231 Tasting Notes
Not bad, but maybe not as good as the other SJG I’ve tried. The flavor here is nice, it’s just not as complex as other yancha or oolongs.
Mostly dark flavors, with scent and taste of dark chocolate, but without much if any sweetness. Medium-low astringency. Decent longevity. Mouthfeel is okay; aftertaste is not prominent.
Harvest: 2024
Flavors: Astringent, Charcoal, Dark Chocolate, Roasty
My first time trying Tie Luo Han, or “Iron Arhat.” It is certainly a nice tea, though this one is not as good as the other oolongs I’ve had from R&L. Nonetheless, it also has a very nice Wuyi flavor with minerality and decent complexity.
Not as much sweetness or identifiable characteristics as the Rou Gui. I’d like to sample some more of this style of Si Da Ming Cong sometime.
Harvest: 2024
Flavors: Charcoal, Floral, Mineral, Resin, Smoke
This is a very nice Rou Gui! Perhaps the best I’ve had. Enjoying R&L’s oolongs for sure. This one fits the profile for Rou Gui you read about online more closely than others I’ve had. Complex, cinnamon, with some dark fruit flavors.
The tea lasts 8-10 steeps as well, which is good longevity. The transformation in the flavor is very nice, but not as dramatic as for the Ba Xian. Mild sweetness in some of the later steeps. No astringency. Tastes like a light roast, but the website says medium.
Harvest: 2024
Flavors: Cinnamon, Floral, Mineral, Spices, Stewed Fruits, Sweet
Now this is what I’m talking about! This is some good Dancong. Have I finally found the Dancong vendor for me? I’ll have to wait until the rest of theirs come in stock again later this year. But for now, this one is quite good and at a phenomenal price.
Takes a steep or two to get going, but when it does, the steep-to-steep variance is crazy. Has a tantalizing mouthfeel with aftertaste that lasts 2-5 minutes. Very complex tea with medium-low astringency. Some medium-low sweetness that evolves in the later infusions.
Ba Xian is the “eight immortals” varietal of Dancong. I’ve never tried it before, but supposedly it is considered fairly complex, with over 53 different olfactory compounds identified in brews of this tea alone. There is also supposedly a white magnolia scent, which may very well be the case, but I am not sure what to look for there. The scent is definitely floral.
Harvest: 2024
Flavors: Astringent, Citrus, Floral, Herbal, Sweet, Tangy, Woody
This is the most unique gyokuro I’ve tried, and not in the best way. It’s not bad, just not my style. I like the brain-punch levels of L-theanine that a high-quality gyokuro gives. This one just does not have anywhere close to those levels. It is the least brothy and umami-filled gyokuro I’ve tried. Not a bad tea by any means, but a poor representation of the style if I may say.
Flavors: Grassy, Vegetal
Definitely better than the aracha! This one is very nice and uses a unique method of preparing the soil in Japan called chagusaba, wherein ground up sugarcane is among some additives used to fertilize the soil.
Medium sweetness, with nonexistent bitterness or astringency. Chalky aftertaste lasts awhile and is a bit of an unpleasant note honestly. I think this tea, like many fukamushicha, does better with shorter steeps and lower temps.
The first infusion is a bit fruity. Much less grassy overall compared to other senchas/greens in general. Not going to get more of this, but I did enjoy it!
Cultivar: Yabukita
Flavors: Chalky, Fruity, Sweet
So given how much I liked Nozomi, I ordered a sampling of other teas from JGT Co., even though this is not a company I probably would have otherwise purchased from. This is my first aracha, so nothing to compare it to. However, it is fairly bland overall. Has almost no smell on the dry or wet leaves, and the flavor is not bad, but nothing to write home about.
Flavors: Vegetal
