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Today's tea: 2022 Sour Sap from Mei Leaf (beehaw.org)

submitted 1 year ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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Aroma and taste profile is lightly sour underripe melon, mellowed by a light roast.

I don't drink Chinese oolong very often, and if I do, they are typically more roasted than this one. I think the profile is balanced and ok, but it feels like it is lacking some intrigue. I've been favoring bitey sheng puer lately.

This is my tea setup at work. I pick a tea and resteep it all day long. If I don't use it up fully, I'll take it home and put it in some water in the refrigerator to drink it cold the next day.

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[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Love your setup! I do the same thing-- steep all day, put on water if I don't use all of it, etc. I'm also with you on the daily driver; I've been slowly working through an aged yin zhen bing pretty much every day...

I love Anxi oolongs, though! If I'm going to get a lighter one like this, I'm partial to a ben shan more than a TGY, though. What made you pick this one up? I'm always open to trying new stuff!

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

This one was actually a gift. For oolongs, I typically go for Taiwan well-roasted or Chinese Dan Cong. I find that the mellow-ness of these lighter roast oolongs don’t have enough for me or the flavor profiles are too savory.

A bing of silver needle? I haven’t seen that before. Where did you get that from?

I haven’t tried ben shan before. How would you describe it compared to TGY?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Wow I missed this until just now! Better late than never?

Totally with you on the oolong preferences :)

Tbh I can't even find the maker for my yin zhen bing; it was on the wrapper which got torn up over time and discarded. I bought three different kinds last time I was at a tea festival and this is my last one. I know Dobra Tea sells a yin zhen bing (which is actually the kind that got me into them! Back when I lived near one of their shops) but I think theirs is just kinda basic and doesn't have as developed of a flavor profile as the others I've tried. Still, a good starting point!

Ben shan is great, if a little weaker than TGYs usually are. I need more tea to water, but the result is a more vegetal, fresh, and simple cup. One time I heard a tea professional say something like TGY has a "yin rhyme" or a short, quiet ending. I'm not 100% sure what they mean, but I find Ben shan lacks this "rhyme", in the sense that it lingers a bit more, and the primary flavor components are... more broad? Like maybe TGY's primary flavors are from a few strong compounds, and ben shan's is more holistic, which might be why it's kinda weaker (totally uneducated guess here).

Anyway, give it a shot if you get a chance!

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Thanks for the info!

I found a ben shan at Yunnan Sourcing. I'll add it to my sample list.

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