u/Massive-Garlic6744

Boar bristle rotary brush. Great effects, but is it cheating or not?

An amazing tea that I got from a very good
friend. Dry tea leaves have a light caramel aroma and have undergone decent roasting (not too strong). Tea soup is thick, has a light cassia barl taste and beautiful fresh finish that reminds of unripe plum.

This green tea is a really different animal! HUGE, long, lancet-like leaves with a fresh green color. Dry tea aroma has a lot of grass, but wet leaves smell of light chestnut. Tea soup is golden green, no bitternes or astringency, with 2nd and 3rd steeps revealing its true character: fava beans, chestnut and an orchid/floral finish. A good friend who know his tea, mentioned that this actually might be the TaipingBuyi and not TaipingHoukui, as the edges of tea leaves are serrated. This particular batch wasn't of superlative quality but it was a fun experience. Did the first steep grandpa style, but continued with my trusted gaiwan.

A different looking Oriental Beauty from Taiwan. This tea is also call Emperor's Concubine - insect-bitten oolong. Dry leaves have a faint vegetal aroma with some flowers. Wet leaves reveal the taste of the tea soup - lots of strong orchid flowers, peach and sweetness, with a fresh finish. The color of the tea soup is amazing - amber red. This tea smacks you on the head the moment you take the first sip. In a good way, of course! My Pixiu loved it, too!

A TaiHu rock. But is it real?

But a thing if beauty nevertheless. The "stone" is made of Yixing clay.

Not a teapot but a thing of beauty. Made of Yixing clay.

What a Rock Tea! One of the best Yan Cha varietals so far. Dry leaves give herbal and ligjt roasted aroma. Tea soup is viscous and pleasant on the tongue. Less minerals that some other 4 famous bushes that I tried, but instead I got a lot of herbs (like a Chinese traditional medicine shop!), some dark chocolate and a very clean and fresh finish. Not at all, what I expected, knowing that WuYi Star gives this tea a heavy roast.

Wuyi Star’s Zhenyan laocong shuixian, their ¥6,000/jin tie. Arom is real wood + moss. Sweetness in later steeps. Amazing rock rythm.

The color change is nice, but after 5 months of playing and brushing these two feel very smooth. Like polished stone!

MoPan or Millstone. Maybe my faborite type of wenwan walnuts. Very nice on the hamd and chanjng color fast.

I decided to experiment a little today. I used Tie GuanYin to brew tea in two different teapots. Used the same tea, same tea to water ratio of 1:15, same water temperature of 93C, same steeping times. Smell of dry and infused tea was the same in both. The taste of the tea soup from my 80ml silver teapot was below par, with seaweed coming through, with a curious absence of the orchid scent. No sweet aftertatse. In my 120ml clay teapot the flavor profiles were totally different - a little seaweed and a lot of orchid, and with better extracted tannins, there was some sweetnes as an aftertaste. The winner is in the second photo!

Pelo que entendi são da dinastia Ming mas não sei de que século são nem o valor neste estado. Uma delas tem uma esbeicadela e a outra falta a tampa.

Dayuling oolong from Nanotu County in Taiwan (grown at 2200m above sea). Dry leaves have a seaweed aroma, that changes to orchid after the first steep. Tea soup is clear and pale yellow with an exciting aroma of orchids, and hints of chestnut. The taste is extraordinary, and shows flowers/orchid, chestnut and sweet potato. The mouthfeel of this tea is full, smooth and thick. Dried persimmons are a special treat from Xi'an!

Photos are not best, but would appreciate feedback on this cup.

Pre-QingMing 2026 LongJing. Nutty, fresh and pleasantly astringent.

A high-altitude, roasted Taiwanese oolong. Dry leaves have a seaweed aroma with a very light hint of charcoal. Wet leaves keep the seaweed aroma but with flowery notes. Tea soup is clear, yellow-golden color with a fresh subtle floral taste. The latter becomes stronger as an aftertaste, with some added sweetness.

My Si Zuo Lou or 4 Buildings or 4 Towers. One tennis elbow, sore shoulder and tendonitis. But they are shiny!

I recently visited the Shennongjia Forest District and got hold of this beautiful green tea. This the pre-Qin Ming harvest, bud and 1 leaf. Dry tea leves have seaweed aroma and are processed diffeently than LongJing. Wet tea has the same seaweed aroma, with a hint of flowers and strong chestnut. Tea soup is pale green-yellow and clear, full mouth, with a chestnut flavor and a pleasant astringency. Its aftertaste is a little sweet. BTW, Shennog is the mythical emperor who discovered tea in China!