Enjoyable session
"Sample good quality of 2 intact pieces plus a small amount of loose. This tea does not have many intact full size leaves though it is not broken too much for me and it seems there is a higher percentage of buds present as a result of the grading. There wasn't really any dust in my sample and another reviewer had a lot in theirs so likely there is some variation from cake to cake. Overall I'm satisfied with quality of leaf. I found this tea to have a good viscous slightly oily mouthfeel. Decent bitterness with balanced astringency. Opens up slowly and goes plenty of rounds. It's not in awkward phase as of may 2021 and would expect that the iron pressing helps with that. Would expect this tea to keep fresh and lively for some time. Overall a good well rounded tea with excellent value. If you are a fan of heavily compressed teas as I happen to be then I recommend trying this cake."
— J (4/5)
Good value
"The dry leaf smells like gummy bears :D Very sweet and fruity. The sample I received is very compressed, but surprisingly easy to break. After two quick rinses, the sample unfolded to broken leaves, fannings and tea dust. That may explain, why it was so easy to break. The broken leaves appear to be small, however, they look nicely ...deep green, not yellowish. I took that as a good sign. I like that the tea is easy to brew without any bad surprises; based on the last steeping, the next one could be anticipated and controlled quite well by adjusting the steeping time / temperature. I was afraid that the broken leaves would overbrew too quickly - but (using a gaiwan), this was not the case. Also, even though the leaves looked small, the tea does not end quickly nor suddenly. The mouthfeel is a bit dry. The aroma, to me, feels like someone had blended the 2012 Te Ji (the only other Xiaguan I know, so far) with a Jingmai gu shu; partly smoky, pungent, bitter, astringent (depending on how strong it was brewed) - but sweet at the same time. It's a different sweetness, though, than in the fragrance. It smells but does not taste like gummy bears, at least not to me. The taste is more a floral than a juicy sweetness, but maybe that impression is caused by the mouthfeel. Pros: To me this is a very pleasant surprise to experience such a complex, strong or even rough but at the same time sweet taste. It is not boring, it is pungent; I get much out of a session - and most important to me: drinking the tea makes me feel good. Cons: Broken leafs with much fannings and dust; the dust is finer than my sieve; just a visual "issue," to me; Rather dry mouthfeel; not unpleasant, yet, if it was lubricating, and as long lasting as the Yunnan Sourcing Mu Shu, then to me the Xiaguan Banpen would be an "egg-laying wool-milk-sow" (Jack of all Trades) among the teas :D"
— Michael S. (5/5)
