Reviews
Hidden Orchid
"Everything about this tea is interesting, from the label, to its origin, processing, and aging. To me, it is reminiscent of an elevated factory cake. There's a familiar aroma and taste of Xiaguan, but much more complex and dynamic and the mouthfeel is thick, with little roughness. It brews up quite light for a 2002 cake stored partially in Jinghong and is more reminiscent of dry-aged cakes ten years younger than wettish stored cakes of the early 2000's. The processing reminds me of Xiaguan a bit, with a little smoke that recedes after 5 or so steeps to reveal deep forest aromas of camphor trees, incense, and maybe even orchid. The qi is a bit heady and strong, all of which makes me think that this cake is a blend of maybe some older and younger tree material, processed traditionally, and aged a bit in the humidity but possibly longer in a dry environment. I'm just guessing of course, which is part of the fun with a farmer cake like this. If it had a 2002 Xiaguan label on it, I'd believe it and think "this is the best early 2000's Xiaguan I've tried"."
— JJ (5/5)
It‘s nice
"I ordered a 25g sample of that. Very interesting and complex taste and I enjoyed drinking it but generally I did not like it as much as to purchase a whole cake. Gaiwan: 5g, 100ml, 95oC, 20sec wash, 10sec + 10sec, up to 12 times 1st: smoked meat and grilled mushrooms?!, 2nd: smoked salmon with sweet aftertaste, 3rd: roasted root vegetables, 4th: same, 5th: same with some bitterness, 6th: same but no bitterness, 7th: same but sweet, 8th: same but a bit mellowed, 9th: same, 10th: same, 11th: same, mellowed more, 12th: only some mild sweetness"
— Niya D. (3/5)
Notes of leather and old library, this is a wonderful tea!
"I started with a sample and had to buy the full cake, this one is a real knockout in my book."
— Scott M. (5/5)
Рекомендую. Цікавий , солодкий ,
"Рекомендую. Цікавий , солодкий , насичений смак."
— Володимир Г. (5/5)
Excellent tea!
"Very flavorful with many layers."
— jen h. (5/5)
A real gem
"The first three infusions are sweet, refreshing, mellow. Well aged, really good for drinking. The fourth and subsequent infusions start to kick in with some notes of smoked, lightly roasted coffee bean, followed by an immediate sensation of nice liquid honey."
— Jason (5/5)
Great selection
"Great selection and fast shipping. Would appreciate a little less (plastic) packaging though!"
— Dmitry F. (4/5)
Loud
"This tea is has opinions. Outspoken in all ways, it is intensely aromatic, bitter, smokey, sweet, thick, and strong. It is a blast to brew and drink. It's not subtle and can be a bit like a being in a roomful of loud people all talking at once. It is nevertheless very entertaining and it brews for ages. I bought a cake and am considering adding another to my next order. If this tea still has so much to say after 20 years of aging I'd love to hear it in another 10, once it has mellowed out a bit."
— JPSF (5/5)
Bon thé bien équilibré avec un côté fumé
"Un bon thé malgré qu'il ait un gout fumé assez prononcé. Plutôt riche (derrière le côté fumé, il y a une complexité intéressante), goulayant (même avec une infusion assez longue, l'astringeance est limitée), assez robuste (5 bonnes infusions sans fatiguer le thé). Je l'aime bien"
— Imad I. (4/5)
