  To me this would be a nice tea to drink a few times, maybe even a half dozen times, but I wouldn't want to have it once a week for months.  For me basic black teas and my favorite young sheng range I would appreciate over and over.

I drink aged white tea when I fast; along with shou pu'er it's gentle enough to be fine even if you haven't eaten for a few days.  In that context it's nice experiencing any flavor, and any eating related process, even just drinking a tea, or tisane.  

Related to changes maybe the bread range has expanded a little in this, tasting like a sourdough sticky bun.  That's good, but the rest of the range is still limited.

Shui Xian:  this picks up depth too, and "cleans up" a bit.  The aged effect is still present, but the mustier side of that--which was already limited--drops back.  A spice note stands out more, one that's hard to place.  It reminds me of different parts of a favorite Chinese bean and dried fruit desert, served with ice, mixed together, like Chinese date and candied lotus root.  

I just saw this in a local Japanese grocery store, the day I posted this

This is interesting, and pleasant.  It didn't seem to fade over those years, but I'm getting the sense that this won't last, that it's already hinting towards fading from being brewed, under one minute of infusion time in.  

This range of tea isn't really familiar to me.  I've tried aged Wuyi Yancha, but never over a decade old, as far as I remember.  This is holding up for intensity better than I would have expected, and the flavor range is clean and pleasant, complex in a novel way.  Caramel or toffee sweetness does hang in there, along with earthier range that's hard to place, warm mineral tones, and dried fruit depth.

Shou Mei #3:  about the same.  I brewed that a little longer, maybe 45 seconds instead of just under 30, since there are no concerns about too much intensity or harshness related to both.  Brewing it strong will drop the infusion count, but I'll probably stop taking notes here anyway.  It's not transitioning, not changing.  

In terms of interpretation of flavors if you think about dried fruit when you drink it, one more flavor that tends to emerge in aged white teas, it does taste a little like dried raisin or date.  Not much, and part of that is probably a bias in "looking for it," but it's a little like that.

Shui Xian:  this did transition; an interesting bark spice aspect picked up.  Cinnamon is the one bark spice we are familiar with, but there are others.  For nearly 20 years I was into tisanes, before exploring "real tea," and I tried a lot within that range over that time.  It's odd that I don't bring it up more here, but that was a long ago, and it didn't work to commit a lot of the flavors and experiences to memory.  When I moved to Thailand 17 years ago I tried out some herb teas here, but explore more coffee, and then tea.  

I could struggle more placing a flavor list for this tea at this stage, or describe it fading some over a few more rounds, but I'm not going to.  For pushing these teas, using such long infusion times, the infusion count will be low, maybe at only a half dozen, and they'll be a lot more faded than normal by the 5th and 6th round.  I'd have a chance to list a new flavor aspect for one or both, but the main story has been told already.

I will also mention that on the next round a brandy-like flavor aspect seemed to pick up, something that had been present before then, but that was clearer at that point, easier to put a label on.  Again the white tea changed less.

Conclusions:

Both of these are good.  I would've expected more storage issues, and limitations, but these didn't express those much.  These two styles are limited, in relation to each tea style having a different character, and only covering so much scope.  Young sheng pu'er expresses crazy intensity, and fully aged sheng pu'er trades that out for other flavor range and complexity.  These are interesting, and novel, and not similar to either of those ranges.  Neither is in a range I'd want to drink a lot of the time, but they're both very positive experiences.  The "daily drinker" theme is always separate from other exploration range anyway.

I can't really say that the Shui Xian is completely type-typical, related to not being that familiar with such aged Wuyi Yancha.  It's more intense than I expected, and complexity is good, with novel flavor range expressed, which I did expect.  I might've expected more flaws; it's nice to be wrong about that.

In one sense I think aged white tea can be over-rated, but then preferences do vary, so that only works in relation to my own preference.  The same applies to well-aged rolled oolong; it's interesting, and some people love it, but I don't really, since it usually just picks up warmer tones and tastes a little like plum.  

Until someone tries a type-typical version they wouldn't know what they like or don't like, which is the whole point of this kind of sample set.  In these two cases it achieved its intended outcome; these were interesting and pleasant versions of these types.

Visiting with friends at my favorite Bangkok Chinatown shop

I met up with friends at my favorite Bangkok Chinatown shop yesterday, at Jip Eu (which is here).  Those owners feel like visiting family; it would be nice to hang out there even without having any tea, or buying any.

I'll break this into a short account of what we tried, and general guidance on how visiting a Chinatown shop might go.  There are different pros and cons to tea shopping at different kinds of shops, and the typical range of Chinatown shop experiences is unique.  Potential is great for finding good tea at great value, or things that are hard to find elsewhere, even compared to online, since sorting is a problematic issue, and the option to try versions changes everything.

I've been to a lot of Chinatowns.  We live in Honolulu part time now--I just got back from three months spent there--and I've visited NYC's a couple of times.  Honolulu's Chinatown has issues with homelessness and crime, and tea selection there is all but nonexistent.  Chinatowns are interesting in Japan, and I've been to a related neighborhood in Seoul, I just don't think they called it that.  We've visited Hong Kong, China, and Taiwan multiple times too; in a different sense those are just Chinese cities.

Bangkok's Chinatown is unique for being huge.  I think I've heard that San Francisco's is on the same size scale, but that it may not be quite as extensive.  There is a lot of Chinese influence in Thai culture in general; it can be hard to identify where it leaves off.

That visit

We tried a tea presented as a Bing Dao (that Kittichai, the owner, was drinking, making it grandpa style for himself in a brewing cup), and CNNP (Zhongcha) and Dayi (purple label) aged sheng versions, both around 20 years old.  

In the middle the subject of green tea came up, and we tried an exceptional version of Longjing, kind of odd for tasting form.  I love Longjing (Dragonwell); it's the only kind of green tea that I seek out and buy.  I'll buy fishhook style Thai Nguyen Vietnamese tea if I see it, because it's pleasant, and typically a good value, but Longjing is my favorite, the only green tea that I like as much as other types range.  That version you could essentially "taste" by smell, as dry leaf and while it was brewing.  It tastes like toasted rice, it seems to me, although you can isolate that main flavor as seeming like nuts or floral range, if you see it differently, and it even resembles boiled egg a little.

The CNNP version was intense, with really heavy earthy flavors.  It became milder and balanced better and better across infusions.  I own half a cake of that same tea, and 1 1/2 of the Dayi, and 1 1/2 of a Xiaguan 8863 version from there, all around 20 years old.  I could look back through review posts here and identify ages better, but they're all from 2004 to 2006.

It's odd how the Dayi purple label version looks so transitioned by age in comparison, with dark oil spots, and even a hole here or there in the paper.  I asked the one shop owner about that, and she said that paper thickness makes a lot of difference.  Of course a producer using a second interior paper sheet also would.

that Dayi cake; both are pretty dark

The Dayi / Taetea version was much milder, with intense, complex, and even slightly challenging initial infusions giving way to very balanced, nuanced, and pleasant rounds after that.  It's hard to express any of it as a flavors breakdown.  I see CNNP as tasting earthier (with all expressing lots of warm mineral base), then the Dayi as leaning towards spice or fruit range, and the Xiaguan (which we didn't taste) as tasting like leather, or how an old barn smells.  In a good sense, I guess.

Breaking up a cake for those two friends to share; I've not seen this before.  I've bought a cake all broken up like that before, a Wawee Thai origin cake from 2022, I think it was.  It aged quite fast and drank well even though it was relatively young.  That technique seems to let the leaves break naturally, versus how a tea knife might fragment them if you aren't careful.

It was pleasant trying the teas over a couple of hours, chatting a lot about tea experience, and drawing on expert input from Kittichai.  He explained how the numbering system for pu'er cakes works, and mapped out general character differences from more Northern and Southern growing area ranges in Yunnan.  As generalities, of course; the variation is distinct at a very local level, with lots of other inputs factoring in.  For those main types of factory teas, from main producers, the higher level generalities probably work better, and we could compare his input from what we tasted just then.

The CNNP seemed to need another 5 years to fully transition, even though it was about 20 years old, and had been stored in hot and humid conditions.  That's per my impression and what Kittichai passed on.  The Dayi is ready now, or really any tea is ready whenever you prefer how it tastes and feels.

I bought a 2012 Xiaguan tuocha, and a spare gaiwan; my tea budget is a bit crashed from ordering so much Vietnamese sheng recently.

Shopping in Chinatown shops

The main difficulty in shopping at Jip Eu is a common one; if someone they don't know walks in they'll ask what kind of tea that person wants.  If you answer that you are interested in lots of range, and want to know what they have, it all breaks down.  They have some of lots of things in there, and no summary list of any of it. 

That shop is primarily an outlet for oolong, for business to business sales of low cost, limited quality blended Shui Xian, and then they also carry high end Wuyi Yancha.  They have some exceptional versions of aged sheng, which they tend to sell at great value, or in some cases at a standard market rate.  I've bought pretty good Dan Cong oolong in there before, a few times, upper-medium quality tin versions that sell at moderate pricing.  That's a rare find; the two extremes come up more, for that tea type, expensive and very good versions or so-so lower elevation plantation tea.  I've tried local Thai teas there, have bought jasmine green tea, tried Anxi Tie Guan Yin rolled oolong versions, and even bought an aged cake of silver needle style white tea once.

Of course there is no price listing, or other written reference; it would be impossible to get a clear feel for everything that they have.  Other local shops focus more on tasting lots of things, and it varies how that might go there.  It's not their typical sales approach, for random people to come in and try lots of things.  You can try teas for which there are already package versions open, and the more you know them the better tasting experience will go.  I've tried plenty of tea there they don't even sell, what they happen to be drinking just then, or some exceptional version they ran across samples of.

Sen Xing Fa works as an example of the other kind of outlet, where it's set up for people to come in and try lots of teas.  They carry more Thai oolong range, and sell teas from the typical large plastic bins, which does work, but that isn't ideal storage conditions.  

tea meetup at Sen Xing Fa; they're good visit hosts

There's a trade-off related to this kind of shop style; the cost of extra sampling ends up being built into sales pricing.  Value is exceptional at Jip Eu, either just fine for market rate or else a very good deal, depending on how they purchased the teas, how direct their producer connection is.  Value is either in a normal market range or on the high side at Sen Xing Fa instead.  For people not watching per-unit cost closely it may not matter, if they spend 1 1/2 times as much for the same amount of tea.  Novelty of what is available and broad selection can amount to different kinds of value.  

Jip Eu definitely sells rare and novel teas too, but the selection range is less consistent, and it's harder to find the exceptions when they aren't sitting out in large jars.  Less than optimum storage conditions, like that, are a real issue for tea enthusiasts, with good reason.  Sen Xing Fa does keep their Longjing well-sealed in a refrigerator, which makes a lot of sense in a hot and humid place like Bangkok.

Sen Xing Fa carries some factory sheng range; that's nice to have available

A third type of Chinatown shop it's harder to find examples of in Bangkok, the general market environment.  This turns up in the NYC and Honolulu Chinatowns, and probably elsewhere.  Selection of tins of tea would be far more common in such places, and some of those would be quite pleasant, and others of moderate or low quality.  

New Kam Man Chinese market in Manhattan, NYC

Buying teas from large plastic storage bins would work out even worse in places where shop sales volume is more limited.  And quality level could be very inconsistent; I had a uniquely bad experience buying an artificially flavored Lapsang Souchong from a market in the Manhattan Chinatown.  I had to throw that out, but not before it contaminated my clothing smell, through a sealed bag.  No matter how busy you are when tea shopping, or how thrown-off by external factors like a hot day, or heavy snowstorm, it helps to focus in and at least give the dry teas a smell while you are buying them.

Without trying teas it can be hard to get a feel for quality level in shops.  One comes to mind in NYC where the shop looked like a standard curator theme, where everything might be very exceptional, but instead everything was quite passable, decent but not great.  

This kind of outcome can be common in corporate chain shops, where they are selling very high production volume versions of standard teas.  Even when they present something as more novel, higher in quality, and rarer, they may still buy that in very large production lots, versus smaller scale vendors being able to curate small producer, limited batch size teas.

Price doesn't necessarily help as an indicator.  Any type of vendor can use a higher than average mark-up, and extra descriptions of how exceptional teas are to justify that.  One name in particular comes to mind related to this, not in the countries that I've already mentioned, but I'll omit naming them here.

How would one work around that initial problem I described, the exchange that ends with no answers to "what kind of tea do you like?" and "what is best from this shop?"  Tasting helps.  It can make a lot of difference if a customer can communicate starting points, to explain a few kinds of ranges of teas that they already know that they like.  Plenty of people appreciate lots of tea range, but they also know their own favorites.

In some cases one visit to a shop won't do it, and working through it all as best you can only works out better when you buy some teas, then return again later.  That's not helpful for tourists, where the one visit may be all there is to work with.  Another strategy may also not be helpful; if you can connect with a local and get input they can pass on favorites.  Locally oriented Facebook tea groups may help with this, if you prepare ahead; you can contact a lot of people that you'd never get to know in person that way.  People might "gatekeep" their absolute favorite versions, not putting that out there online, but they might mention helpful generalities.

Oddly none of what I've mentioned is helpful for buying the kinds of teas I like most, like good Thai Wawee origin sheng.  It's not in Chinatown shops, or even in shops of any kind in Bangkok.  It would work better to find decent Vietnamese sheng in Hanoi shops, but even there you might have better luck just buying it online, from an outlet like Viet Sun.

I actually visited a Chinatown in Japan, in Yokohama, without putting it together that I'd be there only to buy Chinese teas, that it related only to that local theme.  That was kind of silly, looking back on it.  

You can find Thai rolled oolong in the Sen Xing Fa shop, Jin Xuan and such, but there aren't many other exceptions, that I've ran across.  Jip Eu would sell very inexpensive and limited quality Wuyi Yancha style oolong, or maybe something like jasmine green tea, but tea enthusiasts would tend to seek out a different range.  I've had great luck with buying 100 baht ($3) 100 gram folded paper packs of blended Shui Xian there in the past, but that kind of thing is inconsistent.  

Given that very moderate expense level it might be good for even a more discerning tea enthusiast to gamble on a little of that inexpensive range while there, to see how it goes, and to seek out much better tea through more discussion input and tasting exposure.

the Ju Jen shop in Paradise Park mall; there are decent shops outside Chinatown, but not many

ITea World Da Hong Pao and Zhangping Shui Xian

I'm reviewing the next two types of oolongs that were part of a set sent by ITea World for review.  This follows an earlier review of Dan Cong and Tie Guan Yin versions, here.  I had liked that Dan Cong more, but both seemed pleasant, and a reasonable value as moderate cost, above average quality, high volume tea outlet versions.

The same holds true for these, again with one outshining the other, per my personal preference.  The teas come as part of a sample set, here; they don't seem to be sold separately.  100 grams of four types of oolong are sold as 5 ounce separate samples, for 1475 baht, about $45.  That would be a good price if quality was exceptional, and not all that great a value if it was lower-medium level, and to me it seems fair for what the teas are, pretty good but not necessarily great.  They do seem a bit better than the versions they sent for review a year or so before.

To me the Dan Cong and Da Hong Pao really outshined the other two versions, but personal preference factors into such a judgement, even though I see it as also based on a fairly objective assessment of quality level and trueness to a standard type.  This post spells all that out in great detail, related to these two teas.  

In that earlier post I reviewed how some alternative sources work out, and I'll sample one from the top of a Google search list here to do the same, to clarify the one type, and support what I'm claiming about a market value:

Palais Des Thes Zhang Ping Shui Xian Grand Cru (selling for $48 per 100 grams)

This Zhang Ping Shui Xian Grand Cru, which translates to “water fairy from Zhang Ping”, is harvested in the namesake village in Fujian province, China. The tradition of oolong compression continues here: growers carefully compress oolong made from the Shui Xian cultivar into small cubes.

A superb oolong with delicate white flower, yellow fruit and vanilla notes which develop against a subtly powdered texture.

In order to bring out all the aromatic complexity of this tea, we recommend multiple infusions using the traditional Chinese Gong Fu Cha method.

Maybe that's roughly equivalent in quality level and style, or maybe it's better, or possibly even lower in quality level; there's no way to know without trying it.  That Google search turned up countless other examples, some costing significantly less, and again only trying them would indicate style, aspect range, and quality.  

Review:

Da Hong Pao:  this is nice.  It's so heavy on cinnamon flavor that it seems more type-typical for Rou Gui than Da Hong Pao, but it probably includes more Rou Gui than Shui Xian, and probably little or none of Qi Dan or Bei Dou, the more original DHP cultivars.  Da Hong Pao means two different things:  a derivative version of one of the original plant versions (7 originally, was it?), or else a style, most typically a blend of other plant types made to taste a certain way, typically with an upper-medium roast input level.  This could be the second thing.  Or it's conceivable that it could just be Rou Gui, but I doubt that.

This producer outlet listing of blended Da Hong Pao clarifies what I mean, about DHP also referring to a blend.

It's good, the main thing.  And the style is fine for the DHP range; it's appropriate.  It includes a good bit of inky mineral depth that works as a quality level marker across a lot of Wuyi Yancha range (just not always present; the styles of those vary, and plant types).  Sweetness is good, as is flavor range and overall balance.  Aftertaste is pronounced, already, including mostly that heavy cinnamon note.

Other flavor range matches ordinary DHP scope.  Warm mineral and cinnamon stand out the most, and the warm tones of a roast input (probably coupled with significant oxidation, not the low level version).  The rest is what people tend to describe in lots of different ways, as a familiar range, but one that doesn't map over to food and other flavor experience all that well.  It tastes like leather, or aromatic dark woods, towards incense spice, and so on.  It's not dis-similar to some dried fruit, like tamarind, but that's not it.  Probably an obscure spice reference is better than that whole list of guesses.

Zhangping Shui Xian:  this isn't really opened up yet; it will probably take two long infusions just to get it going.  I'll pass on an early impression anyway.  It's too light to come across as positively as it will when brewed stronger.  Often a bright freshness is a main part of this style of oolong, if the couple of examples I've tried are an indication, and this doesn't include all that much of that just yet.  The flavor that is present isn't too far off good Tie Guan Yin range.  

If floral tones pick up, and sweetness, and a fresh edge, this will be right where it should be.  If not it will be a decent but somewhat muted version of this style.  I'll take it apart to give it a chance to express itself better.

DHP #2:  mineral tones really pick up, from pronounced to quite strong.  That's positive, as I see it, a normal form of this type.  Roast input is moderate enough that that's lending to this effect quite a bit but it doesn't taste charred, in a good balance.  For people loving a lighter style of these range of teas that's not ideal, but DHP typically is like this, so those people should be drinking something else, a single cultivar type identified as made in that style.  Oddly when a version is sold as Qi Dan or Bei Dou it wouldn't usually be made in exactly this style; DHP really does refer to a processing form, even when the most original plant types are made into something that could fairly be called that, or really represent the original range even more than this evolved modern form does.  

Aftertaste is good in this, and feel thickness is upper medium, so in a pretty good balance.  The mineral really stays with you.  It really tastes like ink smells, as it should.  That effect leans a little towards a liqueur or perfume like character.

This is what you hope random gambling-oriented purchases of DHP in Chinatown shops would be like, and it almost never is.  I like lower quality DHP too though; to me some styles carry over and work better as lower quality versions, even giving up a positive attribute here or there.  Lower medium quality Tie Guan Yin can be drinkable but not as pleasant.  Moderate quality Dian Hong can be great.  I suppose that's all more about my subjective preference than anything that is grounded beyond my experience.

Zhangping Shui Xian:  it has good depth, and is pleasant in character.  The main limitation seems to come from my own expectations, of this including bright floral range and freshness.  It's not like that, at least not in a pronounced form.  The main flavor is quite similar to Tie Guan Yin range, but a warmer and more vegetal variation of that.  I suppose that's like Taiwanese oolong, just without the one pronounced unusual note those tend to include, a strong floral tone.  I could imagine people loving this style, but I don't.  It needs a bit more sweetness and floral range to tie the rest together.

It says on the packaging this is from an old plant source, and in some cases forward or higher end intensity can be diminished in older plants, swapped out for a greater depth.  That doesn't hold as true for Dan Cong; the range of sweet and aromatic tones in those tends to have a strong forward, higher end, more fragrant component, even in styles and versions where depth is more pronounced.  I'm not familiar enough with this style range to place it as just a normal variation or else atypical instead.

Other quality markers, beyond sweetness and flavor intensity, aren't as positive as they could be.  Thickness of feel is very limited, as is aftertaste.  It just doesn't seem exceptional.  It's good though, it's ok, but not as pleasant or seemingly a match in quality level to the DHP version.  That also isn't really in the "best of the best" range, but it's very positive, and works well, even venturing into complex and refined character, so close enough.

DHP #3:  more of the same; as described before.  I'd be surprised if this isn't half Rou Gui.  If so that's fine; they seem to have blended inputs that balance each other well, which is a good example of that second definition of Da Hong Pao.  A touch more woodiness enters in this round; this may be as positive as it will be, and could transition to be less exceptional over 2 or 3 more rounds.  We'll see.

Zhangping Shui Xian:  also more of the same.  A bit of additional warm spice may be picking up; it's better than in the first two rounds.  There is a fullness and depth to this, across flavor and to a lesser extent also feel range, with a touch more aftertaste expression picking up.  For people who love the greenest / lightest styles of Wuyi Yancha this may work well enough.  I can appreciate that style range, depending on what aspects are there, and I like this, but to me it's not really exceptional.  

Beyond lacking intensity, and some flavor aspect range that could be present, it includes no flaws.  It's hard to explain how that defines it, or where to place it in relation to what's not there.  This could easily taste woody, or include a trace of sourness, and so on, and it doesn't.  I might have not mentioned much for flavor yet, beyond that it's vaguely vegetal, in a neutral sense.  It's probably floral too, in a relatively neutral sense, as something like chrysanthemum is.  That's why it comes across as including depth and some complexity, even though flavor intensity is limited.

I'll give these one more 30 second or so infusion and then leave off taking notes.  That won't cover how they transition through the last half of the infusion range, but I can mention something about that later in a conclusion section, after drinking more later.  

I'm brewing 5 grams each of these, the sample versions, which is more like conventional Gongfu approach than I usually use.  I tend to max out proportion, brewing 7 or 8 grams in a 100 ml gaiwan, requiring using 10 to 15 second infusion times across the first half of the cycle, and resulting in brewing over a dozen rounds.  Either way works.

DHP 4:  this might be fading a little; that can happen, for using a lower proportion, and extending brewing times.  It's far from done but this won't make it past a dozen infusions, or maybe even 10.  I bet you could keep stretching this though, brewing it for 45 seconds to a minute lots of times, then even longer.  Cinnamon is fading as woody tones pick up; it's on the downhill side of positive character too.  

I was drinking both on the strong side, really pushing them both to drink this strong related to the other being subtle in character.  You could use shorter times and light infusion strength and this DHP would've been fine, or maybe better, per someone else's taste preference.

Zhangping Shui Xian:  it's fine, not different than last round.

I might mention that as a sheng pu'er drinker I'm acclimated to a really high intensity level in tea character.  For someone dialed into a lighter range this would probably come across better.  The intensity of the DHP brewed a bit strong worked for me, but this stays a bit subtle, picking up depth but not overall intensity.  Sweetness and bright floral tone missing seemed a limitation, although I suppose that it's possible that this is one conventional style version of this tea type.

Conclusions:

Those did start fading after that, so durability wasn't exceptional for either, but again I was pushing the teas related to using a low proportion (for me) and brewing them a bit strong.

So how good were they?  To me it's important to specify that within a range.  Were they presented as exceptional quality, boutique producer teas, or as better than average standard outlet versions?  Were they supposed to compete with the better curator vendor offerings, or instead high volume online outlets, or Chinatown shops?  In the middle, I think.  I'll add pricing and some background during the final editing but from the last review these are sold as medium priced teas, implying a medium level of quality.

In relation to that they're good.  I liked the Da Hong Pao version more, and it seemed like a better quality tea to me, but both were nice enough.  Both fell within a general range for type, although perhaps the Shui Xian could've been a little different, brighter in tone, with more floral range, and sweeter.  As I've mentioned this could've been within a standard range though; it's not a type or style I'm all that familiar with, having only tried a couple of related versions before.

In the last combined review from this set I liked the Dan Cong version more than the Tie Guan Yin, and to some extent that could've related to my preference for type matching that pattern.  That could've happened again.  I'm interpreting my impression as an objective assessment of style (match to standard type) and quality instead, but the themes and impression range can mix, to some extent.

It can be hard to be more specific; just how good were these, on a scale of 1 to 10, in relation to what is selling in mainstream outlets of other types at different pricing, etc.  I think the Da Hong Pao would be as good as what higher volume outlets (or smaller vendors too) sell for 40 cents per gram or so, if their value was good.  Market-style online outlets might carry more versions that aren't quite that good, with this equating to their higher end range.  

It's harder to say for the Shui Xian; the style is less common and less familiar.  Pricing might run slightly higher due to novelty.  I don't think this is an uncommon type or form, at this point, but it does seem like it's a type and presentation that has evolved relatively recently, at least related to Western exposure, to the extent types like Da Hong Pao and the Dan Cong and Tie Guan Yin ranges have been available.  The quality and aspects weren't as appealing for this version as the other, but it is a more novel style.

Comparing ITeaWorld Shui Xian and Wuyishan park origin Rou Gui

 

Shui Xian left, in all photos

Trying one of the last of the ITeaWorld oolongs, a Da Hong Pao, led me to giving review of those one more go.  This isn't that; it's their Shui Xian, or branded here as Minnan Narcissus, which that translates to, a reference to a flower type.

That Da Hong Pao was pretty good:  intense, earthy, deep with mineral tones, and clean.  A heavy roast input and good base of minerals gave it a really inky mineral effect, a bit heavy-handed but nice.  It was what I see as one part of the range of being type-typical.  Some versions sold as that can be more refined and balanced, less intense, but it's probably the more common type theme for those to be heading towards that heavy roast input and high degree of mineral tone, almost rough natured for being so intense.

These will be different.  This Rou Gui is from Jip Eu, that Chinatown shop I never stop mentioning.  They gave me this sample in a recent visit there.  It's presented as from grown inside the Wuyishan park / nature presever area, and it probably is that, since it's passed on from the brother of Kittichai (the owner).  His brother and other family lives in that area, and still produces tea there (I think; I suppose it could be that he's only a vendor instead).  We talk about his family history from time to time and I've seen a picture of him at a family tea processing small factory within the Wuyishan park area, that had to be removed when they changed the area use restrictions a long time ago.  So I guess that would be 50 years back, and he would be getting along in age now?

I think Jip Eu may not even sell this tea version, it may just be something they shared that they picked up.  It's interesting a recent review also related to that context, the one about frozen oolong, tea that was never dried.

This isn't mainly a claim about what this Rou Gui is, or developed support for any of that story.  It should be good, and the style could vary quite a bit.  I've lost track of the unique name they use for "within the park area" in Wuyishan, which there's a word for (Chinese terms don't stick with me), but in unsuccessfully looking that up I found an interesting reference about that area:

After harvest, fresh tea leaves require four months of processing -- they're baked for more than a month -- before they're ready to serve.

In addition to Da Hong Pao, Shui Xian (Narcissus) and Rougui (Cassia) are two Wuyi cliff teas recommended for beginners.

Shui Xian is elegant and smooth. Rougui has a spicy and fierce kick.

Tea at Chun Hui ranges from $45 per 500 grams to $450 -- each brew takes about 8 grams of tea leaves.

So not the term I was looking for but that summary is interesting, given what I'm about to compare.  I think Rou Gui could be elegant and smooth and Shui Xian could be a bit rough or the opposite (which I would typically call refined) based on growing conditions input and maybe even more so processing choices.  Anyway, it's interesting.  

The price range is too; $9 per 100 grams up to nearly $1 a gram.  That sounds right; that's how we tend to buy it in Western outlets too.  Stopping at a $1 a gram might be a little low, but beyond that.  It's nice that they say you should brew using a heavy proportion; I think so too.  That's assuming they mean 8 grams in a 100 ml range of infusion; of course it would also be possible to use a much lower proportion and adjust timing, or even brew Western style, but I don't think that works out as well for this tea type range.

I looked up selling price and description in the ITeaWorld site and this is $20 or so per 100 grams (which is fine, maybe a really good value depending on quality), and there isn't much text description.  It says "tea leaves from 60 year old tea trees with distinct orchid aroma," from Dongguantown, Yongchun, Fujian (which means nothing to me).  Since they're using a graphic to describe the tea further I can include that:

Oxidation level and perceived sweetness mean something to me but the rest doesn't.  Let's actually try it then.

To be clear this is probably an unfair tasting, because these were presented as completely different quality level versions.  ITeaWorld teas have been above average in quality level, some maybe slightly better than that, but they're selling them for normal market rates for ordinary range tea, implying they're not some unusual quality level version.  If you can find $9 per 100 gram versions of Wuyi Yancha, based anywhere, in online outlets, Chinatown shops, wherever, those tend to be rough edged and limited quality teas.  $20 is more normal range.  I've bought versions that fit more of the $20 profile (expectations) for under $5 in Bangkok, but usually you get bad tea trying that buying approach.

If the two teas seem similar in quality level this is really either an impressive outcome for the ITeaWorld Shui Xian or a disappointment for the Rou Gui.  If I happen to like one better than the other related to personal preference for aspects that's wouldn't necessarily relate to a clear judgement one way or the other, related to quality scope.

Review:

ITea World Shui Xian:  the dry leaf smells really nice.  I'm not getting all that much intensity from the brewed liquid, the opposite effect from the Da Hong Pao, which started really fast.  This is a more refined version, it seems, and probably lower in oxidation and roast level.  Not that this is a direct opposition; more oxidation and roast level might make a tea brew faster, and come across as more intense, but different styles could have flaws or rough edges, or balance really well.  

I suppose mineral base and floral range does come through.  I should do a flavor list next round though, since this is quite light.

I'm brewing two of their samples, so 7 grams in total, and it looks like the other sample is more than that, maybe 8, maybe with larger, more whole leaves making it look even bigger.

Jip Eu Rou Gui:  this is more intense but also still opening up.  I brewed these for around 20 seconds but people tend to use a rinse step in part because the first round is slow to get going otherwise, even if you soak the leaves for awhile.  There is heavier flavor range to this, and maybe it does include cinnamon.

It goes without saying, since I've said it so often, but brewing 15 grams of tea at one time is a lot; I won't get far for infusion count, and will try these again later in the afternoon.  It's fine to brew 3 1/2 or 4 grams at a time, that sample packet worth, it just requires adjustment, and I'm accustomed to this range of process.

ITea World Shui Xian, 2:  that's more like it.  This is actually pretty good.  I wouldn't say that an intense floral character comes across but depth of mineral tone standing out more isn't a bad thing.  Feel is fairly full, and aftertaste experience carries over, mostly settled on the mineral tone.  Sweetness is fine, and flavor range, but it's the way the mineral tone serves as a base and feel and aftertaste supports the rest that make it work well.  

Oxidation and roast level do seem to be moderate; it's that lighter style of Wuyi Yancha.  I like that, but when the other range is perfectly balanced--medium level for both--there's a sort of magic to that, but it's far more common for the roast to go a bit far, to take on a char effect.  There's a perfume-like aromatic tone that good Wuyi Yancha can express that this taps into some, almost like cognac, but it's not so pronounced in this version.  For 20 cents a gram tea this is fine, maybe slightly better than I would expect.

Jip Eu Rou Gui:  cinnamon is really standing out in this now; that's quite pleasant.  It's not as if this gives up anything for refinement to the other, but the style is quite different.  They seem to have oxidized this a bit more, not in that modern light range, more in a very well-balanced traditional form (as I take it, but what do I know?).  

Feel and aftertaste are ok, and mineral depth, maybe even directly equivalent to the other, but for flavor range being a bit stronger those come across as weaker.  Does it make sense what I mean by that?  The other is refined and light in terms of flavor intensity, with decent floral range and mineral present, but a shift in higher intensity after you drink it makes aftertaste stand out all the more.  The initial punch of sweet, warm, and rich cinnamon tone in this other version is a good bit more intense, so the same level of flavor carry-over, comparable to the first, seems lighter in comparison.  Interesting!

This might be gaining flavor intensity through the inclusion of a wood tone, in between green wood and truly aged dryer range.  Of course the cinnamon is spice instead, with mineral base.

color difference is apparent in the leaves, lighter Shui Xian left

ITeaWorld Shui Xian, 3:  brewed slightly longer to zero in on feel differences an aromatic wood-tone picks up in this version too.  Floral range is still there, but the mineral is so much more pronounced that it would be easy to miss it.  Rich feel and aftertaste stand out all the more.

Jip Eu Rou Gui:  that cinnamon note is really dominant.  It's pleasant, so that completely works.  As far as quality level there isn't much gap between these, so I guess in one sense the Rou Gui falls a little short of expectations.  Maybe it's more that the other exceeded them; these are pretty good teas.  There seems to be at least one more level beyond these both, I think, but they're good.

The character of that cinnamon input and how the rest balances is so positive that I actually like the Rou Gui more, but I think that's down to preference for an aspect set, more than it being better.  It seems slightly sweeter, which balances well with the mineral base and cinnamon tone.  It might give up a little in terms of rich feel.

ITeaWorld Shui Xian 4:  evolving further to wood tone, not necessarily positive transition, at least in terms of flavor.  It's still good though; the supporting feel, mineral base, and aftertaste range are all nice.  

Jip Eu Rou Gui:  intensity is stronger than ever; this is evolving in the other direction, improving.  Even stronger mineral base picks up along with the sweeter cinnamon tone, and aftertaste / finish duration improves.

This reminds me of a comment by a tea maker friend once (Cindy), that it's possible to make Wuyi Yancha versions even from other tea plant types, grown in different areas.  The main trade-off or limitation isn't initial flavor profile, necessarily, since those can still be pleasant, but she said that they tend to brew out really fast, that they lack the same durability.  

I remember seeing an online comment once about how Wuyi Yancha always tend to brew out really fast, and wondering what went into that, since sometimes that is absolutely true, and in other cases it's the opposite, and they can brew a dozen very pleasant rounds.  I think alteration by using higher oxidation level and more roast input comes at a cost, related to this factor, that intensity and differing aspect range also relates to teas brewing out a bit faster.

ITeaWorld Shui Xian 5:  it's still ok.  It's funny how the heavy mineral tone picked up so much that this is much closer to the Da Hong Pao version character (the sample version I didn't review).  That's not a bad thing; I like that inky, slightly rough, heavy mineral input.  Wood tone picking up to a higher level than floral tone input is less positive, but that's still ok.  Aftertaste is really pronounced still, and feel is fine.

Jip Eu Rou Gui:  higher sweetness level stands out at this point, and that cinnamon tone, as it has the whole time.  This is definitely staying more refined and balanced over these middle level rounds.  I think even the aftertaste range is more extended than it had been; that's odd.  Feel might still be a little thinner than for the other version.

There is a good chance that this Rou Gui will evolve more positively, or decline less, over the next 4 or 5 rounds, but this is enough of this story told already.

Conclusions:

Some of what I expected, some I didn't.  I think the quality level is a bit higher for the Rou Gui version, as it should be, given initial expectations and context, but it was interesting how some of the positive aspects that generally tie closely to quality level were equivalent or even superior in the Shui Xian version.  Feel is richer, smoother, and thicker in the Shui Xian, for example.  Rou Gui might be slightly more intense related to using a bit more tea material, and equivalent brewing process, but the Shui Xian held its own ok even related to that.

I liked the Rou Gui more, as I only barely mentioned in one place in this, but I think that was as much about liking typical Rou Gui style more than the general lighter Wuyi Yancha preparation range.  That related both to flavor range, that cinnamon, and the overall balance of all the rest.  That part probably varies by person, which character or aspects are best.

Again this ITeaWorld product is slightly better than I expected.  There's a trend where  a new broad type vendor outlets, supporting sales through limited background content, usually sell fairly mediocre teas, and these have seemed decent.  Maybe what I'm saying seems contradictory, since in another place I've said that they're only of above average quality, which isn't high praise.  Quality and value tend to couple together; I would expect something different from a 20 cent a gram Wuyi Yancha version than one selling for 40 cents per gram, or 80.  

I think this context is already clear enough, but let's go a step further, and consider how a well-regarded US vendor sells two Shui Xian versions at different levels / types (from Seven Cups):

Shuixian (Narcissus), Organic Rock Wulong Tea 2022 (50 grams for $28.50, so $57 for 100):  

A richly floral rock wulong with an aroma reminiscent of narcissus flowers and a deep full flavor. Traditionally charcoal roasted to develop sweetness while still preserving a high aroma. A great tea for new rock wulong tea drinkers due to its inviting fragrance, rich taste, and relatively low price.

Laocong Shuixian (Old Bush Narcissus) Rock Wulong Tea 2022 ($19.74 for 25 grams, more like $80 per 100 grams):  

A truly distinctive high-end rock wulong that showcases the unique character of teas made from mature tea plants. Made from old growth Shuixian tea bushes on average 60 years old. Mature plants provide a smoother, more layered full flavor and more complex nutrition than tea made from younger plants. Fragrant wood and toasted grain aromatics accompany a soft body with persistent minerality and sweetness that intensifies with each sip.

This Shui Xian sells for less than half of their lower priced range version, but then buying directly from China tends to cost less.  How shipping factors in varies, and sometimes adding $30 at the end for that evens things up, but they've followed the standard practice of building in shipping in these listings since it's free for $40 orders or over.

Probably both of these Seven Cups Shui Xian versions are even better; I'd be surprised if that wasn't the case.  But value tends to be all over the map for different vendors, price in relation to quality level.  I'd expect that you can buy versions just as good as these listed ones for half as much through Wuyi Origin, a well respected direct from producer sales outlet.  For this more ordinary range of quality level ITeaWorld seems to be a decent source, across most of what I've tried from them, and for this tea.

Wuyi Origin blended Da Hong Pao, compared to a Chinatown version

 

This backstory should be familiar to most people, that Da Hong Pao seems to mean two completely different things.  On the one hand there were 7 or so bushes that tea plants were derived from, not genetically identical plant versions, but similar, and the later resulting teas from them are Da Hong Pao.  The two main cultivars from those plants are now called Qi Dan and Bei Dou (with more on that story here).  Then a lot of commercial Da Hong Pao could just be anything, maybe only Shui Xian, or as often a mix of other plants.  The blending idea seemed to be to recreate that original character and to create balanced, blended tea versions (so two separate goals, really).  Or maybe it just started with loose branding, copying over a traditional story to broader type inputs.

I think this is a picture of those bushes

This is a blend, the second example.  Cindy sells more original Da Hong Pao variations as Qi Dan and Bei Dou on her website, and is clear about what this is, marketed as blended Da Hong Pao.  I've been drinking a decent Chinatown shop Shui Xian lately, from Jip Eu, so the range is more familiar again.  That version was so inexpensive, one of the rare exceptions where a very low cost tea could pass for mid-range, or really is that, but just isn't priced as such.  That may be a blend of inputs too, but given that designation it's probably just Shui Xian.  This should be a bit better, more refined, more balanced, with subtle aspects that work slightly better.  We'll see.

I should add that Cindy sent this tea to me, not so much for review, but as a gesture of friendship, as I take it.  She's on the short list of my absolute favorite tea contacts, so if bias was ever going to enter in it could related to her teas.  But as I take it they're so good that they don't need help from biased interpretation to shine.  Their description of this tea:

Da hong pao blended (拼配大红袍）2021

Blending Dahongpao is not to mix different varieties together, but we select different varieties, and then complement each other according to the characteristics of the tea varieties. A good mix of Dahongpao requires skills,

Raw material: We used Rougui 肉桂, Shuixian 水仙, Jin mu dan 金牡丹  ，Meizhan 梅占, and  Chun lan 春兰 ，All the materials are from our 2021 Harvest . Baking level: 3times roasted, medium roasting style  ​About Blending: Different materials with different features all mixture together. This blended dahongpao: Zheng yan Rougui and Shuixian fix its strong body. Jin mudan 金牡丹 and Chun lan 春兰 help to enhance the aroma .Blending is a good complement of different materials.

Roasting level : the 1st time roasting : 2021.June.9th

                          the 2nd time roasting : 2021.July .15th

                          the 3rd time roasting : 2021,August 20th

This is a very fragrant Dahongpao, which has been fragrant from the beginning to the end.

that Jip Eu Chinatown shop Shui Xian; a bit more broken, but decent looking

Review:

First infusion:  yep, better than I've been experiencing recently.  How refined this is comes across fast, right after you get a flash of a sense of a few distinct aspects.  There's cinnamon in this, and faint and balanced roast effect, like a touch of edge from French roast.  I tried this prior to checking that description, and from seeing that it makes sense there is Rou Gui in this (which doesn't always taste like cinnamon, or cassia, but often does).

Sweetness stands out, and underlying mineral.  From there flavor is really complex, seemingly involving some cocoa too, and probably a touch of fruit, along the line of elderberry.  It's a lot going on but it links together and integrates.  This tea is barely wet yet and mouthfeel and aftertaste are already quite developed.  A pleasant echo of all of that stays with you after you drink it, not the minutes-long powerful sensation from some sheng pu'er, but it trails off slowly.  It's nice.

That other Chinatown version I mentioned had a few positive aspects that spanned considerable range and worked well together, with no significant flaws.  These parallel each other in some ways, because that's all true of this tea too, it's just a broader set of positive aspects, and it integrates even better.

Second infusion:  depth kicks in; that Shui Xian was pleasant for including mineral tone that tasted like ink (to me), and this now includes a lot of that.  It has more other range and depth, but that one aspect is really close in form and level in this.  It's mineral-like ink that leans a little towards brandy, very pleasant in form.  In this it's nice that the pronounced cinnamon and milder cocoa is filling in complexity beyond that, with roast level really nicely balanced.  The other wasn't so far off this for roast input, which is atypical for inexpensive versions.  Those are usually off in terms of roast, low so that it doesn't provide a balancing input, or more often slightly burned.

It's nice the way that this really coats your mouth and fills in a lot of range of experience.  The aftertaste is much more pronounced than in that lower quality tea.  There's a floral aspect that comes out mostly in the later part of the aftertaste experience.  Both would be fine with a cinnamon roll but this is better suited for appreciating on its own.

Third infusion:  this keeps transitioning; that's different.  To some extent it's about the balance of what I've already described changing in proportion, which alters the effect, making it hard to describe.  I think even very subtle shifts in infusion strength would alter that proportion quite a bit, and that's probably part of what I'm experiencing.  The roast coffee edge stands out even more this round, and the inky mineral range, with both taking over the more subtle parts just a bit.  A flash infusion would probably be quite different, dropping back the heavier range and focusing in more on lighter and sweeter components, maybe with cinnamon, cocoa, and the floral range seeming to bump up.  

It's nice that all these aspects are so positive and balance so well that I'm not seeing minor changes as better and worse so much, just different looks from the same tea.  It's nice how intense this is this round. To be clear I brewed this for 10 seconds or less, so I'm not talking about what happens when you focus online too much and accidentally double that timing.  It would probably make sense to use two thirds as much tea for this to make it easier to dial in shifts in timing, or that could be true in general, that pushing it for proportion always involves a trade-off like that.  It's habit to brew at this high proportion, more than seeing it as optimum.  I don't see habit as such a bad thing though.  Our intuition tells us to head in a certain direction related to outcomes from prior experience, along with some randomness and mixed bias creeping in.

Fourth infusion:  cinnamon is a lot stronger in a very light infusion.  Brewed strong enough this might not taste like cinnamon at all. It's cool the way that the inky mineral range drops back to supporting that, but doesn't drop out when brewed very lightly.  Aftertaste experience is faded to the point of almost being gone at a very light infusion strength.  This tea would probably brew 20 very pleasant infusions made this light, I'd expect.  For most bumping timing up to 8 seconds or so would be better, or dropping proportion back so that something similar resulted between 10 and 15 seconds instead, at least at this part of the brewing cycle.

Fifth infusion:  this is so nice back at what I consider a normal infusion strength, balancing really well.  A floral tone supporting the rest seems much stronger now, with all the other list I keep mentioning giving way to that.  Better Wuyi Yancha exhibits a liqueur-like effect, something that reminds me of the scent of perfume, and this moves on to include more of that.  It almost seems like something that manifests out of a set of other aspects, or maybe it is just more aromatic range I have trouble describing, at the edge of what can actually be tasted.  

It's an understatement to say that this tea comes across as well balanced.  For mixing a lot of inputs in some cases, for some blends, overall effect can seem muddled, and you give up stronger experience of a narrower set, but it's also possible for everything to take its place and combine together, versus getting mixed and lost.  It's probably partly the difference related to mixing teas to work around flaws in some and using better material that contributes different positive range.  Those two wouldn't be completely distinct; probably these individual inputs wouldn't come across as nearly as complex and balanced.  A lack across part of a range could be a flaw, in a sense.  But it would be different trying to drown out a negative aspect.

Sixth infusion:  more of the same.  The slight shifts aren't worth going on about; a lot of complexity keeps changing in balance.  Probably after 2 or 3 more rounds it will thin a bit, and some of that range will drop back, and it will stay pleasant but narrower for a few more rounds.  I'm just not patient enough for a dozen round review, so I won't mention those details.

Conclusions:

Just fantastic, as expected.  It is interesting comparing a really good blended Wuyi Yancha with a recent and repeated impression of a pretty good one.  For a tea to have with food the difference scales way back; both would be ok.  For drinking a tea as the main part of an experience this is more suitable.  You could still just have it with breakfast, of course.

I find myself drinking through lower quality teas I have around faster because of that distinction, that I need to have something quick 5 work-days per week, and tend to drink something as a pick me up in the afternoons that I also don't focus on.  It would be possible to re-structure life to pay more attention to immediate experience, and to allocate more time.  For me I'm not a morning person, so it just wouldn't be practical prior to 9 AM, and I suppose to some extent I only have so much focus to work with every day.   

That connects together well with another theme I'm writing about in another post draft, about how I just ordered a lot of tea, almost all sheng pu'er, based largely on what I could buy that's the best and most interesting in spite of being low in cost.  My tea budget also drives that; my wife was shocked enough to learn of a moderate sized tea order expense.  It's nice that I can keep trying interesting, diverse, high quality teas related to this blogging theme, vendors sending it for review, and still buy modest quality teas in much greater volume that I mostly drink day to day.  This tea costs 50 cents a gram on their website (for the 50 gram amount; down closer to 40 at 250 grams), and it's definitely worth that.  There is plenty of Wuyi Yancha out there not nearly this good selling for more.  

Maybe I shouldn't say what the range for inexpensive but decent sheng is?  On the order of a third of that, which would vary for "how decent" someone is talking about, and their type preference, and vendor source.  You definitely notice the vast difference in tea quality, and there are tradeoffs related to most or less preferred storage conditions input, but one catchy part of sheng experience is that the tea you buy and experience this year will be quite different in two more years.  I think beyond preference for aspect range and the trendiness of sheng pu'er preference that transition is a lot of the rest of the appeal.  

Just related to how positive a tea experience is this Wuyi Yancha really holds its own, with anything else, with considerable allowance required for personal preference.  In general less acclimation and preference development shift would be required to enjoy this; a lot more people would "get it."  It might not be the next natural step to follow drinking Harney and Sons blends but it is a next natural step after appreciating more mediocre Chinatown shop Wuyi Yancha, which can also be really nice, just in a different sense.

Osmanthus black and Shui Xian oolong from Jip Eu (Bangkok Chinatown)

visiting Jip Eu that day

A few weeks ago my wife and I were doing a rushed version of Christmas shopping that included a quick pass through Chinatown, so I stopped by my favorite shop there, Jip Eu, mostly to buy tea for gifts.  I bought 6 packs of an inexpensive Shui Xian, all but one to give away, and a spare Xiaguan tuocha there, and some Thai oolong and a couple of Dayi tuochas elsewhere, at Sen Xing Fa.  

Kittichai (the shop owner) gave me a tea there as a gift, an osmanthus black tea, which I'm reviewing here, along with the Shui Xian.  Very kind of him!  Those guys do feel like extra family to me, and I would probably visit them even without buying or drinking tea.  Maybe it feels slightly less like that for me only seeing them a couple of times last year, but that's how the covid era goes, Bangkok keeps shutting down and opening back up.  I don't work out of my office, almost ever, so stopping by Chinatown while on that side of town doesn't combine together.  I suppose I could be biased about their teas, liking what I would prefer to like; it's worth considering.

One might wonder what else is in Chinatown as gifts for kids.  There is a toy area of the wholesale shops there but my kids are both moving on from Legos and dolls and such.  We did buy some of those educational toys, about setting up a demo water filter and a seed sprouting kit.  Some extra clothes and such were most of the rest, some hair accessories, and we picked up a half a kilo of chrysanthemum due to almost running out.  It wasn't one-stop Christmas shopping; another trip to a department store and going to a sporting goods store later that day rounded it all out.  They do have online shopping here but we are slow to move to that (my family, and that also works for Thailand in general).

On to how the teas worked out.

Review, Osmanthus black:

first infusion:  really nice, although that interpretation depends a little on how one takes tartness.  Floral tone stands out most, leaning a lot towards fruit, along the line of roselle (hard to describe, between rose petal and cranberry, I guess).  Smooth, warm, rich tones fill in beyond that; this is definitely not an edgy version of black tea (astringent, or harsh, or flawed in any other way).  That roselle tone, which really has to be osmanthus, given what this is, includes a bit of tartness, or I suppose that's just as likely coming from the tea, but seems to link to the floral range.  Black tea contributes really mild mineral tones and other warm toffee like sweetness.  Probably floral will fade in a second infusion and wood tone will pick up, maybe even warmth like spice, which should also be nice.

Where to go from the basic flavor list for discussion?  The only other flavored black tea I ever tend to drink, besides Earl Grey, is jasmine black tea.  That's probably my overall favorite flavored tea form, the way that input can integrate in a good version.  Osmanthus is pleasant too, sweet and rich, floral towards fruity, not disagreeable in any way, and well suited for blending with tea.  

One might've tried mild osmanthus oolong and edgier, intense jasmine green tea, or strong versions of jasmine white, and think that jasmine has too harsh an edge, but that's most typically coming from the green tea.  How it works out for white is a bit strange; that tea has to mild, if it's white, but jasmine input can get to be a bit much.  I suppose at some point the balance is determined by the level, and producers making adjustments by mixing actual flowers (versus layering tea and flowers to add flavor), or adding chemical agents to extract flavors is something else.  What is the word I'm leaving out here?  Along the lines of solvent.

Anyway, this isn't as good as the best jasmine black tea I've ever tried but it is quite good.  For someone with more of an osmanthus preference that opinion could easily be reversed.  It's probably as well to say more about the tea base after a second infusion, since heavy floral input extracted relatively quickly this round, and dominates the flavor range, which isn't so bad.  I tend to brew Western style on the heavy side, using a proportion that works well for three infusions (maybe 4 grams for a 12 ounce cup, but I don't measure either, so I don't really know).  In this case, for flavored tea, the first two infusions will be quite positive, but very different, and the third might well be pushing it.

second infusion:  maybe a little better, for the black tea input ramping up.  The floral and fruit range didn't change much, just fading a good bit, but the tea input did.  It has nice toffee range sweetness, and a bit of a savory edge to it.  I have no idea what tea this is but it's not like the Dian Hong I drink most of.  I suppose it's closer to Wuyishan Fujian black tea I've been having, or it could be something else altogether.  

It kind of doesn't matter, exactly what black tea style this "should" be like.  It's suitable for a flavored tea base, mild and rich, maybe just a bit non-distinct to stand alone, but it would be easier to determine that trying a plain version.  Mineral tone gives it more of a positive base effect, along with the mild towards wood or spice range aspects.  If it's fruity or floral at all it's not possible to separate that from the osmanthus input.  It's good.

 

Review, Shui Xian oolong:

first infusion:  this won't be the fairest appraisal of this tea because I'm using the end of a bag that I separated out as two separate parts from an original paper wrapper.  I've drank this a few times and it's quite pleasant, but that form was more whole leaf than this.  Since I took out the top half to put in another bag just thinking it all through better earlier would've resulted in using the most whole material, instead of the most broken, but I'm not that clear minded first thing in the morning.  Or even now, at 11; there's a narrow window in the afternoon where I'm more optimum, maybe between 1 and 3.  My kids and I sometimes joke about how I'm not a morning person or an evening person, and it's not just a joke.

This has a really nice inky mineral base and strong woody sort of flavor, like tree bark, towards spice.  There's a Chinese name for that I'm forgetting; I'm not good with memorizing that list of main tea terms.  It makes you sound so much more knowledgeable and authoritative too, like you are speaking for an old tradition.  

This includes some cinnamon as well, more than I would expect for Shui Xian.  The flavors are really intense and clean, with what I take to be good input from a roast step, and a great level of oxidation (probably mixed, since they blend inputs to get to the most positive outcome in these sorts of teas).  It all works better than it should.  I've tried Cindy's Qi Lan again since drinking this and the character overlaps a good bit (Wuyi Origin's, really good tea, a version from a different quality level).  To say this is more rustic or rougher edged implies more of a difference than I'm really experiencing, since that degree is so limited, but I suppose that's it.

This tea most definitely punches above its weight.  If you bought this for $8 for 50 grams it would seem like a good buy, as standard tea versions go, and I paid $3 for what could've been 100 grams (I think it was that).  Packaging was entirely in Thai (maybe with some Chinese mixed in), and I didn't have it translated, and was in a rush when I bought it.  It's odd how this tea is a great value whether it was 50 or 100 grams; it usually doesn't work out like that.  For $6 it still would be (200 baht instead).  It goes without saying but twisted style teas like this taking up a lot of space in a package is what makes it hard to determine amount; it was mostly whole leaf, and again this is the end of the "bottom" half.

That's the opposite of how that would almost always go in buying random Wuyi Yancha, to some extent even there at Jip Eu.  Very inexpensive teas can be drinkable, positive and interesting, but not this good, with this degree of balance, intensity, pleasant aspect range, and lack of flaws.  I suppose it just so happened that they bought Shui Xian versions with limitations that merged to become really good by matching up.  An inexpensive version like this should be a "daily drinker," the kind of tea you would have with breakfast but not focus on in a session as the main theme, but it could stretch and cover both.

To put that in perspective Cindy's (Wuyi Origin's) Qi Lan sells for $17 for 50 grams, and to me it's a good value for that.  It's better than this, but the character overlaps, and this tea should have notable flaws that it doesn't have.  For that tea slightly cleaner and more intense flavors and better feel and aftertaste would all mark it as being different, with general flavor range not as different as would be normal.

for outdoor tasting level of sunlight can affect images a lot

Second infusion:  so nice, that intensity, and again the cinnamon with inky mineral and an aromatic tree-bark version of being woody, pretty close to spice range.  I should get back there and buy a few more of these packs.  I did buy 6, but only one was for me.  Three others went to monk friends, and two to local shopkeepers, one the family Happy is a part of, that local cat that I love visiting with.

Another aside:  our cat, Myra, just changed from being an inside cat to more of an inside-outside cat, spending days outside, then visiting some inside and nights in a pen (cage).  She's been adjusting to those other environments for over a month, but just made the switch in the last week.  Kalani said that she's so proud of her, that she can do it.  She ends up exhausted at afternoon nap time, when she gets a lunch, and in the evenings, after she spends all day exploring.  Later I guess she will just head up to the roof spaces to hang out, like the other two cats often do.

I didn't edit these pictures; my "new" Huawei phone does ok, a new but a dated P20 model

Not much to add about this round or this tea.  A bit of a heavy earth edge is as close as this gets to a flaw, a bit towards a roasted coffee tone.  Even that is nice, to me.  You can't really spot the quality limitations without being familiar with the intensity, feel, and aftertaste experience of better versions, and I suppose prior to adapting to prefer those they wouldn't be that much of an improvement.

third infusion:  flavor deepens; inky mineral picks up and cinnamon fades a bit.  This will shift in character, and probably not be as positive as higher quality versions after 8 or 9 rounds, but it's kind of holding its own now.  I tried this with an orange cake a couple of weeks ago and the way that heavy mineral and towards-spice tree bark flavor matched up was just fantastic.  

From trying it a number of times already I already know it's not going to fade away quickly, as can occur with some modest quality Wuyi Yancha versions.  The depth in this indicates it's not like that; lower quality versions can have good flavor if you push them through early rounds, but they can't back it up with the same kind of complexity.  A touch of cardboard flavor range often also gives up lower quality versions; this doesn't include that.  Roast input is typically heavier in lower quality versions too, used to cover flaws, and to integrate blend inputs together that don't completely match.

Conclusions:

Two really nice teas!  I don't know what the osmanthus black sells for, although I suppose they probably do sell that, but it's a lot better than a standard grocery store blend would be.  It's a full quality level better than anything Twinings would sell, probably at the top end of the range for high profile French vendor blended teas.  You might be able to buy something comparable at local TWG outlets for five times what Jip Eu sells this for.

I mentioned this experience in a post about oolongs in a Quora Space about tea I developed, Specialty Tea, and someone on there commented that it's always nice finding an inexpensive gem of a tea version.  It's almost not about the expense, because if I'd spent two or three times as much it wouldn't have changed much.  It's that I'm drinking much better tea than I expected to, and the people I bought it as gifts for are.  I've got other Wuyi Origin tea around, so I can have some when I feel like good Wuyishan oolong, but I can use a pretty good version as a daily drinker through this, for rushed breakfasts and such, or experimenting with grandpa style brewing.  I mostly use mixed tisanes along with sheng for that now, sometimes just with chrysanthemum.

If others reading this want to visit Jip Eu they might wonder what types are best there, beyond inexpensive oolong and floral flavored black (which they almost don't carry any of).  They stock good Wuyi Yancha, that other quality range I mentioned, but it helps trying versions with them to match style to preference.  Slight variations in oxidation, roast level, plant material input, or general style can vary outcome a lot.  I've written about buying a couple versions of aged sheng there, not necessarily rare and high cost versions, but those were sold as CNNP / Zhongcha and old Dayi, so not really random stuff.  Half the time I go in there I restock an older Tulin tuocha version, a nice basic aged tea, not so far off Xiaguan range.  

If you bring up aged sheng that automatically raises authenticity discussion, and to me the heavier range fermentation effect of teas being stored in Bangkok is another main consideration.  They are kind of like Malaysia stored teas, but I at least think I can taste a difference.  Again visiting and tasting pins down what you'll get, and match to preference.  You just can't buy aged sheng or supposed good Wuyi Yancha without at least having a really good idea of what a vendor sells, and how they tend to describe versions, and what Jip Eu sells isn't supposed to represent a consistent, narrow range.  Tasting a tea first is ideal, and they're open to try teas with you.  You need to be patient there if you only speak English; that will work, but 100% of discussion content won't come across in both directions. 

I've bought pretty good mainstream commercial Dan Cong there a few times; that's an odd thing to come across.  Relatively moderate cost Dan Cong is usually so edgy that you end up balancing really fast brewing with not extracting enough positive flavor, but that wasn't like that, or as good as the more typical 50 cents a gram range versions either.  I've even bought Thai versions of black tea that were nice, and jasmine green (which I usually don't like, but did), and local, wild origin, very unusual sheng ("pu'er-like tea," in relation to that Thailand origin).  

One thing I almost never experience there:  trying the same tea twice, even varying year versions.  If you walk in and walk right back out with some tea, as I just did, you aren't approaching shopping there correctly, in general.  It worked that time though, a perfect time for it to, since the tea was for gifts.