5 Years Aged Da Hong Pao Oolong Tea from Wu Yi Mountain

I find this DHP much less interesting than the 4 year older one. None of its qualities really caught my attention, maybe with the exception of the bubbly texture.

It still has some charcoal aroma, complemented by notes of cucumber, old books, moth balls, and very light cannabis. Wet leaves, on the other hand, smell of metallic, roasted pear, and ash. It’s a sweet, but not very pungent aroma. The taste is muted and somewhat boring – mostly woody and sour.

An earthy, vibrant oolong with musty undertones. Delicious.

Heavily fired aromas of charcoal, scorched almonds and peat. Underneath the brawn, there is plummy fruit and vanilla. Intense and punchy. Salted plums, minerals, strong charred notes and roasted celery on the palate. very long finish. low astringency.
The charred elements really dominate

Just killed my bag of this that I bought quite a while ago from YS as my first Wuyi oolong. I’m able to appreciate it a little bit more than when I first tasted it. Nice roasty notes, especially in the early steeps. A moderately thick body. Sweet mineral, nutty (almond?), and perhaps vanilla notes. It gets a little bit drying mid-way through the session but not enough to be unpleasant. If pushed too hard, it can get a bit sour tasting, maybe due to the roast.

Receiving some of this in the mail in a swap made me happy because I have only had YS 9 year so far.
This is a full roast taste for sure. The first sip is very welcoming, but drinking it over a session becomes very dry. I don’t think either the 9 or 5 year is smoother, unless someone considers the dry factor to weight this one down.
This is more of a cup to drink when cold while the other is better to taste the minerals of the DHP. I like both and don’t see a clear difference between the roast and dryness of each.

Thanks to boychik for this sample! I came home absolutely exhausted from work and this tea really helped me wind down. It says in the description that it can help with headaches, and I had one, but not anymore! Miracle tea, haha! I think it’s a solid DHP. Nice and roasty, sweet, and pretty durable, lasting for a good number of steeps. I would definitely consider picking some of this up in my next order. Yay for good tea and awesome tea friends!