/ck/ - Food & Cooking

Why is oolong so good bros?
Any other roasted teas i should try?

>>16170392
I only really like charcoal roasted oolong, the new hip modern oolongs don't do it for me
I've had some good blacks that were a bit smokey, kinda whiskey barrel flavor. I can't recall the names though

threadly reminder, if you like cooked puerh you're a peasant

>>16170414
>I only really like charcoal roasted oolong
Yes the superior oolong

>>16170383
where my white tea hags at?

>>16170601
You got that one from YS, right? How is it so far? As for me, unfortunately, I only have some damaged 2016 shou mei and a few portions of 2020 shou mei on me at the moment. Waiting on a shipment for some other white cakes I'm praying will turn out pleasant. No idea when it will reach my country and be delivered.

>>16170663
I've had this for about 5(?) months, and it's probably my favorite tea with little contest.
I been a bit busy making my way through a massive puer collection during late winter/early spring, then I got sick in late april (and am just now getting back to normal), so I wasn't sipping this more summer-y tea for awhile.
It's flavors are more on the side of honeysuckle.
I'm glad I got spares on hand, this cake is nearly done for.

>>16170689
>It's flavors are more on the side of honeysuckle
Such a good flavor note in tea

>>16170383
Anyone else get tea drunk on quality teas?

>>16171056
I usually get tea drunk on really cheap teas, like super cheap factory puer or even cheaper sea dyke oolong

>>16171065
>I usually get tea drunk on really cheap teas
I guess when I make cheap teas I usually don't resteep them and just have one cup so I never got tea drunk on them. Whereas with pricey tea I feel bad if I don't drink basically a gallon's worth of resteep.
I'll have to try getting tea drunk on my cheap stash.

>>16171076
Cheap plantation puer from xiaguan or dayi (if any of theirs is cheap anymore) has boatloads of caffeine, ive had a few, like the 2011 ft8603 was probably the most high octane cake i have owned, kinda bland and smokey but holy shit that was a wakeup in the morning

Starting some more yancha this morning, a nice easy drinking bricked one the only tea i got from tealifeHK that is priced appropriately. Nice easy sipper, well roasted

>>16170498
You seem like someone who has several tea discords.

Tasting for first session of YS' Classical duckshit dan cong oolong.

Ratios: 5g to 100ml
Temp: 100c

Steeps: 10 sec wash, 20 second 1st steep + 5secs after

Dry leaf observations
-
Scent: Milky Cream, bit nutty, prominent mango scent. Kinda like almond paste sweets with a glass of fresh squeezed mango juice and side of heavy cream
Color: Very rich very dark green color I want to call verdant along the leaves. Stems are a yellowish almost dull lime green
Shape: Intact, lightly curled strips

Fruitiest dry tea I've ever smelled. Reminds me of a tropical morning with light breezes, very relaxing.
_
Wash observations
-
Air note: Cut grass/ herb, milk oolong?
Lid note:SOAP! then roasted almonds, weird
Cup/ wet leaf Note: Soap again, like old dish soap, then it becomes this weird funk. Like a tray of jammy sweets that someone forgot to wince. Really weird. Calmed to a near mango aroma, but the soapish funk lingered
Initial liquor color: No noticeable change, except a maybe a light sort of tan/ yellow color, but it may just be the lighting in my room
_
1st steep observations
-
Leaves have lightened, anomalous soap funk has vanished, realize now that it has waned it was just an incredibly herbacious smell that my mind pinged as old dish soap. Might be sage? Cilantro? perhaps parsley? don't know. Mango scent is buried under it, with a very weak roasted nuts vibe.

Liquor has noticeably become a bit more yellowish, so it wasn't the lighting.

Taste: Mellow, a little spice at front, fruity pop/ tang, followed by flavors I am used to finding in green oolongs, the taste of a milk oolong follows and fades quickly.

Last taste and after taste are mango, that eventually shifts into herb. Which to me tastes more like sage or cilantro,

but enjoyable. Very refreshing

the second sip leads with the milk oolong funk, then the herby/ soapy flavor, before shifting into mango and herb at the end.

This is because I took two small sips for my first taste. Repeated sips proves this

>>16172150
Larger sips bury the milk oolong similarities beneath the herb and mango notes. Doesn't change the after taste or rest of the tea's body.

As it stands, I quite enjoy this tea already. Will post updates if it changes in later steeps. Can see why duck shit is prized though. Doesn't taste like other oolongs I've had, outside of sharing a few notes that in this tea are brief and very quickly get overcome by the more unique flavors.

Not drinking for awhile leaves a taste like chewing on leaves in the mouth, once the fruit and herb wash away.

>>16172150
>>16172172
And before anyone asks, no, I don't wash my tea wares with dishsoap so the strong herb notes aren't contamination from that.

Just hot water and a rub down for my wares.

Also, pretty sure the herb is sage, maybe mixed with the smallest bit of cilantro. I think this cause sage smells very much like dish soap to me

>>16172181
Also shoulda mentioned this. The general flavor is bittersweet, after taste leans towards bitter (like an unripe MANGO), mouthfeel is light and dainty

>>16172194
The soap association makes sense, classic soaps are scented with those kind of herbal accords.
Sounds good anon, i need to start looking for some fruity oolongs.

>>16172212
I know I enjoy this one. But that's because I really enjoy both the taste of mangos and sage. Seriously refreshing brew, this duckshit

>>16170601
In, currently sipping on some silver needles

2006 Liu Bao A+ Grade from KTM. The dry leaves smell literally like garden soil. Like you went to Lowe's and bought a big 'ol bag of Miracle Grow soil and put your nose in it.

>>16173525
Dry leaves in a warm gaiwan smell like dirt, wet leaves smell like dirt, and surprise, the liquor tastes very strongly of dirt!

I'm a few steeps in and that's pretty much what it is, plain and simple. It's got a very present bitterness along with the slightest hint of sweetness in the background, but the main body of tea is very plainly, just dirt.

>>16173626
This stuff is strong. I'm not full but I'm also not on an empty stomach and I can really feel it hitting me. Boy howdy.

Had some old Shui Xain Wuyi again; 7g, 200f water, one rinse, very short 5-6sec steeps. Whatever fruitiness I was getting when I added a gram of some other rocky oolong is gone. I get strait up orchid(I still haven't smelled a real orchid yet) some light sweetness, that finishes with spicy woody notes of ceylon cinnamon and cardamom. Going to finish it up tonight. Nothing really amazing, but its nice. I might try a light roast in my horoku since I've heard that helps "wake up" old tea leaves.

Also recently bought a fake lotus plant from IKEA and I love it. It fits most of my teaware theme. Might be changing my tea mat soon too.
>>16170601
Fujian white tea is GOAT
>>16172150
Sounds interesting, but I would have to pass, due to my hatred of cilantro.
>>16173525
I fucking hate it when you get dirt puer! Just goes to show age and grade don't always mean shit.

>>16173861
Wish I had another liubao on hand to compare it to.

>>16173962
And the other thing is I don't hate it. It's earthy for sure but that isn't offensive to me, and it tastes like it might have some complexity in there somewhere once it's up to proper humidity. A very interesting experience regardless.

>>16173985
Oh yeah. I forget pure can be temperamental like that. I like earthy too, but you made it sound kinda bland at first. Then again I'm not familiar with liubao.

>>16173626
Yes anon, you must embrace the power of comfy loam and root cellar flavored tea. Not all liu bao i have had is quite that earthy buy it's nice sometimes to really get into a cup thst tastes like loam

>>16173985
If you want to try something on the other side od the liubao spectrum this is a good tea, and a good price for it, chocolate basically no storage flavor or loamyness or anything like that, with the warning that in can get a bit bitter depending on how it's brewed.
https://www.puerhshop.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=35&product_id=220

>>16175011
This one might be an even better example, it has that betelnut flavor that is desirable in puer, again not very loamy this one also lacks the bitterness of the first i linked.
https://www.fullchea-tea.com/three-cranes-sanhe-2014-quot0207quot-liu-bao-tea-cake-dark-tea-heicha-100g-p0518.html

>>16170383
>other herbal infusions
I made tincture today, it's really good.

>>16174957
>>16175011
>>16175027
Thanks for the recs!

What are some good dumb reach teas for when i don't want to think to hard about what im drinking?

>>16175746
Cheap oolong. Or lao cha tou. Throw it in a mug with some off boiling water and you're probably going to have a good time.

Does shou puer help with allergies? Started drinking puer a couple months ago everyday, unless I decide to go with some japanese greens, and my allergies have basically disappeared they seemed to improve over a month and then the month ended and no more allergies. I have year long allergies too so it's not a seasonal reason as to why my allergies went away.

>>16172150
Sounds quite nice, thanks for sharing your notes. I haven't had the fortune of trying it myself, but I frequently hear that duck shit oolong is often creamy and fruity. The spice element must have been a nice accompaniment to those notes. Have you tried lower or higher temperatures yet?
>>16175746
Shou mei white or a gentle oolong.

>>16176836
My kettle only reaches 100c. And I haven't tried anything lower, might have to later.

And yeah, it was a nice mixture of flavors, very refreshing as I mentioned

I'm still drinking mate

>>16177104
How does it smell?

>>16176123
>Or lao cha tou
I still have never tired this, guess i need to hurry up and get some

>>16170383
Hi, I'm new to this general and I'm not very familiar with the entire world of teas.
I'm usually a 2 bags of Tetley (sometimes Red Rose) with 1% or 2% milk kind of guy. However that's usually for late nights, and I'm still mostly a coffee person who drinks coffee with cream or milk in the morning, and throughout the day usually.
Any way to spice up my tea intake?

>>16177251
Try some loose leaf, it's easy to brew, the quality is much better, if you are a coffee enthusiast you will really be impressed by the quality of good tea.
Are you based in the US?
If you like english style tea like tetley check out
https://www.teadog.com/loose-tea/
They have some premium english style loose leaf teas and you can have some fun trying out different brands.
Don't use a tea ball, get a brew basket by the brand finium, you should be able to find one for around $10 online, this will allow you to brew your loose leaf tea in a mug easily and it's versatile enough for all tea types.
See also assam teas or blends from upton tea

>>16177321
Forgot pic,

Ok, first time in here. Is /tea/ just an /oolong/ shill? Assam (sometimes macha) chad here

>>16177335
I drink every type of tea

>>16177351
I bow to you, tea god.

>>16177335
/tea/ usually gets accused of shilling puer.
You should drink oolong tho, it's good shit. Try a nice rooasted wuyi oolong or roasted tieguanyin and you will see.

>>16177380
If I ever get my hands on one of those I'll try it, but can't promise anything.
>>16177321
Also noted

I shill yellow tea all day long, shits just green but better

>>16177477
Where can i buy some decent quality yellow tea?

>>16177519
by bribing chinese politicians

>>16177556
Seems like too much work

>>16177190
I really like the one purple cloud has right now. Super dark, rich, and plummy.

>>16177690
Oh nice that actually looks good, too many tea nuggets look bullshit, the huge ones always make me think they are made artificially and aren't just a happy accident from the bottom of the pile

Speaking of nugs - KTM 2016 A++ Lao Cha Tou. Dry it smells quite loamy, like the liu bao was, but with more of that shou vibe to it rather than straight up soil. I do have to say for both the liubao and this that I'm trying them right after opening the bags, so they're still quite stuffy from shipping and all. Unsealed bags are now in the pumidor so I expect both of these to change a lot in the next two weeks.

>>16178555
In a warm pot, the loaminess has receded significantly and I'm getting a lot of toasted barley. Maybe some dried fruits like raisins or cherries.

After two rinses that dried fruit is really coming through. Absolutely like putting your nose into a mason jar of dried cherries that you haven't opened in a week, and that malty barley graininess is still really strong as well.

>>16178581
First infusion liquor tends toward the grainy side. Taste is quite dry for how sweet the scent got. Not funky at all, actually, but overall not particularly powerful yet. Will probably take a solid 5 or 6 steeps to actually open up.

Tasting for first session of 2018 Mojun Fu Cha "Fu Shen" Fu Brick Tea.

It has "golden flowers" in it. Wrapping is gorgeous and well fitted, had to shake the brick to loosen it out of it.

Ratios: 6g to 100ml
Temp: 100c

Steeps: 2 15 sec washes, 10 second 1st steep + 5 secs after
_
Dry leaf observations
-
Scent: Molasses, oats, sour fermentation
Color: Dull/ browned green, black. Looks closer to a white or Sheng than a shou or heicha
Shape: Highly compressed, but the individual leaves are visible
_
Wash observations:

Air note: Oatmeal, hint of molasses
Lid note: Reverse of the air note
Cup/ wet leaf: Intriguing, Heavy fermentation bite/ funk. Sour fruit of some kind. Oat/ molasse buried under it . After it has cooled, the funk/ fermentation fades, leaving the fruit, oat and molasses sweetness on their own
Confident in saying the Sour fruit is citrusy, closest scent to my nose is a Lemon grass or homemade lemonade. Interesting

1st wash liquor: Immediately darkened towards gold
2nd: Lid note gains dried grass/ leafage smell, liquor settles into a more vivid gold, Cinnamon joins the cup/ leaf note along with another spice, maybe nutmeg? Smells very autumn/ christmassy . Prior notes joined seemlessly with the new. Air note has only become funkier.

Smells very vaguely remind me of an apple, or pumpkin pie in general, but not very closely. Almost wanna say their is a dark grape jam aroma in it somewhere to, that the citrus drowns.
_
1st steep observations
-

No more dry grass on the lid, more citrus. Spice notes have mingled deeper with the wet leaf note. Air note feels spicer.

Liquor is a dark, cloudy gold. Lighter than Shous or other heicha, darker than Sheng.

Mouthfeel is lightly oily. And the taste is like a shock in the mouth, bright flavors "Popping along the tongue" before calmly to a sweet oat flavor.

Citrusy/ acidic. Warming. the Pops are the citrus flavor ramping up and growing more intense before it calms to a lightly earthy flavor, the oat sweetness

>>16178699
Nothing like any tea I've tried before. I can feel the citrus/ acidic flavor growing more and more intense as it rests on my tongue, a weird but invigorating sensation.

Leaves a nice oat lemon after taste, and pleasant feeling on the tongue. Kinda feels like drinking sunshine. Very unexpected.

Larger sips lead with the funk/ fermentation, which alters the citrus intensity as it grows, makes it somewhat sourer (Barely) and the oat sweetness more earthy. I think this is the work of the golden flowers, though I have seen none in the chunk I broke off. Feeling after drinking is a tingly warmth, like a distant fire.

Should explain the mouthfeel is thick, but smooth.

Will add to this if it changes in later steeps

>>16178729
Long after taste. Citrusy, like a light drink of lemon juice diluted in water. Still has a bit of oat taste to it. Moving the tongue draw out more flavor.

Lid note has a bit of smoke on the 2nd steep, wet leaf note has muddled together a bit more and now reminds me a lot of honey when sniffed hot, but as it cools returns to more easily distinguishable scents of lemon, oat, molasses and hint of spice.

Liquor remains murky, same color. It's clear, but murky. Not dark, light gold. Weird.

First sip of the second steep legit felt like a spark on the tip of my tongue. Only had similar experience to this once before. Think it was a raw I got from Crimson Lotus, their intrigue cake I think.

Funk has mellowed to a creaminess that's little sour. Still ramps up to a citrus brilliance before calming to oats. Getting a little gentle minerality near the tail end of the taste, and a bit of lingering sour fermentations. Hasn't changed much on the second steep but it has changed noticeable.

getting the buzz of a tea drunk already. Potent and refreshing stuff, this Fu

>>16177321
No man I'm in Canada. Why shouldn't I use a teaball?

>>16179024
Cramping up your tea like that gives you an unnecessarily poor extraction

>>16177182
Smell? There's not a lot of that actually. I usually just drink the thing by the bucketful so I don't really get fancy about it.

The dry product smells a bit grassy. Took a whiff of the pot I brewed mate in and no, does not have a particular scent at all, but I'd say, again, that it smells a teensy bit like grass. Nearly boiled and strained, almost completely gone, but it's there in the background.

>>16178602
Damn sounds good anon

>>16179024
>No man I'm in Canada
Check out capital tea they have a pretty good selection of stuff.
https://www.capitaltea.com/

>>16179789
Specifically check out assam and ceylon (and african) teas for that English tea experience, second flush Darjeeling for something a bit lighter and more fruity.

Coof

is green tea good for you?

>tfw trying jasmine pearls for the first time

>>16181074
basically all tea is

>>16177251
order a variety of loose leaf teas in small sizes to try out different things and find new stuff you like. try a few black teas, oolongs, green teas, and enhanced black teas (basically they're black teas with other things like spice added in)

>>16177335
oolong is godly

why does it seem like tea tastes better when i drink it from a soup spoon then when i drink it from a mug? i don't get it

>>16181197
Are you slurping it off of the spoon? Slurping aerosolizes the liquor across your entire pallet and allows you to experience a fuller flavor. Slurping is basically mandatory from any vessel, imo, and on occasional suck through the front teeth with gusto can really emphasize more subtle flavors.

>>16170383
>>16170392
>>16170414
Why does my local supermarket not sell oolong tea? Loon Fung—an oriental food store—has it but I don't know what's good

>>16181231
just order online. supermarkets carry crap

>>16181226
My wife gets puer drunk and does this to my lonelyhole

>>16181585
It's not too late. You deserve to be safe from the beatings and verbal abuse. We can get her some help.

>>16181231
>imagine buying tea in a supermarket

Hey /tea/ I’m in the market for a teapot with a built in filter/infuser that isn’t metal, preferably ceramic/porcelain so I can brew all types of teas. I’m saying this because I’ve noticed that metal strainer that comes with my pot has started to make my teas just taste like metal. I have a clay pot with a built in clay filter but that’s really only for Japanese greens and hojicha. Do you guys no where I can get one? I remember seeing someone here a while back using a white porcelain/ceramic pot in this style. I really like that style, but I’m not ready to spend $100+ on a quality yixing yet because I haven’t really had quality Chinese tea to justify it.

>>16183236
I got you senpai
YS has a few good sized ones, good prices, simple
https://yunnansourcing.com/collections/jingdezhen-porcelain-teapots
Butter leaf teas has some cool ones
https://www.bitterleafteas.com/product-category/teaware/teapot
This one is a lil big at 180ml
https://www.chawangshop.com/tea-hardware/jingdezhen-teapots/hand-painted-jingdezhen-tea-set-1-teapot-and-4-cups.html
https://purplecloudteahouse.com/collections/glazed-ceramic-collection/products/soda-fired-jingdezhen
These guys have a few that aren't too expensive
https://www.kongmountaintea.com/teapot

>>16183339
Also if you a feeling Lucky, I'm not an expert but this yixing pot looks correct. As in half handmade and actually made from yixing clay. But I'm far from an expert.
https://kingteamall.com/collections/yixing-teapot/products/yixing-teapot-shui-ping-hu-horiaontal-pot-60cc-90cc-120cc-150cc-180cc-huanglongshan-zhuni-mud?variant=39711593103540
This one also looks very correct
https://kingteamall.com/collections/yixing-teapot/products/yixing-si-yuan-teapot-120cc-zi-ni-mud

>>16183393
Here is an article about identifying yixing clay and some about some different types of clay
https://mudandleaves.com/blogs/teatime/4-signs-of-a-real-yixing-teapot
https://mudandleaves.com/blogs/teatime/yixing-teapot-pairing-or-which-tea-for-which-teapot

>>16181585
>you'll never drink scalding hot puer from the cooch of a lesbian
why live

>>16170383
I'm losing weight and my nutritionist recommended infusions for my snacks between meals. Trying to avoid caffeinated ones. What would you recommend /tea/?

>>16183514
Water. Be clean. Be free. Be fit.

>>16183514
caffeine increases metabolism. Rooibos is a non caffeinated 'tea' sometimes called red tea in the western world

>>16183514
It's all just cheap flavourings. Buy whatever cheap blackcurrant infusion you happen to enjoy.

>>16183514
Mountain rose herbs
Reasonably priced herbal teas, most of them don't have any flavorings added to them.

>>16183514
hibiscus

>>16183514
mate

>>16183514
Ma huang.

>>16184029
Based

How do you brew silver needle tea? I've seen contradictory methods recommended, so I wondered what some of you do to get the flavor you want.

Accidentally posted some w2t black in the coffee thread. Whoops.

>>16184349

>>16184315
You will have to try some things and find out, i would probably start out at 90°c and short steeps, maybe even 80°c if it's expensive and fresh silver needle

>>16184359
AHHHHHH I DON'T understand YOUR IMAGE, WHAT IS HAPPENING??

2020 Spring Honey Orchid Fragrance A+++ from KTM. The dry leaves remind me both in look and smell of that dancong varietal black tea I have from Kong Mountain Tea (the one that had a mind blowing 2019 and a quite good 2020). Peanut skins are common between the two, but while the black tea has a red berry sweetness (strawberries, raspberries, etc), this is more floral honey sweetness.

>>16183339
Thank you, anon. I think I’m going to get this one: https://yunnansourcing.com/collections/jingdezhen-porcelain-teapots/products/de-hua-jade-porcelain-yu-ci-white-xi-shi-teapot-200ml
200ml is perfect for what I brew.

>>16184618
Dry leaves in a warm gaiwan immediately deepened in both peanut skin roastiness and in the sweetness, which went from a light pleasant floral to a very bass-y blackberry sort of sweetness. Wet leaves stay similar.

>>16184642
Can definitely tell the leaves aren't completely oxidized, though definitely has some greenness to it but is for sure sweeter than, say, a TGY.

I will say, though, that so far that both of the dancongs I've had from KTM are pretty similar, and they're both not too too far off from a TGY. Definitely floral and green still, but both the duck shit and this having deeper and sweeter notes to them.

>>16184427
Thank you, that sounds like a prudent suggestion.

>>16184315
80-85c, 90max, 15sec then +15
white leaf not bud can take full boiling

>>16184630
Nice, i love the jade porcelain pots, also that shape is one of the cutest, I'm mad they never seem to make 100ml pots with that shape so i can buy one.

>>16184707
Interesting, the dan cong i had was super deep roasted, so it was kind of like a wuyi oolong but fruity.

>oversteeped my morning cup

any instant tea rec? sometimes i don't feel like pulling out the gongfu set

>>16186816
>any instant tea rec?
Honestly, none. Make a big batch of cold brew ahead of time for when you're too lazy to gong fu.

>new teashop opens in town
>their hours are the exact hours I work
>closed on my days off

>>16186816
Just embrace grampa style

What's the appropriate amount of powder per mL of water?

>>16187662
https://www.o-cha.com/make-matcha.html
It's pretty vague
Try around 1g per 100ml and adjust from there

>>16187678
kek
I've been doing 1g per 200mL, I just measured everything

>>16186816
>What is matcha powder shaken in a lidded container for 500 Alex?

Coof

>>16186816
who cares, they're all equally shit

just grandpa

Been stuffing 7-8 grams of roasted oolong in a 100ml pot, it's pretty great, super short infusions, tons of flavor, i need to try this with some well aged puer.

>>16170383
I just bought that type of brewer two weeks ago; I like it much more than the plastic one I was using before.

>>16189126
Yeah they are pretty good for tea, they really let the leaves expand and move around so they infuse very well

>>16187754
Prolly grainy.

>>16189122
holy fuck this guy discovered gongfu. glazed or unglazed pot?
also try it with young puer, white tea and black tea.

>>16189815
Unglazed, i usually use 5g in a 100ml brew vessel but i wanted to try the fill the pot with leaf brew method i see used for yancha sometimes, plus i have a bunch of 8 gram portions, so it was either two weak sessions with 4g or shove it all in the pot and let rip.

>>16189549
All jokes aside, it really isn't. I've used metal thermos and glass jars with success, though I've only done it cold. Almond milk, matcha, stevia, maybe some salt, and you're good to cap and shake. You even get the matcha foam too, if you shake properly. I do it like bartenders use those cocktail shaker cups, and it comes out perfect every time. Pleasant and refreshing, not to mention convenient. Tradition goes straight out the window, but it's nice.

It's time.

>>16190229
Cake is quite dark at this point. It's unfortunate my kitchen lights are fucking garbage for picture taking.

>>16190242
Cake is not very compressed, coming apart with extremely little effort.

>>16190251
Dry leaves in a warm gaiwan smell like carob and plums. My nose is a little stuffy from the 4 seconds I was just outside but I'll have to make do.

Rinsed once, the wet leaves keep the same character, with the carob deepening and the plum fading to the back just a bit.

First infusion (picrel) is already quite dark right off the bat. Liquor has a very plumy sweetness on the fore. Can't really smell the carob now. Taste is dryer than I expected it to be (not astringent, just not sweet like the smell). Already getting a very similar body to that of the 2007 Yi Pin Tang Yi Wu Zhi Chun from YS, which I have notes on as raisins and dried fig.

>>16190288
Continuing on in much the same vein. Plum, carob, little bit of astringency now but only a pleasant amount. Low sweetness overall, less than the 2007 Zhi Chun, I think, but not by a large margin. Overall quite simple and pleasant. It's not knocking my socks off but it seems to be an easy brewer and I suspect you'd get a very consistently good result out of this if that's what you're looking for.