This tea is a very strong contender in the “pine/resin/astringent/drying” category. There is a surprisingly mild, yet very balanced array of complexity in the flavors of this tea. The body is smooth and viscous and the color is a nice deeper golden yellow. It is slightly sweet, slightly herbaceous, and has a reasonably sufficient amount of the astringent mouth-drying effect, but without the offputting bitterness – this is a character I look for in these types of teas, and value quite highly in evaluation. Overall, I’d say this is a lighter, more balanced, “little brother” version of the 2005 Shenlin YQH (a personal favorite of mine). The Baotang delivers in quality without the mushroomy/earthy notes and the more potent drying effects of the 05 YQH. I do recommend giving this tea a try, it is certainly high caliber.
Flavors: Astringent, Drying, Herbaceous, Resin, Sweet
