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Tag: Teas We Like

  • In Debt for Dayi!!! Report

    In Debt for Dayi!!! Report

    In 2025, I compared Xiaguan to 1970s Toei a Japanese B-Movie studio, reeking of cigarettes and asphalt. Dayi is more elevated than Xiaguan. Perhaps like the Golden Age Shaw Brothers films of the late 1960s and into the 1970s. Polished, colorful, amazing sets, and often following effective formulas. Similarly for a certain period Dayi had generally good standards and represented the gold standard of factory pu’erh. While many lower-end or poorly stored Xiaguan products probably belong in the gutter, there’s usually a higher floor for Dayi products.

    After dipping my toes in with the four digit 7542 report, I am back for some more Dayi. Last year I intended to do Xiaguan at the beginning and Dayi at the end but I ended up getting sidetracked and put off Dayi until 2026. It’s a pretty good time to be a Dayi fan. Quiche makes it all too easy to order and the Taobao options have opened up over time. One reason I ended up with so much Xiaguan was that it was easy to order from a reliable place like MX Tea, and now similarly reliable options exist for Dayi.

    2006 Dayi

    Goals

    1. Update my own understanding of Dayi. I’ve already cleared out most of the lesser Dayi last year, so it’s more getting a feel for what I do have and what other teas are around the open market. There are also some Dayi I’ve had in deeper storage that I picked up from Geraldo about 10 years back that I wanted to test to see if they’re ready (they’re not).
    2. Test and update benchmarks.
    3. Getting in rhythm and getting more of a feel for older Dayi. On one hand this is not so hard because Dayi is my most consumed brand of tea, but I don’t know the older teas as well as I could.
    4. Map out some territory. Dayi has made a ton of tea. I think we’ve reviewed something like 70ish Dayi teas on the main show in the last 13 years. With this and the 7542 report we can add a lot to the list.

    Tea Selection

    Many of these teas are not particularly expensive and it’s not really desirable to try everything. So I mostly tried to select teas that were at least (a) 15 years old and (b) stored in a hotter/humid place (GD, TW, MY). The exceptions are teas that I bought earlier on. I tried to include at least one year of major and semi-major recipes (8582, 7532, 7742, 0622, Spring of Menghai), but this is mostly a smattering of non 7542 teas. If I’m being honest I also filter out lower priced teas by cost frequently on Taobao (<$30). Dayi is well-traveled ground, and I’d prefer the hit rate to be a bit higher at perhaps a somewhat higher cost.

    The Teas

    I am working with a tier system now, S/A/B/C/D/F. It is in line with how I view the tea at this moment, not the potential. In theory I could reserve the S spot for just really amazing teas like 88 Qing Bing, but I believe in using the actual top ratings if a tea stands out and not leaving them as some sort of empty gold medal spot. Since it is on my own views/enjoyment the B ratings are a mix of more lofty teas that I don’t feel quite meet the moment, teas that need more time, and teas that are humble and get the job done.

    Numbered Recipes + Repeated Recipes

    2012 8582 (C)

    From Denny via Quiche. 2012 8582 is pretty nice and better than expected. Good body, quite approachable now. Some sweetness in the aftertaste. Hasn’t been darkened much with storage. but I think this blend needs less time than the 7542 of same year.

    2008 8582 801 (B)

    I had two versions here, one from Malaysia which I liked a bit less and another from Taishunhe which was actually further along and hit the spot more. Herbal, grassy, thick. Good conversion on the aftertaste. This is one of the core recommendations for factory tea to start with and I don’t really have any disagreement. Of course not everyone will love it, but it is inexpensive, decently aged, good enough quality and hits one of the big two Dayi recipes. Malaysian storage is also not always better. It still depends.

    2012 Spring of Menghai & 2006 Spring of Menghai (B/C)

    These are solid enough and feel roughly the same quality. The 2006 is a little darker, but otherwise feel like the same recipe. Florals, tobacco, aromatic, resin, the grassiness has aged a bit. Reasonable body, good Dayi base, mild bitterness, the aftertaste is not particularly deep or penetrating but it’s a solid daily drinker and priced as such. The profile can also be a bit narrow in what it is doing. I’m OK to drink this although there’s other Dayi core recipes I prefer.

    2007 7532 (C/D)

    Not a fan. A bit sweeter, richer, a bit brassy. Some resin and it’s still a bit green and thin. It’s nothing great, for me barely drinkable.

    2006 7532 (B/C)

    I don’t think the 7532 is my type of recipe at least not in this age range but I do like this considerably more than the 2007. It is still pretty green and features similar notes (grassy, florals, brown sugar), but feels a bit more whole and less thin than the 2007.

    2006 0622 200g (B)

    I’d bought about 10 of these small cakes from MX about a decade ago where it has been in and out of my rotation, and ordered one from Chen Tang to compare. These are darker than the 7532 and a bit brassier and richer. There’s a date like sweetness and a good enduring aftertaste. Holds up pretty well and I still like this as a daily drink. I do think the aftertaste is not as good and it is a bit slighter than other Dayi of the same era, which probably explains a lot of the modest price tag.

    2006 8582 601 (B)

    I bought a bunch of this from Taishunhe right before the pandemic and its basically been my Dayi daily drinker since then. Sweet, brassy, raisin. Woody, resinous, reasonably full. For me a tea that goes down quite easy, although it does not live up to the 2005. It also feels like it misses a bit of the herbaceousness of the 2005 and 2008.

    2006 7742 (A/B)

    Acquired from Mr. Jin in 2025 in a group buy. This got blown out when compared with the 2005 but on its own it’s quite nice. Still smoky and can use time. A bit sharper and rougher than the 2005. Pretty straightforward tea but the aftertaste all resolves in a pleasing manner. I blinded this against a couple other recipes from this era and it holds up quite well, especially in the aftertaste department. For something that still has a lot of calming down to do, I drink this a lot.

    2005 8582 501 (A)

    GD Stored. Thanks to Spice for the sample. Simpler and easier going than the 2005 8582 504, although a similar structure. Nice body. Wood, fruit, lots of sweetness. I do think these 2005s are a significant step up from the 2006. Goes down very easy.

    Then I had a separate version from TSH that reminds me a lot of the 504. Very active and pungent. Maybe not quite as herbaceous.

    2005 8582 504 (A)

    Impressive tea. Very dark, strong, sturdy, resinous. Easily one of the highlights  8582s I’ve had. I think both a bit more potent and harder to drink than the 501. Much better than the 601.

    2005 8582 505 (B)

    Thanks to Hanji for this sample. After the 504 I was prepared to be disappointed but this isn’t bad. It’s mostly fine and the basic structure of the 504 can still be detected here. It is woody, herbal, resinous. Far sweeter up front but lacking a bit of the body and overall potency of the 504. I think this is probably better than the 601 but not by too much.

    2005 8542 501 (B)

    Brigmbg sent me a huge chunk generously. I’ve had multiple people tell me this is kind of a mix between 7542 and 8582 and I can understand that. It lacks the extreme pungent strength of the 501, 502 or even 601 7542. This version is still fairly green with some room to grow but it has an astringency and bitterness that resolves and a solid structure to its bones. Wood, resin and comparatively fruitier compared with the other 2005 7542s I’ve had.

    2005 7742 (S/A)

    I really like this tea and it is very much made my style. Thick, oily, potent. I side by sided with the 2006 which I know decently well and it pretty much blows it out of the water. Starting to move past the smoke and is satisfyingly deep and full, leaving a nice aftertaste in the throat and mouth. In blinds its beaten the 2003 Purple before, and while its semi-rustic profile isn’t for everyone for me it’s a very well rounded Dayi tea.

    Yiwus

    While Menghai TF has always been associated with teas grown in Menghai (duh), they have a number of well known Yiwu productions released around the turn of the century. And they still occasionally dabble in eastern Xishuangbanna tea. I’ve had limited but positive experiences with their early Yiwus, which represent a very different sort of tea than the boutiques that would come to be heavily associated with the area.

    2011 Yiwu (C)

    Kind of gets the worst of both factory and boutique worlds. Too weak compared to better Dayi and doesn’t have that great of material to compete with boutique Yiwus. Taste wise some resin, honey. It’s not an awful tea but one that immediately bored me. Does not succeed at being an Yiwu tea or a Dayi.

    2009 Yiwu (C)

    Had two versions and found them both underwhelming. Brown sugar, slightly oily, pine resin. Like the 2011 it suffers from being in no man’s land. It isn’t nearly the tea that early Dayi Yiwus are and lacks the fireworks of boutique and does not have the typical Dayi appeal. Not a very good tea and one that I’d find difficult to fit into the rotation.

    2006 Yiwu (A/B)

    This is quite a bit better than I expected after drinking the 2009 and 2011 first, but unfortunately priced accordingly. Somewhat boutique like with a nice heaviness to it and a good aftertaste. It feels both much higher quality than the younger Dayis and quite distinct from earlier Dayi productions, lacking that resinous, old school style. Nevertheless it’s clearly good material and still pretty enjoyable. Lots of sweetness. Foresty, pine. Not sure it’s worth the price but it is a solid tea.

    2005 Yiwu (A)

    Thanks to Alex for the series of Yiwus (2005, 2002, and 2001)!

    Despite being a year apart it couldn’t be more different in style than the 2006, it resembles the older Dayis, especially the one leaf and feels like it has considerable upside and room to age. Very full, resinous. A tangy woody pulp quality that reminds me a lot of my prior experience drinking through a chunk of the Dayi One Leaf. Good aftertaste and presence in the throat. Unfortunately feels like this was the last of a now extinct pu’erh subtype.

    2003 Yiwu One Leaf (A)

    Good deep aftertaste and concentrated strength. I had this after the 2002 and it seems fairly similar. Good and getting better.

    2002 Yiwu One Leaf (A)

    Had a couple versions. One from Alex and another from the same Shenzhen vendor that sold the 2003. I like this just a touch less than the 2005 Dayi Yiwu. It is softer, thicker, and also a bit more dryly stored. It also has that tangy, wood pulp quality but a bit less amplified. A good aftertaste in the throat. Some drier notes, like potpourri. Still quite satisfying, good depth and aftertaste.

    2001 Ivdashu 103 (S/A)

    Somewhat similar to the prior Yiwus but bigger and better. Wood, resin, sour. Having this a couple times, there’s a strong camphor note especially in the early steeps. Great throatiness and expansiveness. Thick, and very satisfying tea.

    Other Special Products

    As time has passed, the special productions have been promoted as the superior product over the more daily numbered recipes. Of course, some take off in popularity and price while others stay more modest.

    2017 Xuanyuan Hao (B)

    The youngest tea in the report. Feels quite modern, especially for Dayi. Thanks to Tuna for sending it. Nice, substantive tea. Still very young, some florals and hay. Quite thick and it has a healthy bitterness but good conversion and expansiveness, especially in the aftertaste. Nice throat feel. There’s a heaviness to the liquor that is rare for a factory productions. Since I haven’t had very many Dayi from this age range it’s a bit tricky to compare. To me it feels closest to some of the better Chensheng Haos I’ve sampled from, and not too similar to the traditional Dayi style. Drinkable for its age. It’s probably obvious, but I would not pay the asking price but it is a good tea to try.

    2015 Purple (B)

    In a vacuum this is a pretty good tea and it’s actually pretty drinkable now. It has many notes you’d associate with good aging, resin, tobacco, a decent aftertaste.

    However, I encourage people to compare this with some of the earlier Dayis from a few years before and some of its weaknesses start to become a little more exposed. I’ve heard 2014 cited as a year where the processing changed for Dayi and you can see it in this tea. Both the rolling and compression are lighter than something like the Jin and while I like the tea I’m not sure it’s ever going to age as well as earlier teas. Perhaps it should even be slightly concerning how drinkable this actually is at just 11 years of age. Nevertheless I think it’s a very reasonable buy at the prices it is available now and I could absolutely be wrong.

    2012 Yanyun (B/C)

    Unusual Dayi tea. The tea is fairly floral and I’d initially read that as more youth, but it feels central to the character of the tea. It is mineral heavy, A bit lemony, floral. Very nice aftertaste. Material quality is clearly good. I do not love this one for the price but it’s one I’ll need to play around with a bit to get a decent feel for.

    2012 Longyin Dragon Seal (B)

    Exceeds expectation. Resin, wood, tobacco, a nice strong pungent mouthfeel that reminds me a bit of some of the earlier, good 7542s as well as the 7742. It also really tastes like a Dayi, which not all their more “premium” products do. Apparently this is an aged maocha production, I think it still could use considerable time but this feels strong and the bones feel sturdy.

    2012 Yin (B)

    Decent but not great. For a youngish Dayi I could drink this comfortably. Fairly standard Dayi taste, resin, wood, tobacco, mild bitterness. Medium but significant body.

    When Marco reviewed this it cost something like $300. Thankfully the prices have come down quite a bit and you can get it for around $70 now. The problem is this is just a bit better than 7542s and not close to the quality of the Jin a year earlier which is a much stronger tea. You are basically paying for a marginally better tea in a fancy wrapper.

    2011 Mengsong Tuo (B/C)

    Thanks to Anna for sending the tea. Not a bad tea, but not one that quite does it for me.

    I think it’s an atypical Dayi that is thankfully not priced as high as some of their other special productions. This one has a nice soft entry point with a  good body. Very mild bitterness, resin. Pretty smooth and ready now in a way that feels more modern than the Dayis that came before it. I’m not sure if it’s due to the less overall blending but this tea is not one that makes me super excited. Good value though.

    2011 Jin (A/B)

    Decent body, starts with a kind of grapey, muscatel sweetness paired with more of a Dayi wood/resin vibe. Becomes pretty tobacco heavy with a strong pungent mouthfeel. Stronger than the Dragon Seal with a better aftertaste. It’s not peaking but honestly not bad to drink now.

    This has quite a bit of potential in my opinion. How good will it be and will it live up to its price tag? I’m skeptical but it probably has the best shot of any post 2006 Dayi I’ve tried.

    2010 Golden Years (B/C)

    From Taishunhe. Solid tea albeit a bit generic. I had this late in the game and perhaps I had drank too much Dayi at that point as it failed to stand out. Smooth, honey, a bit of resin/smoke. Good sweetness, but it is young for my preferences and doesn’t have enough depth or a distinct enough character.

    2008 Chunshui (B)

    From Anna. Thank you! Relatively straightforward good intro to Dayi/daily drinker category. Decent honey sweetness, body, some resin. Has the characteristic Dayi taste without ever getting too strong.

    2007 Hou Qing Bing (B)

    From the Penang Dayi store and presumably MY stored. This is not great but the storage lifts it up towards something more palatable.. Antique wood, spice. The storage makes it thick but the material isn’t that great and it can be felt in a relatively lackluster aftertaste.

    2008 Qiuxiang (B)

    Nice elegant, daily. Soft wood, honey, not too much bitterness but nice and thick. For me this is a little boring and does not match the potency and brutality I want from Dayi but it definitely has some nice qualities to it. Still, if you are in the market for smoother, drinkable Dayi this one should work fine.

    2008 Gaoshan Yunxiang (B)

    Atypical Dayi. Plum, a big body, oily, has some nice pungency on the initial mouthfeel. Brown sugar. Low on bitterness, resin or Dayi taste in general. Reminds me a bit of the Mengsong tuo with a superior body. Good material. Salivation. Perhaps because I have certain expectations with Dayi this does not quite work for me. Not a bad tea, but for me this is missing something.

    I was pretty shocked when I saw the substantial price afterwards. Would not recommend it for the cost.

    2007 Anxiang, Raw (B, A/B)

    From Taobao, where it was stored pretty dry. Good body, gets quite bitter. Has quite a strong mouthfeel to it that leaves an anasthetic like feeling on the palate of the mouth for a few steeps. resin, brown sugar. for an almost 20 year old tea this is notably very sharp, very astringent, and not close to being smoothed out. it does remind me a little bit of some of the spring teas (SoM) that Dayi does but is both a bit different and significantly souped up. It also isn’t as broad a tea as something like 7542, feels distinctly different than that (maybe due to having more tips?). A tea i need to study a bit more, but definitely needs more time and I don’t think its the style of tea I’d go for anyways.

    Then I got it surprisingly sent to me by Alex of TTO. TY! This one coming from Taiwan is considerably more appealing. It maintains a pretty nice concentrated strength, predominantly woody with some fruit. Pretty characteristic Dayi, but the material is above average and significantly above average for a weaker year like 2007. It starts out a little tart, but the aftertaste lingers well and there’s a nice depth especially when contrasted with more of the Dayi regular line with a nice throaty sweetness lingering. Not nearly as sharp as the previous sample was.

    2006 Chazhilu (B)

    Via Tuna via Quiche. Thank you!

    Very sturdy Dayi feels mostly in the 7542 mold, lots of nice bitterness with good conversion and salivation. Wood, plum, resin, mostly retired smoke. Good aftertaste. Definitely more bitter than astringent in this session. Quite satisfying. More or less what I want from my Dayi. Might be better than 601 7542 but gotta compare more closely for that.

    2006 Yanyun (B)

    Like the 2012, an oddball. Very mineraly, not nearly as floral as the younger tea but has a lot of unusual notes, like plum. Some brightness to it, the florals of the 2012 are replaced with wood. Seems pretty good but it’s hard to evaluate this as a Dayi pu’erh.

    2006 Bulang Peacock (A/B)

    This has a very strong mouthfeel and pungency. There’s good thickness and strength. So why just a A/B? Personally I don’t love the slower conversion on its aftertaste. It does have nice texture and resin. I think a lot of people would rank this significantly higher but it doesn’t quite do it for me.

    2005 Early Spring Grade A (B)

    Acquired a sample via MX. Not sure if there’s a relation to Spring of Menghai but it definitely feels stylistically similar. A bit better than the 2006, but in the same relative ballpark. Pretty dry-stored. Nice sweetness. Moving beyond what feels like former grassy notes. Still quite aromatic. A decent body and aftertaste but not as dark as my preference. Pretty smooth overall.

    2005 Zaochun Tuo (B)

    Also in the Spring of Menghai family. Better than I anticipated. This is an early spring production and a lot of those have a similar profile that leans towards more aromatics, aged florals/grass, honey, resin, and a bit of fruit. I’m not sure I’d say this tip heavy profile is my preferred Dayi but this is far more ideal than something like the thinner, greener 2007 7532.

    2005 Elephant Mountain (C)

    This is from Geraldo and stored by me since. Unfortunately 21 years of Washington state storage does not move the needle that much. The tea is still quite green. One difference between this and the Menghai Peacock is this appears on the softer side of Dayi. There’s more perfume, sugarcane, some light nuttiness. The aftertaste is also pretty good. I think if you are OK with drier stored tea this one is fine enough, but I’ve always leaned the opposite way now.

    2005 Menghai Peacock (B)

    The same storage history as Elephant Mountain. 21 years of too slow and the tea is similarly green. However this tea is built different. This tea on the other hand is more of the brutish needs time variety. It is thick and oily and quite smoky. Very classical and not at all close to ready. Definitely gets me a bit amped drinking it.

    Pre-Reform

    Where quality goes up and value goes down.

    2004 Kongque Fujin (A/B)

    Supposedly a Bulang tea and it feels a bit like one of the random Bulangs from this period rather than a Menghai TF tea. Decent tea but not a huge standout. Leather, fruity, wood, resin, honey. Fairly bright. Where does this tea fall short? I think it mostly just does not quite have the depth of superior teas. It is satisfying but not quite as full as something like 7542 from a few years earlier and I’m not even sure I’d take it over the 2005 7542s either.

    2003 7212 One Leaf (A/B)

    Found this a little underwhelming. Still pretty green and can get a bit sour. Hay, dry wood, sour, post florals. There’s some promise in the throaty aftertaste. Best brewed attentively as it can get quite astringent and drying. An interesting slightly unusual example. This is probably a pretty reasonable price but there’s not really enough there for me to call this a standout.

    2003 Dayi Nannuo (S/A)

    Really nice tea. Good brightness, strong resin and mouth activity. I’m not typically a big fan of Nannuo teas and this one certainly fits the Nannuo stereotype but the dark leather, fruit brightness works well with the strong bones of the tea. Compared against the 2002 Liming Nannuo, this easily defeated it.

    2003 Jiaji Tuo (B)

    Dryish stored, still somewhat green but advanced enough to be drinkable. Sturdy tea, antique wood. It has a decent aftertaste and averageish depth. This is a good, but not great tea and probably amongst the more cost effective ways to get pre 2004 Menghai TF.

    2003 Jiaji Daqing Tuo (B)

    Nice storage that’s pushed this tea decently along. Unfortunately I think its profile while decent just does not stand out. Roughly on same level as the 2006 7542.

    2003 Jiaji Red Ribbon Tuo (B)

    Similar level to the normal Jiaji but maybe a bit smoother, creamier. I think differences here could easily be explained with storage as well. Pretty easy drinking without incredible upside.

    2002 Jiaji Red Ribbon Tuo (A/B)

    These are supposedly better than the normal Tuos but to me it seemed along the same lines (mine is also missing the Red Ribbon). Wood, incense. Decent bitterness, classic taste. I think it doesn’t feel overtly stronger than the non Red Ribbon tuos, but has a nicely expansive mouthfeel and aftertaste ranking it solidly above the 2003.

    2001 Jiaji Tuo (A/B)

    Darker and better than 2003, but not significantly so. Less of the green resin, and more of a dark wood. Feels slightly bigger, smoother and better. These are a narrower form of Dayi, but do have some pretty good material and make a fairly decent brew.

    2001 Simplified Yun 7502 (A/B)

    I’ve had varied sessions with this one. Some pretty good and others just OK. I currently think it’s mostly a decent tea, with lots of wood and incense notes. Not sure it stands out as much as other teas and I’d take most of the other 2001 Menghai TF I’ve had over this. Still, not a bad baseline with a pleasant well rounded profile and a nice aftertaste. I served this to a group of non tea drinkers fully expecting them to hate it, but to my surprise they liked it significantly more than the 2005 Nanqiao Double Lion.

    What is Ideal Storage

    Dayi is more forgiving in the storage department than Xiaguan. I think this is mostly because the tea is on average better. Still good storage definitely helps and Dayi is no exception. For instance, the 2005 Menghai Peacock featured is probably at minimum a decent tea, but due to its very dry storage in Washington State it needs at least another decade. Most of the teas in this report could use longer periods of time to age.

    So what is ideal? Like Xiaguan, good storage in a very hot place like Malaysia probably hits closest to my ideal. In the Xiaguan Masochists report I wrote about an age score. Over the past year revisiting teas in my own storage I sadly have to say the drier storage is maybe closer to a third of the speed rather than half as fast (as was projected in the XG report). It’s definitely not terribly precise but I find it useful for rough calculations. Teas that have been exclusively dry stored in the west like the Menghai Peacock or Elephant Mountain cake are decidedly still green, 7 years old sounds unfortunately about correct.

    Formula: AGE SCORE =  3x(years of aging in humid place) + 1x(years of aging in non-humid place)

    Dayi Portfolio Management Firm Recommendations

    Many of these teas are significantly less than their peak price from 3-4 years ago. Some are only about 20% of the peak price while others are 70%. Regardless many are at a pricepoint they were 10 years back when they were much younger teas. With Dayi you can certainly aim low and get pretty reasonable value or go a bit higher for more of the special productions.

    Dayi being such a well known commodity means teas are mostly combed over. Not going to get any true unknowns, although there’s so many teas that inevitably there’s some perfectly decent tea that are simply outshined by other products.

    I’m not going to recommend teas not featured in this or the 7542 report, besides ripe. This assumes about a 10 gram per day pace. The tea price listed is also relatively low price but attainable via Taobao with some associated hunting + logistics costs.

    Dayi for All! Value MaXXing

    • 3x $25/200g – 2006 0622
    • 2x $50/357g – 2008 8582
    • 2x $35/400g – 2006 Spring of Menghai
    • 2x $10/357g – 2021 8592
    • 2x $15/357g – 2021 7572
    • Total: $295/3542g.

    Five sufficient Dayi teas. Not a very exciting diet for the year but a way to drink 20ish year old Dayi on a tight budget. This costs under a dollar per day for two sessions of 5g. Feel free to insert a number of other teas in here Chunshui, Mengsong tuo, etc.

    Four Digits Only Daily Dayi

    • 2x $50/357g – 2008 8582
    • 2x $30/357g – 2010 7542
    • 2x $50/357g – 2006 7532
    • 2x $10/357g – 2021 2x 8592
    • 2x $15/357g – 2021 2x 7572
    • Total: $280/3570g.

    If you want more of a classical approach with the most well known raw and ripe numbers only recipes. This is somehow even cheaper than the Value MaXX budget.

    Post-Reform Classics

    • 2x $225/357g – 2005 7542 502
    • 2x $225/357g – 2005 8582 504
    • 2x $50/357g – 2006 7532
    • 2x $65/357g – 2007 Anxiang Ripe
    • 2x $50/357g – 2021 Golden Needle White Lotus Ripe
    • Total: $1230/3570g.

    A bit fancier, but this is still just a little over $3/day. You’ll notice that you have to spend up and we are already running into diminishing returns. These are on the whole more difficult to find, but do pop up now and then. This list is also a bit top-heavy with the 7542, 8582 being pricier. If you want to be a bit more value conscious, the 2006 7542 and 8582 are less than half the cost.

    Menghai Mortgage. Pre-reform

    If you can afford it. Just buy whatever you can find. Their pre-reform tea is not for the value hunters nor is it for material maxxers but it has a strong reputation for good reason. There are usually not many of these from western facing vendors at one time. The cheapest teas in this category is a bit under $/g, but expect to pay $/g+ for the majority of productions. Buy samples from Quiche. Don’t buy the first pre-2005 7542 you run into. Make sure it was actually made for Menghai TF and just not some rando thing labeled as 7542. Also well worth checking out pre 2004 Dayi Yiwu if you can find it and have the means.

    Dayi for the Kids (aging)

    • $115/357g – 2012 Longyin
    • $265/357g – 2011 Gold Dayi

    Unfortunately, like the Shaws, Dayi has fallen from their former heights. Rather than shutdown and pivot to TV like Runrun did, Dayi continues on. I focused on the higher-end teas here because if I want to devote time to aging something it’s not going to be something cheap. Having not tried their extensive lineup, these are the two that stand out from the few I have tried. I think the Jin Dayi is the surer bet and it is also closer to being ready whereas the Longyin needs considerably more time but impressed me with its pungency and strength.

    Rapid Change: Dayi By The Years (2003-2007)

    A decade ago you used to see people talk about Dayi as falling in quality around the reform (2004). While this does have some truth behind it, the decline was not quite precipitous or immediate. These days I see post-2005 and pre-2006 mentioned more than the 2004 year mark, marking 2005 as the last all around decent year for Dayi. The 2000s were an important and wild decade for the pu’erh industry. For the most prominent factory, this meant a steep ramp up in production. Each year within this time period you’ll see a step up in quantity and a step down in quality. 2003 is much more expensive than 2005 which is on average much more expensive than 2007. By 2007 and the bust, this pricing dynamic goes away, with 2008 Dayi not being markedly differently in price than 2007. While I think some later Dayi products are still pretty good, I think the numbered recipes in particular have gotten worse while the better material has shifted into special productions. For instance, the 2005 numbered recipes like 7542 and 7742 are often significantly better than the later equivalents.

    In practicality this means on average if you go for the 2007 option versus the 2006 you are likely buying an inferior product in the bust year that had significant overproduction.

    2003 Purple Dayi

    Different Profiles of Dayi & Special Products

    At its most classic level, the two big raw recipes 7542 and 8582 represent classic Dayi profiles. But one thing drinking all this Dayi has made me realize is that they have a lot of range. This shouldn’t be a complete surprise as they’ve had a long list of products for a number of years. Still there’s a few teas here that legitimately took me by surprise, sometimes in a good way and others more in a huh sort of way.

    Good versions of the 7542 are more up front. Strong mouthfeel, resinous, denser but a nice aftertaste. Woody but also some plum/fruit depending on the age and storage. They’re often bitter and punchy especially when young.

    The 8582 is more herbaceous, broader, and leans more into a thick wood profile with larger leaves that give it a nice big body. You also have finer, more bud-heavy blends like the 7532 or Spring of Menghai or on the higher-end Anxiang Raw. There’s also the punch-heavy profile that pops up in something like the 501 7542 and Bulang Peacock. With these, there’s bitterness but also a strong protracted mouthfeel, that seems to be prized.

    There are also some that fall somewhere in between. The 7742 uses aged Bulang material and is quite punchy like 7542 but also smokier and distinct. I was also occasionally surprised by a completely different profile, for instance the 2008 Gaoshan Yunxiang, 2012/06 Yanyun. You could put the Yiwus in there too, but I kind of knew those would be pretty different than standard Dayi.

    Where To Buy Dayi? King Tea Mall Pricing Dynamic

    The most accessible place would be a shop like Quiche/Taishunhe, who sells a good deal of Dayi teas. The lowest prices would likely be Taobao where there are a number of authorized Dayi dealers. Unfortunately neither of these offer samples for the majority of their teas. A shop like King Tea Mall slots in nicely here since they sell samples. However, many of King Tea Mall’s prices are out of date, meaning they are much higher than they would be. Dayi prices peaked a few years ago and if a vendor does not adjust their prices down they will generally be inflated. How inflated depends on which production and how it was priced. So you have the odd situation where the price of some KTM teas is priced laughably high compared with the current market conditions.

    What Do I Actually Own & Would I Do It Again?

    I am a fan of Dayi and they will likely continue to be one of my most consumed brands. Many of these teas are not expensive and are simply good brews. Things like the Chunshui cost like $0.12/g and are perfectly fine for regular consumption. I did not do a good enough job early on with factory tea. My most consumed teas here were also some of the most basic: 2006 8582 (from TSH) and 2006 0622 (from MX). Decent and functional teas but not exactly outstanding. I did manage to snag some good teas from Geraldo about a decade ago, but due to our shared unfortunate WA State Storage those still need time. In retrospect I think I would’ve tried much harder on these teas to develop an in-depth understanding of the core factory recipes rather than being distracted by boutiques in my first few years of drinking. In fact, a decent chunk of my buying and dumping has been with Dayi teas, in an attempt to improve what I own and drink.

    Tea Tier VOATO
    2012 8582 C -1
    2008 8582 801 B 0
    2012 Spring of Menghai B/C -0.5
    2006 Spring of Menghai B/C -0.5
    2007 7532 C/D -1.5
    2006 7532 B/C -0.5
    2006 0622 B 0
    2006 8582 B 0
    2006 7742 A/B 0.5
    2005 8582 501 A/B 0.5
    2005 8582 504 A/B 0.5
    2005 8582 505 B 0
    2005 8542 501 B 0
    2005 7742 S/A 1.5
    2011 Yiwu C -1
    2009 Yiwu C -1
    2006 Yiwu A/B 0.5
    2005 Yiwu A 1
    2002 Yiwu One Leaf A 1
    2001 Ivdashu 103 S/A 1.5
    2017 Xuanyuan Hao B 0
    2015 Purple B 0
    2012 Yanyun B/C -0.5
    2012 Longyin B 0
    2012 Yin B 0
    2010 Golden Years B/C -0.5
    2008 Chunshui B 0
    2007 Hou Qingbing B 0
    2011 Mengsong Tuo B/C -0.5
    2011 Jin A/B 0.5
    2006 Chazhilu B 0
    2008 Qiuxiang B 0
    2008 Gaoshan Yunxiang B 0
    2007 Anxiang (Raw) B 0
    2006 Yanyun B 0
    2006 Bulang Peacock B 0.5
    2005 Early Spring Grade A B 0
    2005 Zaochun Tuo B 0
    2005 Elephant Mountain C -1
    2005 Menghai Peacock B 0
    2004 Kongque Fujin A/B 0.5
    2003 7212 One Leaf A/B 0.5
    2003 Nannuo S/A 1.5
    2003 Jiaji B 0
    2003 Jiaji Red Ribbon B 0
    2002 Jiaji Red Ribbon A/B 0.5
    2001 Jiaji A/B 0.5
    2001 Simplified Yun 7502 A/B 0.5
  • Four Reasons Why You Should Get Your Baseline in Mid 00s Factory Pu’erh

    Four Reasons Why You Should Get Your Baseline in Mid 00s Factory Pu’erh

    Since diving back into tea at the end of 2024, I’ve done a lot of thinking on how the tea scene has changed and what the ideal intro to different tea types are. In many ways the ideal way to approach Taiwanese oolongs or Yancha is the same as it was in 2012. Identify specialized vendors in that tea type and sample a bunch. You’ll pay more and have less choices than someone based in east Asia but that is the reality of being based in a different continent. As is often the case, pu’erh tends to complicate things more, due to the variety and diversity of approaches. The easiest way to make sense of this is to break down pu’erh into simpler components and categories, like  Five Types of Raw Pu’erh You Should Try. A decade ago the conversations mostly centered around young boutique and larger regions, like Yiwu. In reading about specific teas I was highly influenced by bloggers like Half Dipper and Jakub (Marshaln didn’t focus on reviews). Scroll back to what they were drinking in 2013, and you’ll see a wide array of young recently produced pu’erh many under western vendor’s labels. Factory pu’erh seemed to be an afterthought. Not to say it wasn’t around, Yunnan Sourcing sold some stuff or you could go to various ebay vendors who hopefully would sell the real deal. But factory teas simply weren’t a huge focus of conversation in the pu’erh community a 10-12 years ago. No doubt TeaDB was a part of this same movement pushing things in the young boutique. Looking back, I think this was suboptimal and perhaps even a bit strange. If someone came to me and wanted to get into pu’erh, besides directing them towards the different types I’d encourage them to get their baseline from factory pu’erh made between 2005-2008. Here’s why.

    2006 Dayi 0622

    1. They Are Old Enough Now & Have Aged Good Enough to Give a Good Baseline

    This is a math problem. Factory teas are mostly made to be stored and not consumed young. Back in 2014, teas between 2005-2008 were not even 10 years old. Now they are 17-20 years old, firmly semi-aged. The time allows these teas to darken, mellow and get to a more drinkable place. I’d still generally recommend people try them from places besides Kunming where they’ve seen real heat and humidity (Taiwan, Guangdong, Malaysia, etc.).

    As production expanded throughout the 1990s and 2000s, there was speculation as to how the tea would age. Generally speaking it seems like factory teas has aged fine. While the 2005-2008 are not nearly as strong as their predecessors (say 1980s/1990s Dayi), they do exist along a similarish aging trajectory, unlike many boutique teas.

    2. It is Easy to Find

    Yunnan factories crank out a ton of tea every year. These are not boutique single tree runs and even the limited special products operate at a certain scale. But besides the handful of Dayi and Xiaguan that Yunnan Sourcing or other western vendors sold these products were largely unavailable from the western market. Sure you could risk Taobao, but that is a lot of hoops to jump through.

    Now it is much easier. You have all of the original channels, the generally reliable King Tea Mall, Teaswelike, Quiche Teas, etc. Taobao is considerably easier to navigate than it used to be. There are multiple established Dayi flagship sources and there are a lot more people with taobao experience that can help you (join a Discord!).

    2005 Dayi 7542 502

    3. Reasonable Prices

    You’d think with another decade of storage these would now be extremely expensive. Teas that were 17-20 years old were not cheap in 2012. I’m happy to report that is not the case . A huge part of this is simply the quantity of pu’erh made. The last few years have not been kind to Dayi stocks and their prices remains at a bit of a low point, where you can snag cakes through reputable channels for under $100 cake easily. Xiaguan and other factories are generally priced even less than Dayi teas.

    You may ask, why not go a bit older if prices are so cheap? Unfortunately it remains difficult to find reliable pre-reform (earlier than 2005) tea. These teas are generally considered stronger and better, an assessment I agree with, but because of the more limited quantity they are much more expensive than an average factory production from 2008.

    4. Boutique Pu’erh is Complicated and Weird (Not Just Western Boutiques)

    Boutique pu’erh is weird. It is easy to be allured by the promise of fantastic tea leaves from old grove trees. Seems like a simple enough idea. Unfortunately it has ended up being anything but.. Boutique products being smaller runs allow more variability in how the leaves are processed. In trying to create a product that can taste better young, the tea can be processed in ways that make it taste good but age poorly (underrolled, green tea pu’erh, honged). This is fine if you want to consume the tea young, but not great for those that prefer aged pu’erh. Conversations prop up regularly about certain products not aging well or being processed in a way that makes the tea taste good young but age poorly (see Green Tea Pu’erh). It has both complicated and expanded the variety of pu’erh by a wide margin. Now you have to learn about proper processing and be able to taste if there are processing flaws if you want the tea to continue being decent. It can be quite difficult and frankly tedious.

    Being a pu-head in the 1980s/1990s would’ve been comparatively quite dull, choosing between a handful of traditionally stored productions. In 2025, the amount of productions, boutique and factory is quite overwhelming.. It is part of the rabbithole, but it is easy to get confused.. Factory tea from the mid 2000s (minus the wrapperology) is back to basics.

    A veteran drinker complained about how drinking Taiwanese boutique pu’erh is generally not worth it because you have to drink through all their strangely, processed perfumed house note to even get to their base taste. Now that I’m semi-experienced with pu’erh I immediately understood what they were talking about. If I were to do over my tea hobby, I would not have focused nearly as much on boutique pu’erh from the get go and instead shifted it towards factory tea. In this alternate universe, I think I probably would’ve bought some boutique pu’erh at some point but I think I focused far too heavily on it for my first 5 or 6 years of tea drinking. Imagine getting recommended Xizi Hao from the start as some sort of endgame of tea and getting your baseline set with these teas. Many boutiques will give you experience in a very specific little niche of the pu’erh game.

    Many of my favorite pu’erh teas I own are boutique productions. These do have real upside if done properly. I tend to think of boutiques as a high potential ceiling, but also a low floor that comes with an expensive price tag compared with factory tea. There are good boutique teas, but it can be a morass getting to them.

    Which Teas?

    So the list is still subject to change over time, but these are the recommendations as of Summer 2025. I think this list would be similar to one from 5-6 years ago or so as these teas are large scale productions and don’t skate in and out of availability as much as boutique pu’erh.

    My advice is to focus on Dayi and then Xiaguan, with potential add ons from places like Mengku or whatever.

    1. 2006/2008 Dayi 8582
    2. 2006/2007/2008/2010 Dayi 7542
    3. 2005 Xiaguan T8653 Thick Paper (Early in the Year Batch)

    There are a ton of factory productions but I think these three will give a steady foundation for pu’erh that you can use as a springboard to dive deeper into factory tea or branch out into the wild world of boutiques.

    Dayi Tote Bag

    Where Should I Buy These?

    It is easiest to purchase these from TeasWeLike or Quiche (dropships Taishunhe). For those brave enough, the lowest prices are probably on Taobao (you need you to use an agent like SuperBuy or ShipForwarder).

    You can try some of the Dayi Flagships or Chentang for Menghai Tea Factory. For Xiaguan, MX is the most reliable and decent option.

  • Bulang Brutalists Report

    Bulang Brutalists Report

    Like the Yiwu Megareport this is a return to a couple reports I did in the 2010s. The first focused on Bulang and the second on Menghai County tea. The initial Bulang report had teas ranging from fresh to 12 years old with an average age of maybe 3-5 years. Coming back to the Bulang theme a decade later there’s a large chunk of teas at the 15-20 year mark, with just two teas being produced since 2020. The maturation of these teas has tamed the famed Bulang bitterness and made for a much more enjoyable drink through.

    Banzhang is in Bulang so it is shoehorned in as are some teas that are Bulang adjacent.

    2008 Haiwan Lao Banzhang

    Bitter to Sweet Conversion

    Classic Bulang and Banzhang tea are famous for a punchy and potent profile with a quick conversion of bitterness into sweetness. A characteristic that is also oft cited for classic 7542. It’s a classical pu’erh note and not hard to spot in both factory and boutique versions of these teas. The speed of the conversion is another trait to note. Something like the 2002 Menghai TF Bok Choy had a very quick returning sweetness. There are also other teas that are much slower to convert or don’t convert at all which results in a pervasive lingering bitterness, something I’m not really a fan of. In ripes I’ve come to appreciate it on occasion or when it is well integrated into the tea.

    Bulang Structure & The Value of Blending

    There’s a fair deal of repetition in the profiles dealt with. I did enjoy most of the teas, but Bulang has a more narrow profile compared with the 6fm on a whole, which is why expanding it to Menghai County and Menghai area blends makes sense. After all these areas have a history of being blended together. When a factory or producer moved outside of Bulang for more of a blend, like many of the Dayi teas which don’t specify geographical provenance it can fix this problem by creating more dynamism.Nanqiao Double Lions 502

    Slower Storage Hasn’t Been Awful

    In past reports I’ve talked about the importance of storage. For factory teas this absolutely matters. In particular something like Xiaguan really needs good storage to smooth it out. For Bulang teas while I would definitely prefer storage in Taiwan, southern China or the tropics over the US the slower storage hasn’t been nearly as awful as I anticipated. Something like the 2010 Gumingxiang Banpen has clearly mellowed especially when I look back at my notes from a decade ago.

    Boutique vs. Factory

    Western Xishuangbanna doesn’t have the same boutique prominence that Yiwu and eastern Xishuangbanna does. My Yiwu report was dominated by mostly boutique teas, with very occasional factory toss ins from the turn of the century. In Menghai County it is a different story. You have the factory (Dayi) based in Menghai County, cranking out different blends many of which could be roughly grouped with teas here. While I almost included a bunch of Dayi teas, most are not explicitly Bulang, and I decided to save some ammunition for 2026 where I’ll be doing my best to cover more of Menghai TF teas.

    In my TeaDB 2.0 phase I’ve leaned a more towards factory than boutique, having done the vast majority of boutique buying 7-10 years ago. I think this preference holds true for most of the teas here. Another advantage to the teas I sampled a decade ago is that there is simply way more 15-20 year old tea available. The teas from 2005-2010 were about 5-10 years old when I tried them back then and now have reaped the benefits of time.

    Goals:

    1. Stash check.
    2. What should the average (VOATO) and benchmark teas be? The Malaysian stored 502 Double Lions probably has the biggest reputation of any overtly Bulang tea. Is this deserved?

    Pu'erh Storage

    Ratings

    As has been the case for previous reports I am rating purely on my own appreciation of the tea at the moment I drank it and the ratings are not a reflection on the potential of the tea.

    Nanqiao/Liming

    Nanqiao ended up being the benchmark for this.. Famously in the western scene they have the Double Lion whose Malaysian stored version remains a very solid benchmark and one of the better teas of the report. It seems like the one remaining state-run factory Liming (which I’ve always thought of as B-tier Dayi) made quite a bit of tea from this area.

    Amazingly Liming has never been featured on a TeaDB video. It’s not really a factory I hold in high regard (B/C level Dayi) but some of their teas in this era are decent.

    2008 Liming Yayun (A/B)

    Sold by Quiche but also available on Taobao from a number of vendors for much less. Solid tea. The bitterness is mild, but the bones are strong. Thick, oily resinous. Retired smoke. Leaves a nice aftertaste on the back of the mouth. Very classical and I think this is entering a state of being drinkable. Perhaps reminiscent of the 7742 except more ready.

    2007 Nanqiao Early Spring Tribute (C)

    Decent overall. It isn’t as potent as most of the other teas here and instead leans more heavily into flora, sugarcane, and grassy notes. Still it is thick and hints at some past smoke. I’d say that this needs more time, heat and humidity, but for the price it’s a reasonable value.

    2006 Nanqiao Double Lions (A/B)

    I don’t know exactly what version this was, it might be the smaller 250g cake. Regardless it is a solid, often overlooked tea. Wood, oily. Takes a bit of time to open up. Definitely not as punchy and only lightly bitter. It has good aftertaste and coats the mouth nicely. The sessions on it are a bit varied with some being a little less satisfying and others feeling like the real successor to DL.

    I also was able to session a CN stored one, which was also pretty good. Retired smoke, wood, incense, oily. Almost as good as the MY version. The 2006 is well worth pursuing if you want a great PQ ratio.

    2006 Liming Arbor Wild Arbor King (B)

    Pretty good tea, with a very classical Bulang/Menghai profile. Smoky, heavy BBQ, needs a lot more time but it has good bones. Decently oily with a good aftertaste. Wood, pine, resin. Needs heat/humidity but Kunming has chipped away at it.

    2005 Nanqiao Double Lion 502 (A)

    A very good standard. Woody, incense. The bitterness isn’t as strong as you’d think. Maybe for boutique bros. But it is very intense and concentrated. Good, booming aftertaste. I’ve struggled with how to rate teas like this in the past but the Malaysian stored in particular holds strong in a lot of aspects and I’ve risen in my own enjoyment of the tea over the past 7 or 8 years.

    2005 Nanqiao Double Lion 501 (A/B)

    For a tea I almost never heard about this was shockingly good. It does a very good impersonation of the 502 with just  a bit less strength. Wood, incense, protracted mouthfeel, strong immediate aftertaste. Need to SbS with 502 to more fully parse out differences.

    2005 Nanqiao Banzhang Tuo (C)

    Unfortunately not everything Nanqiao made in 2005 was great. This one isn’t awful but doesn’t really impress either. In contrast with something like DL it is thinner and more narrow. Some light fruit and the aftertaste does resolve well but it’s not that pleasant to drink. It needs quite a bit more time and even then I don’t think this will get close to the NQ DL.

    2005 Nanqiao Purple Peacock (A/B)

    Southern Chinese stored. This tea is in a nice place to be consumed. I don’t think it is quite as Bulang heavy as other teas in the report or perhaps it is just more tamed. Thick, wood, leather. Mouthcooling early. Not too bitter but can get astringent. Goes down easier than Double Lions but with a little less potency.

    2005 Nanqiao Liming Impression (B)

    This one isn’t as good as the 2006 Liming Arbor but is a little more aged. Oily, woody, has a bit more depth but a little less oomph than the Arbor. Good thickness overall.

    2005 Nanqiao Blue Peacock (A/B)

    This is a good tea and undercovered compared to other Nanqiaos from this era. Very concentrated and oily. Still has some BBQ-like smoke. Good throat coat. Still pretty drying and not quite ready but this has good expansiveness and is aging well. I don’t quite agree that this is better than the best of DL, but it is operating on the same playing field.

    2004 Nanqiao Double Lions (A)

    I suspect most would put this above the 2005. I’m a bit more split and to me this feels like it is in a smoother state but also lacks the intense concentration and pungency that makes the 502 so memorable. It still has very similar notes, oily, woody, some incense. In particular those who prefer boutique over factory will go for this as it has certain refined characteristics the 2005 502 lacks.

    2004/98 Nanqiao SEA (B)

    A weird one. In some ways this looks like an extremely stellar tea. It is very oily, with heavy retired smoke, incense, and camphor notes. I don’t love the aftertaste as much as other Nanqiaos from the era. It is also less dense and just a touch hollow compared with things like the 502 Double Lions or even the Blue Peacock. There’s also some curious black tea type notes to it, although it mostly can be ignored. A decent enough brew but I don’t like it as much as some of the other Nanqiaos.

    Dayi/Xiaguan

    I probably could’ve included a lot more Dayi and it probably made sense as the primary benchmark here. But I wanted to avoid having this get way too big so as a result so I included those that are overtly labeled Bulang (7742, Bok Choy) and a couple versions of the famed 7542 recipe.

    2011 Xiaguan Laobanzhang (C)

    From Puerh NW. The tea is reasonably strong but I’m otherwise unconvinced about it. It has some thickness and oiliness early, but is eventually overcome with a lot of drying and bitterness that doesn’t convert very quickly. I think this tea probably would’ve done better with more heat/humidity but it’s not very close to being ready as of now.

    2010 Dayi 7542 (C)

    Not terribly impressed. It is somewhat oily and thick. It is not particularly punchy/bitter, although it does get astringent. Perhaps it is my expectations but I find this lacking. Due for deeper exploration next year.

    2009 Xiaguan DX 7223 (C)

    Commissioned by Dehexin who was partly responsible for the Double Lions and drew my interest. It is just OK. It is sweeter and more narrow than the other teas here. Way too little of a punch to really grip me. Tastewise woody, a bit of fruit.

    2006 Dayi 7742 (A/B)

    Supposedly aged Bulang material. This is good but needs more time. Actively smoky, BBQ, woody, oily, and pungent. This is a straightforward tea with a classical profile. Quite different from the 7542. Not going to be for everyone (I suspect I wouldn’t have liked this 10 years ago) but it is solid tea.

    2006 Dayi Bulang Peacock (B)

    Shockingly mediocre considering the price. Body is medium. Taste is wood, apple, a bit creamy. Doesn’t really have the big expansiveness of the better teas here. Does get a bit sour and somewhat astringent but the aftertaste is much worse than the 7742. Probably more of a collector’s item than a drinker’s drink.

    2005 Dayi 7742 (A)

    Really good and a bit different than the 2006, probably on account of storage. Much less smoky it does have a bit of a recently retired tobacco taste. Very refined wood, antique furniture like. Aftertaste is very quick and coating.

    2005 Dayi 7542 502 (A/B)

    Mine compared with Dennys is a bit further along. Smooth, not a ton of bitterness but still a fair bit of astringency. Wood sweetness, creamy, resin, leathery.

    2002 Menghai TF Xiao Bok Choy (A)

    From Houde. Good tea. Needs more time. Still pretty sharp but the aftertaste converts very quickly. Depth is pretty good without being great. Some resin. Longevity is OK. There’s some factory tea I like more than this, but I think some of that is the drier storage that this has gotten. I think if western storage may eventually be able to get some of these teas to a drinkable state but it takes a while.

    Chensheng Hao

    A Banzhang focused producer. They occupy an interesting space where they market themselves as a premium, luxury brand but are clearly operating at a fairly large scale. They are also a producer who really started to hit their stride in the 2010s rather than earlier like Nanqiao and Liming and their teas feel relatively less traditional than the aforementioned teas.

    2022 Chensheng Hao Lao Banzhang (B)

    I suspect this is getting into a bit of a more muted awkward stage as it is not as rich as it was a year or two ago. It is young, but I appreciate its clean, clear profile. It is relatively thick, has a moderate bitterness, and comes through with a nice but not super intense sweetness. Good longevity as well.

    2017 Chensheng Hao Yi Hao (C)

    Pretty good tea, but is still quite green in a way I don’t love. Oily, floral, nutty. Good intensity of aftertaste. There is some bitterness although not as much as the Bawang when pushed. Unfortunately this needs some pretty significant age, but I think this could be pretty decent.

    2013/2016 Chensheng Hao Bawang (C)

    Lumping in 2013 and 2016 since I feel the same about both. Very bitter tea with thick oiliness. The bitterness is slower to convert. I do have three of the 2019 aging away, but I see it as an extremely long term aging experiment.

    2013 Chensheng Hao Jin Yin (Gold Mark) Banzhang (B)

    This also needs time but it is closer. I’ve had this tea three or four times and my opinion has slowly risen. I think a good chunk of the enjoyment is it because it has been stored less dry than the other semi-aged CSH I’ve had. Like those it is very oily and has some strong bitterness. However, it’s considerably less green and starting to lose that sharper edge. It has a decent concentration of flavor. Tastewise brown sugar, wood.

    2013 Chensheng Hao Organic Banzhang Arbor (B)

    More standard and in my opinion likable than the CSH Jin Yin. Good body. The aftertaste resolves quickly it has a nice deep slightly heavy feeling to it. Good aftertaste. Tastewise it is around what you’d expect, florals becoming woodier.

    2012 Chensheng Hao Yin Banzhang (B/C)

    Measures up a bit worst compared to the Yee BZ. Partly because its been stuck in Seattle for longer. Still maintains green, floral notes. Has nice thickness. A bit bittersweet as a lot of younger CSH is. Similar to the Yee BZ the bitterness is a little slower to convert.

    Western Boutiques

    These are interesting to visit and revisit and predictably ended up being a bit of a mixed bag.

    2024 White2Tea Astro Kittens (D)

    Smells nice. Floral, nutty, sugar. The most bitter tea of these, pill like at times. Very protracted mouthfeel. The bitterness was quite slow to convert. I’m curious what this will be like later, but it is not something I would enjoy drinking anytime in the next 20 years.

    2018 White2Tea Lucky Puppy (A/B)

    My favorite of the boutique products. Has aged pretty well and is now simpler but pretty tasty. Wood, light fruit.. Very thick, moderate bitterness, sugarcane. Some mouthcool early. Very quick and good aftertaste that coats the mouth. Very sweet after that. Despite being young this is enjoyable.

    On potential negatives, as one would expect from a modern production the rolling is on the lighter side of things. Perhaps this is why the tea is entering into such a nice phase so quickly.

    2016 White2Tea Untitled 02 (B)

    Thick, a bit oily. Moderate body, herbal, moderate bitterness. Lightly sweet and decent depth. Some resolution on the bitterness but it also has a lot that lingers more than preferred. This has fared OK enough and I like it, but I think it needs more time and I am ambivalent about the nature of its bitterness.

    2012 Essence of Tea Bulang (C)

    Malaysia stored and preferred over the 2010. It has a moderate body, is a bit herbal and gets quite bitter. Like the 2010 it doesn’t convert to sweetness much, which is more striking because this tea is much further along than the 2010.

    2010 Yunnan Sourcing Jieliang (B/C)

    Still pretty green, nutty. Thick, but not as much as the best teas in this report. Resin, strong mouthfeel. The conversion isn’t super fast, but it is there. This is getting there but still needs longer. Not bad.

    2010 Essence of Tea Bulang (D)

    Pretty dry stored. Antique wood. Fairly bitter, not a ton of conversion into sweet. Still quite burly, tart. Not a big fan of where this is right now.

    Other

    2013 Yee On Banzhang TFC (B)

    Very thick, oily. Some mouthcooling. A touch of citrus. It is more bitter than most here. I think this will be quite a good tea at some point but still needs quite a bit of time. Has a strong protracted mouthfeel. The one hesitation is the nature of the bitterness which is a bit slow to convert although not overwhelming. Nevertheless I generally trust operations like Yee On to know what will age. Some solid potential.

    2012 Hailang Hao 16th Anniversary (D)

    The leaves here are clearly good, but I’m just not a fan beyond the first two steeps. Starts out nice, oily, syrupy texture. Still quite green, grassy. After that the session goes downhill fast. It gets somewhat bitter, but it also doesn’t resolve and the greener aspects really linger.

    2010 Gumingxiang Banpen (B)

    I have a much better handle on this tea than 2014 or 2015 where I gave it negative and mediocre reviews. On the negative it does feel relatively less blended and a bit more single faceted, which is what I think confused me when I’d had this tea before. The tea has a big body, it’s oily, and at this point only mild to moderate bitterness that converts. The conversion is a bit slower, but the tea is substantive enough that I feel decent about its future.

    2008 Haiwan Lao Banzhang (A/B)

    My only Haiwan. Picked up from Wilson at Adventure in Every Cup back in 2016. It isn’t quite as bitter as you’d expect and has more of a subtle power to it. Softer and a bit less resinous than other teas in this report. Less pine and more of a dark oak/cedar. Nice coating of the mouth. Soft, oily, good depth.

    2006 Banzhang Laoshu Green Peacock (C)

    Same cake as sold by TWL but a different storage, probably drier. This is stronger, has a big mouthfeel and more penetratingly bitter than the majority of other teas. The aftertaste is slower to convert. It is also not as oily and has a thinner focus. I am not a big fan of it.

    2006 Zhongcha Six Side 8081 (B)

    An overall decent tea that just lacks the intensity and expansiveness to be truly great. Nevertheless it has good structure/balance, oiliness, above average bitterness that builds, and some retired smoke. There are some light camphor notes and the aftertaste all resolves in a pleasing way. Just not quite as big as I want my Bulang tea to feel.

    2005 Yunhai Banzhang (B)

    This was sent by HappyGuy over on Discord. Thank you!

    This is still a bit green and could use time but tastes proper to me. Dry wood, slightly oily. Pushed gets a bit sour. Has a decent enough aftertaste.  Leans a bit towards the fruit/sweet direction but has strong enough bones.

    2005 CNNP Big Yellow Mark (C)

    I reviewed this almost a decade ago and it hasn’t really changed too much. The smoke is mostly in the past now. Has a bit of a softer perfume, pinewood, resin. Oily.. I’m a bit cooler on this than I was back then, partly because the aftertaste isn’t as good as some other teas and I’m not a huge fan of the softer perfumey (Nannuo?) aspects of this tea.

    2005 Farmer Banzhang (B/C)

    An interesting tea. Has a good amount of sweetness and is far more fruit forward than a lot of other teas here. It is also pretty astringent and drying, but it mostly all resolves. Despite being pretty oily and thick it also has a softer side to it. I’d take the 2002 Bulang brick that YS sells over this but it is respectable.

    2005 Yuanyuan Tang Laobanzhang (A/B)

    Taiwanese boutique ringer alert!! Thanks to Peter for sending this in. Apparently there’s some sort of relationship between CYH and YYT LBZs, although the details are hazy to me. Either way this is one of the better YYT I’ve had. The taste is mildly bitter and sour. A little oily but not as much as the NQs. The aftertaste is quite sweet and has a decent amount of depth. I’d originally put this at B tier but ended up upgrading it as it has significant appeal now. As you might expect from a TW boutique version it is a bit sweeter and a little softer than the other Bulang teas being made at the time. Still it retains a decent amount of thickness. Solid tea.

    2005 Chenguanghetang Menghai Yesheng (A)

    The Malaysian stored version. Amongst the most enjoyable teas in this report. Herbal, incense. Some mouthcooling. Very sturdy and thick. Strong mouthfeel. It is mildly sweet and if I had this after an Yiwu it might be a bit too strong. Good depth. Despite its strength I am pretty OK drinking the MY stored version semi-regularly now.

    2004 Hualian Laobanzhang (B)

    Decent enough tea. Still a little green and has some sourness. It has the proper Bulang structure (bitter then sweet, oily) and is a somewhat enjoyable tea. The downside is it’ lacks the potency and expansiveness to be more than decent.

    2004 Mengyang Guoyan (C)

    A bit dank. This feels closer to traditionally stored. Very mellow, creamy, woody. It’s an alright enough brew, but does not provide the Bulang thrills I seek.

    2002 Bulang Brick (B)

    This is solid old tea. Burly wood. Smells of smoke early but it quickly dissipates. Really not too bitter. Oily, rustic, quite sweet, very old school pu’erh. Has a good body throughout.

    2000 Hailang Hao Bulang Mushroom Tuo (C)

    This has good structure to it but its Kunming storage hasn’t done it any favors. Oily, hay. It’s aging fine but too slow.

    VOATO & Benchmarks

    Not sure I own enough tea to make the VOATO (Value Over Average Tea Owned) a decent metric here. The cakes I do own are the CGHT Menghai Yesheng, the 502 Nanqiao Double Lions, the Nanqiao Purple Peacock, and the Chensheng Hao Bawang. Those are amongst the best teas of the month and I think the average tea would be the Purple Peacock, IMO a solidly reliable tea. A reminder to keep standards high for future pickups. The teas here are also in pretty direct competition with good old Dayi teas, especially from the mid 2000s.

    Thanks to Pedro and TeasWeLike, the 2005 Malaysian Stored Double Lions 502 has probably the largest reputation in the niche pu’erh scene, a reputation that seems well deserved. Like most teas that get some hype, it’s not a value budget banger  but it is a very appropriately potent Bulang that I think deserves its place and should be experienced.

    Final Thoughts & Why No S Tier?

    I prefer the top end teas in my Yiwu report more than the top end teas here. I think there is the potential for some teas, like the 2002 Menghai TF Bok Choy to rise but it’s not there for me at least not yet. If you think the top should always be S, just add a grade scale up to every tea, making the 2005 NQ DL 502, 2004 NQ DL, and the 2005 CGHT Menghai Yesheng the top teas.

    Although the brasher Bulang style often takes a bit of a backseat to my Yiwus I do enjoy drinking most of the teas in this report. Many of them are also decent enough value. The sweet spot falls in that mid 2000s range where many of these productions are still relatively attainable and smoothing out. I did not include many Dayi products here which would probably be in direct competition with these teas like the standout Nanqiao and Liming products.

    Tea Tier
    2008 Liming Yayun A/B
    2008 Haiwan Lao Banzhang A/B
    2007 Nanqiao Early Spring Tribute C
    2006 Liming Wild Arbor King B
    2005 Nanqiao Double Lions 502 A
    2005 Nanqiao Banzhang Tuo C
    2005 Nanqiao Liming Impression B
    2006 Nanqiao Double Lions A/B
    2006 Banzhang Laoshu Green Peacock C
    2004 Nanqiao Double Lions A
    2006 Dayi 7742 A/B
    2005 Nanqiao Blue Peacock A/B
    2006 Zhongcha Six Side 8081 B
    2005 Yunhai Banzhang B
    2000 Hailang Hao Bulang Mushroom C
    2005 CNNP Big Yellow Mark C
    2002 Bulang Brick B
    2005 Farmer Banzhang B/C
    2004/1998 Nanqiao SEA B
    2009 XG DX 7223 C
    2010 Gumingxiang Banpen B
    2004 Hualien Laobanzhang B
    2011 Xiaguan Laobanzhang C
    2005 YYT Laobanzhang B
    2013 Yee On Banzhang B
    2012 CSH Yin Banzhang B/C
    2002 Menghai TF Xiao Bok Choy A
    2017 CSH Yihao C
    2013 CSH Bawang C
    2016 CSH Bawang C
    2013 CSH Jin Yin Banzhang B
    2010 YS Jieliang B/C
    2012 HLH Anniversary D
    2011 EoT Bulang D
    2012 EoT Bulang C
    2016 W2T Untitled 02 B
    2024 W2T Astro Kittens D
    2022 CSH Lao Banzhang B
    2005 CGHT Menghai Yesheng A
    2018 W2T Lucky Puppy A
    2005 Nanqiao Purple Peacock A/B
    2005 Menghai TF 7542 A/B
    2005 Nanqiao Double Lions 501 A/B
    2004 Mengyang Guoyan Bulang C
    2005 Dayi 7742 A
    2006 Menghai TF Bulang Peacock B
    2013 CSH Organic Banzhang B
  • Five More Things I Like & Dislike. 16 Gram Samples, Side Hustles, HK Tea Travel List

    Five More Things I Like & Dislike. 16 Gram Samples, Side Hustles, HK Tea Travel List

    Five more Things I like & dislike.

    16 Gram Experiences/Samples

    I don’t know who came up with this. Maybe LP? It’s a pretty random size. Why not 15? Or 10? But you know what. I like it. Getting locked into 25 grams is overkill, and 10 grams can often be not enough. 16 grams is enough for three smaller sessions or two medium ones. If you’re a 5 gram-brewer, it gives you a little extra buffer in case you lose some leaf here or there.

    Tea Businesses as Side Hustles

    This is a like and a dislike. One thing I didn’t fully grasp in my return to blogging was how big and influential TWL has gotten. The niche western pu’erh scene has been heavily shaped in their image and the teas they source. Yunnan Sourcing and White2Tea are no longer the only options to start out on pu’erh tea. What I really didn’t expect was that so many people would end up sourcing similar and in some cases the same teas. The imitators are no doubt annoying to TWL, but for consumers they offer more options and places to get samples and teas that are otherwise sold out. The TWL level of curation is something that these vendors have a hard time replicating however.

    The downside is that this creates negative incentives towards sourcing more original material as it is now much easier to undercut the vendor doing the curation. These undercutting operations may be trading immediate gains (lower prices) for worst access and prices down the line.

    Marshaln’s Hong Kong Tea Travel List

    Next time someone asks me for Hong Kong recommendations I will just send them to this fantastic list by none other than Marshaln. It has pretty much every HK shop I was aware of, plus extras. If I find myself back in HK, I’d probably just go straight down this list. I’d previously used this list from Nicolas Tang but I think this easily beats it.

    Different Tea Sub Cultures & The Tea Discord Ecosystem

    A lot of the interesting tea chatter happens in Tea Discords these days. If I’m honest, I only half paid attention to CommuniTea (one of the larger Discords) from 2019 until more recently. Since then, I’ve joined some of the smaller ones as well as The Tea Table (the other large Discord, started by LP). Despite being smaller on paper, The Tea Table has quite a bit more chatter going on and has also taken on a pretty different culture than CT (CommuniTea).

    If you’re just starting out, depending on which discord you join you’d likely end up with similar but different samples and vendors recommended to you. I think this is mostly healthy as people can choose which one resonates more with them. When something is also more or less unanimously liked or disliked by both, that also says something.

    TeaDB as Documentation & Rediscovering Teas

    In what should be unsurprising, I have archivist tendencies and am temperamentally inclined to record and document. Most recently, I put every pu’erh we’ve drank on the show into a google sheet. This took a bit of time as we’ve been doing the show for over 10 years. (It also now needs to be updated again.)

    In drinking more tea and rediscovering some of them, I’ve been pretty happy with the past documentation we’ve done on teas in the form of the recorded show as well as some of the tea reports. Rather than judging sheerly against memory, having stuff written down and recorded makes it much easier to jog my memory and recall. There were some teas I thought I liked but had more mixed feelings on as well as vice versa. If you’re in it for the long haul having some sort of system to log thoughts is highly recommended. Personally, I’d opt for something relatively simple that doesn’t ever become too much of a chore.

  • Non Mainland Pu’erh Vendor Guide

    Non Mainland Pu’erh Vendor Guide

    This post was original planned as an update to the Pu’erh Vendor Guide which was published over a decade ago and is now hopelessly out of date. However, politics, tariffs and the back and forth trade war made me give that more all-encompassing article a (hopefully temporary) delay. If the tariffs do continue, importing from mainland Chinese sources will be more expensive and likely more difficult. It will also have trickle down effects felt further down the line, specifically with vendors who are based outside of the mainland but source their pu’erh directly from China. This should impact almost every pu’erh vendor to some degree, but not equally. In particular vendors who commission and press their own pu’erh and sell a lot to the US will be hit the hardest, places like White2Tea, Essence of Tea, and Yunnan Sourcing.

    Which types of pu’erh should I buy?

    Asian, Non Mainland Chinese Based Pu’erh Vendors

    TeasWeLike (link)

    Taiwan based hobbyist vendor. Teaswelike has a very high level of curation and a strong track record and high batting average. They source from everywhere, but have a strong Taiwan and Malaysia focus. Good for mostly semi-aged and aged pu’erh with a variety of boutique and factory tea.. Also a very good Liubao vendor. Their selection has drifted mid to higher-end over the years but you can definitely still find well priced budget tea. The downside is no samples and they frequently run out of stock. Their restocks are mini-events with teaware and some teas selling out quickly. TeasWeLike has had a large influence on the niche tea scene, many of the previously unknown to the west brands they sold are now regularly sold by other vendors.

    TWL is also one of the few vendors I’d trust with sourcing more aged teas (pu’erh, Liubao), which can be a bit of a trap for less savvy vendors.

    Quiche Teas (link)

    A new merchant dropshipping Taishunhe (a Taizhong based pu’erh merchant) and some boutique teas. The markups are low so the prices are quite good if you know what you want. Taishunhe is good for mostly Taiwanese stored factory tea and there’s now a portion of the site that has more boutique teas, primarily Chenyuan Hao. In general Quiche Teas cover the whole spectrum of budget friendly tea to more expensive offerings. Like TWL, no samples.

    The Jade Leaf (link)

    Ran by Taipei based potter, Emilio Del Pozo. The Jade Leaf was originally more of a teaware and Taiwanese oolong hub but has gradually ventured out into selling a wide variety of pu’erh. Sells a lot of Taiwanese boutiques (BYH, CYH, YYT) as well as factory tea with Taiwanese storage. One big advantage over TWL or Quiche is The Jade Leaf sells samples.

    Teapals (link)

    Malaysia based vendor who sells mostly semi-aged Chenyuan Hao but also some other semi-aged pu’erh. No samples and a relatively small selection.

    Xizi Hao (link)

    Tainan based boutique vendor, that has always been somewhat popular in the west. XZH was originally brought to the west by Houde about two decades ago and have started selling online. XZH is usually on the pricier side of pu’erh.

    The Guide to Puerh Tea (link)

    Thai based collector who sells mostly older, expensive pu’erh and heicha.

    North America Based Vendors

    Since pu’erh is not grown in North America, these vendors will be hit unevenly by tariffs depending on how their supply chain is setup. A place like Yunnan Sourcing who sources directly from the mainland is far more likely to be impacted than someone like Yangqing Hao, a Taiwanese boutique.

    Yunnan Sourcing US (link)

    Remains one of the largest, widest selections of pu’erh. Fortunately their US site makes them a viable option. These tariffs unfortunately are likely to have a big impact on their ability to restock tea. YS teas are well priced and their selection is huge. They also have several years of producing their own line of raw and ripe pu’erh. For these YS products, the best value is almost always something made in the last couple years. They do annual price hikes around March which can add up after a few years.

    Liquid Proust (link)

    Ohio based vendor who sells a variety of tea, but usually has a very healthy selection of semi-aged pu’erh stored in Taiwan, Malaysia, and Hong Kong. LP has historically sourced from a pretty wide ranges of places, and the selection rotates regularly. He’s a good vendor to subscribe to for his monthly drops, in case there’s something that piques your interest. Because LP’s sources are diverse and not mainland dominant, I’d anticipate small shifts rather than drastic changes.

    Bana Tea (link)

    A curated, often underrated, long running California vendor. Similar to TWL, a very high batting average. There’s a wide range of pu’erh from younger teas to much older ones. Generally their teas are on the higher-end. A handful of their teas offer experiences that are very difficult to find in the west (Evening Fragrant Jade, Kunlu). Bana does sell samples which helps to make some of their higher-end stock accessible. They have close ties to Hong Kong, specifically Best Tea House, so I’m not sure how well they’ll be able to restock.

    Yangqing Hao USA (link)

    US based Yangqing Hao store run by Emmett Guzman. Yangqing Hao is a Tainan based boutique pu’erh label that’s been pressing pu’erh since 2004. Emmett originally started coordinating group buys about a decade ago and his operation eventually grew into being Yang’s distribution partner in the US. Like XZH, YQH generally sells higher-end products and while they initially focused on Yiwu tea in the mid 2000s, YQH has pressed tea from all over Yunnan. Unlike YS or Bana their connections are entirely Taiwan-based, so they should have less issues restocking.

    The Steeping Room (link)

    A Texas based reseller of a variety of popular Asian based vendors. They source regularly from Taishunhe and Yee On. The Steeping Room sells samples and their markups are generally reasonable making them a good, accessible choice to try and sample teas. Their ability to restock from Hong Kong, might be restricted.

    Chensheng Hao (link)

    A well known mainland pu’erh producer that lies somewhere between factory and boutique. CSH was created in 2008 and most of their tea is sourced from Menghai area, with a lot of Banzhang productions. They famously signed a contract to monopolize LBZ tea in 2008. CSH does also press some Yiwu tea and make a number of regular blends (Bawang/Emperor, Yihao). While they are mostly mainland focused they do have an outlet in Canada. CSH regularly raise prices on older stock so most of their better value tea are younger.

    Crimson Lotus Tea (link)

    Washington-state based vendor who presses their own tea. Although they have their footprints in the mainland, they keep a good sized stock state-side so they should be able to sell for a while before running out.

    Hou De Fine Tea (link)

    Long running Houston based vendor with Taiwanese ties. They sell a variety of mostly US stored factory teas and Taiwanese boutiques (XZH, YQH, CGHT) from the 2000s. They don’t restock their shelves often, but because they’re old players in the game they have teas that are not commonly available when they do.

    NWPuerh (link)

    Idaho-based collector who ended up with nearly 5,000 cakes of pu’erh!

    Yunnan Sourcing Xiangming

    European Based Vendors

    Tea Encounter (link)

    UK-Based pu’erh vendor selling mostly tea from the 2010s and 2020s, with a focus on Zhensilong productions as well as Tea Encounter’s own commissions. Both ZSL and Tea Encounter productions tend to be Yiwu focused and have drier storage.

    Pu-Erh.sk (link)

    Long running Slovakian vendor that sometimes presses their own tea, but also carries a decent stock of tea from the 2000s and 2010s.

    Puerh Guy (link)

    Newish UK based vendor who sources tea from a wide range of sources from Taiwan, Malaysia and mainland China. Puerh Guy sells a lot of boutique as well as some factory tea. Boutiques include CYH, BYH, XZH, YQH, YYT, BHYJ, etc. A lot of overlap with Teaswelike, Liquid Proust, and Puerh.uk. Most of the tea is semi-aged, ranging from 2000s to 2010s.

    Puerh.uk (link)

    Sells a range of younger boutiques to older more anonymous aged pu’erh. Mostly Taiwan and Malaysian stored tea. A particular emphasis on CYH. They also run the official Chenyuan Hao distribution for the west.

    Moychay (link)

    Russian/Dutch vendor that used to be compared regularly with Yunnan Sourcing. Their selection isn’t as big as YS anymore, but they do still sell some pu’erh.

    My Top Picks

    It is very difficult to go wrong with Teas We Like. The other two Taiwanese based vendors (Quiche and The Jade Leaf) also would be amongst my top recommendations. Not to be mercenary, but many vendors sell a lot of the same boutiques, so you can shop around if you want something specific. A place like Yunnan Sourcing remains good for stocking a variety of teas while LP is definitely amongst the most interesting domestic US vendors. For the tea type that will probably become somewhat harder to find (young pu’erh) you can still go to places like Yunnan Sourcing US, Crimson Lotus Tea, and Tea Encounter.

  • Five Things I Like & Dislike, Prepackaged Tea Sizes, Inexpensive Dayi, Mattcha, etc.

    A reboot of five things I like & dislike. (more…)

  • 2005 Nanqiao Bulang Double Lions Teas We Like Raw Pu’erh [Episode 346]

    This episode, Denny and I drink one of the most powerful teas we’ve brought onto the show, the 2005 Nanqiao Bulang Double Lions. The tea has been stored very well in Malaysia and packs strength powerful enough that indicates it could be aged for another 15 years!

    https://teaswelike.com/

  • 2005 Chenyuan Hao Shanzhong Chuanqi Raw Pu’erh [Inbetweenisode 213]

    In this episode, I give the 2005 Chenyuan Hao Shanzhong Chuanqi another go. This is a six famous mountains blend I’ve sampled a few times and each time my own impression of the tea has shifted. The tea is dark, strong, with an undercurrent of energy. Thank you to Marco and the folks over at Teas We Like for sending another sample my way.

    Rating: 7.3

    https://teaswelike.com/

    Previous Episode.

  • 2019 Biyun Hao Yiwu Huangshan Raw Pu’erh [Episode 339]

    We drink a very high-quality, small-production Yiwu tea. The tea is made by Biyun Hao a Taizhong based pu’erh vendor. Unfortunately this tea is not available but a few are.

    Thank you to the folks over at Teas We Like for providing the tea. You can check out TWL for other BYH products.

    https://teaswelike.com/

  • 2001 Menghai Tea Factory 7432 Raw Pu’erh, Traditionally Stored via TWL [Episode 305]

    This episode, Denny and I drink a traditionally stored tea from Menghai Tea Factory, the 7432. No that is not a typo. This is a recipe that isn’t frequently produced, but the tea is quite legit. It is traditionally stored but overall quite clean. Would make a great introduction for anyone curious about this sort of storage. Sample provided by Marco at Teas We Like. Thank you Marco!

    https://teaswelike.com/product/2001-m…

    https://teaswelike.com/