258 Tasting Notes
Dang this is another winner for sure! Super unique for a high mountain oolong. Very floral but in a way that is different to any tea I’ve had. I’m so bad with flower smells, but seems like gardenia maybe? Just a (uneducated) guess.
No bitterness, astringency, sweetness. Very smooth. Velvety smell with thick mouthfeel. Good longevity at 7-8+ infusions.
Harvest: May 16, 2025
Cultivar: Qingxin
Location: Tsui Feng, Lishan
Elevation: 1900 m
Flavors: Butter, Cream, Floral, Smooth
This one has a much more savory nature to it, though it is fairly hard to pick individual notes out of it. There is still a bit of fruit on the nose of the dry leaf, though not as potent. The flavor overall is not as potent as their DYL. I think there is something missing from this tea, but it is still an enjoyable drinking experience. Nowhere near as good as the FSS from WFT, though that one is also fairly savory.
No sweetness, bitterness, or astringency.
Harvest: May 13th, 2025
Cultivar: Qing Xin
Location: Fushou Shan (Lishan) Elevation: 2200-2500 m
Flavors: Fruity, Savory, Vegetal
Have had my eye on Tea Masters for some time, and decided to try some of their Taiwanese oolongs this year. This is the first I tried as it was the one I was most excited for, and it is amazing! Definitely see some of the characteristics that WFT’s DYL has as well.
Minimal sweetness. No astringency or bitterness. Very high elevation in flavor and smell.
This is supposedly from garden 104K, but I see when looking online that in 2015, Tea Masters Blog itself stated that this garden had been reclaimed by the government and was no longer producing tea: https://teamasters.blogspot.com/2015/05/da-yu-ling-sorrow-and-joy.html. So I am curious how they are now selling it? Other sources seem to confirm that the gardens were reclaimed. Perhaps they have been replanted since 2015? I will probably write to Stephanie and ask. This is also, I suppose, the second highest tea garden in the world behind the 105K garden (which may not be operational either?) at 2600 m.
Harvest: May 21st, 2025
Cultivar: Qing Xin
Location: Da Yu Ling (2580 m), 104 K
Flavors: Cream, Papaya, Sweet, Tropical Fruit, Vegetal
Sounds fantastic! I’d be interested to hear about the 104K and 105K gardens as well.
So I spoke to the owner of Tea Masters, Stephane, and he said that the large garden close to the road at 104K marker was reclaimed, but there is a smaller garden further off the road that still operates today. Not sure about 105K though.
Got 75 g of this tea with my latest WFT order as I liked it so much last year! This year’s batch is similarly amazing, but maybe slightly less so. I’d give it a 98 this time around. Still fantastic, but maybe not as much pizzaz as last year. So glad I got a lot though!
Harvest: Spring, 2025
Cultivar: Qing Xin
Location: Bi Lu Xi, Renai Township, Li Shan, Taiwan
Elevation: 2300 m
This Gyokuro is simply phenomenal! I’m at a loss for words. Definitely more seaweed/umami in this one, but still very unique for a gyokuro.
This is a den/hon gyokuro shaded for 20 days. No sweetness, bitterness, or astringency. Fairly potent for 4-5 infusions.
Harvest: Spring, 2025
Location: Hoshinomura, Yame, Fukuoka
Flavors: Cucumber, Seaweed, Umami
From a new Kettl order. This shincha is very unique! One of the strangest tasting senchas I’ve had. I like the complexity and novelty.
No sweetness, bitterness, or astringency. Basically no seaweed/umami that I usually get from Japanese greens. But it is still very savory, just in an herbal way. In fact, their tasting notes are pretty spot on.
Harvest: Spring 2025
Cultivar: Yabukita
Location: Minami-Yamashiro (150 m)
Flavors: Artichoke, Green, Herbs, Savory
This one was a free sample from Verdant with my order. Glad to get to try another of Mrs. Li’s Dragonwells. This is the most potent by far. At the opposite end of the spectrum from the #43. Actually a bit too potent for my liking, but certainly not bad.
Lots of chestnut and big mouthfeel. A touch of hot astringency too. No sweetness or bitterness.
Harvest: March 2025
Cultivar: Longjing Qunti
Location: Longjing Village, Zhejiang Province
Elevation: 300 m
Flavors: Chestnut, Vegetal
This is so much better than that junk from iTeaworld. Don’t ever plan to buy from them again. This is the Longjing I’m looking for.
Not as transcendant an experience as the variety I tried last year from Verdant, but still quite nice. Minimal to no sweetness. No bitterness or astringency. Lasts 5-6 steeps.
Harvest: Pre-qingming, 2025
Cultivar: Longjing Qunti
Location: Longjing Village, Zhejiang Province
Elevation: 300 m
Flavors: Chestnut, Roasty
