943 Tasting Notes

86

A funny blend, certainly the first time I drink pu-erh with a Dan Cong oolong. There is an integrated character, but also one can pick out the individual teas. In the end, the experience of this tea is a bit more like and aged sheng actually. However, instead of a cohesive whole, one can feel the two poles pulling – the pungent oolong and the smooth shou.

The aroma has some sweet floral notes, a bit like apricot and rice. The tea is strong with a smooth creamy and cooling mouthfeel and an astringent finish. It has bitter, sweet, earthy, medicinal and herbaceous flavours. Specific flavours remind me of mint, gin, nuts, and barley.

Flavors: Alcohol, Apricot, Astringent, Bitter, Creamy, Earthy, Floral, Herbaceous, Medicinal, Mint, Nutty, Rice, Roasted Barley, Sweet

Preparation
Boiling 0 min, 15 sec 6 g 3 OZ / 100 ML

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89
drank 2023 Nanma Gushu by Tea Encounter
943 tasting notes

For my first session with this tea, I used a lot of broken leaf pieces I found when unpacking it. As such, I had to be very careful not to overbrew it. I did get a very strong brew, but never really unpleasant.

One of the clear highlights was the exceptionally thick mouthfeel that sets this tea apart from a lot of similar ones. I also liked the very bitter and sweet taste a lot. It is a vegetal with notes of butter, burnt food, leek, alcohol, and apricots.

Flavors: Alcohol, Apricot, Astringent, Bitter, Burnt Food, Butter, Leeks, Sweet, Thick, Vegetal

Preparation
Boiling 0 min, 15 sec 6 g 3 OZ / 100 ML

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76

A decent buttery tea that’s on the savoury side with very little bitterness and astringency.

Dry leaves smell of sawdust and earth, wet ones more like popcorn, fern fiddleheads and milk. Early steeps are a bit sweet and fruity, later ones become a bit more savoury. There are notes of popcorn, green pepper, butter, and banana to be found.

Flavors: Banana, Butter, Earth, Green Pepper, Milk, Popcorn, Sawdust, Sweet, Vegetal

Preparation
Boiling 0 min, 15 sec 6 g 3 OZ / 100 ML

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94
drank 2023 Wangong by Tea Encounter
943 tasting notes

I often find that Yi Wu pu-erh is overpriced and not quite my kind of taste profile. This one, however, is highly enjoyable with a strong yet pleasant energy to back up the experience.

The dry leaf aroma is sweet and fruity, which morphs to a flowery and cooling one with notes of ghee, compost, and ash throughout the session.

The liquor is thick and full-bodied with a a lot of depth and intensity in taste – floral, bitter, and sweet above all, but also mineral, spicy, medicinal, and herbaceous. The flavours remind me of gin, honey, sage, spearmint, and butter.

Flavors: Alcohol, Ash, Astringent, Bitter, Butter, Compost, Cooling, Floral, Flowers, Fruity, Herbaceous, Honey, Medicinal, Mineral, Sage, Spearmint, Sweet, Thick

Preparation
6 g 3 OZ / 100 ML

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92

[Spring 2023 harvest]

It’s been several years since I last bought this tea. I still appreciate it a lot though.

In particular, I really like the creamy mouthfeel, its specific taste profile and the long, savoury and refreshing aftertaste.

The tea has a milky, floral aroma, and a bitter, herbaceous taste with notes of mint, lemon balm, citrus fruits, grass, and also banana in the finish.

Flavors: Banana, Bitter, Citrus Fruits, Creamy, Floral, Grass, Herbaceous, Milk, Mint

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 0 min, 15 sec 5 g 4 OZ / 120 ML

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87

As a basic Yunnan white tea, this one more than fulfils its purpose. It is fragrant with a pungent sweet and floral taste as well as engaging mouthfeel and aftertaste. It doesn’t rise beyond that to a special one, but it also doesn’t pretend to.

The taste is actually quite multi-layered, with bitter, fruity and grassy notes, buttery flavour and a flowery finish. The tea also has a numbing, creamy mouthfeel. Its aromas remind me of eucalyptus, honey, leather and pear.

Flavors: Astringent, Bitter, Butter, Creamy, Eucalyptus, Floral, Flowers, Fruity, Grassy, Honey, Leather, Pear, Sweet

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 0 min, 30 sec 5 g 5 OZ / 140 ML

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75
drank 2023 Guafengzhai by Tea Encounter
943 tasting notes

Recently, I got my first few cakes from Tea Encounter, including this one. It is a strong and complex tea, but not my favourite taste profile I would say.

It has an intriguing aroma that isn’t the most attractive perhaps. The two scents it reminds me of are bubblegum and gasoline…

The taste is sweet, but also brothy and savoury, without any particular flavours standing out. The mouthfeel is airy and a bit numbing, while the aftertaste is floral and sour.

Flavors: Broth, Bubblegum, Floral, Oily, Sour, Sweet

Preparation
Boiling 0 min, 15 sec 6 g 3 OZ / 100 ML

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82

This is a very pleasant tea for snowy days like today, including its relaxing cha qi. Its character borrows clearly from the two ingredients that make up the blend, but I find that they act in unison to a large degree.

Dry leaves smell sweet and earthy with notes of malt, fireplace, nuts and sauerkraut. The wet leaf aroma is quite different, I can detect cherry, chocolate, incense, and marine notes.

The liquor is full bodied with decent thickness. Its flavour ranges from earthy and sweet to more woody, herbaceous and savoury. There are also hints of sour taste. Specifically, it reminds me of cacao beans, moss, and beetroot besides some of the notes mentioned before.

Flavors: Ash, Beetroot, Cabbage, Cacao, Cherry, Chocolate, Earthy, Fireplace, Herbaceous, Incense, Malt, Marine, Moss, Nutty, Sweet, Woody

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 0 min, 15 sec 6 g 5 OZ / 140 ML

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82

Definitely less astringent than in the past, and giving a very sweet aftertaste. Besides that, the tea is spicy, bitter and well-balanced, but also a bit boring. Today I detected some notes of green olives, milk, and thyme.

Flavors: Bitter, Floral, Milk, Olives, Spicy, Sweet, Thyme

Preparation
Boiling 0 min, 15 sec 6 g 3 OZ / 100 ML

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80

A warming and mineral tea with a sour touch and a floral orchid aftertaste. Its aroma is graasy with hints of custard and cookies. Overall a pleasant example, but nothing special.

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Profile

Bio

Hi, I am a researcher in math, physics and computer science. Apart from teas and mathematics, I enjoy sports and traveling, as well as music of all kinds. Connect at https://rateyourmusic.com/~Togo

I had been drinking Japanese green tea for a while before discovering the world of tea in 2017. I rarely drink blends and generally avoid artificially scented teas. Other than that I try to keep it varied.

My rating description:
100 _ Unforgettable tea, an experience that changes your life.
90 – 100 _ Excellent tea.
80 – 90 _ Very enjoyable, I will buy again.
70 – 80 _ I enjoyed it, but I most likely won’t be buying it again.
60 – 70 _ Decent.
50 – 60 _ Average, forgettable.
40 – 50 _ I didn’t really like the tea, but it is drinkable.
0 – 40 _ I would prefer to avoid the tea.

Location

Innsbruck, Austria

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