The 2021 June Old Ways Tea Club came early for me, landing in late May. This club was sent out a bit early due to it containing some fresh Tai Ping Hou Kui. Also in the club is Yu Qilin and a Shui Xian.
2021 Tai Ping Hou Kui from Old Ways Tea Club
I thought I was safe from more green tea this year, but I was not. Thankfully, Tai Ping Hou Kui is the least offense green tea to me (matcha is the exception of course). However, I love Tai Ping Hou Kui for the wild appearance of pressed spinach leaves. The leaves have citrus and grassy scent.
I followed the instructions for once – 3 grams of leaf and 194f / 90c water temperature. As the tea steeps, it released a buttery scent.
The initial sip is buttery artichoke with a bit of fruity tang at the end of the sip. The aftertaste is more vegetal butter with a melted butter lip balm feeling. As Tai Ping Hou Kui steeps, it grows more artichoke in flavor, with some sips having a saltine cracker note.
Overall, this Old Ways Tea club’s Tai Ping Hou Kui is fairly mellow tea and never got particularly bitter or dry. I steeped it for 20 minutes and it just grew more artichoke, a bit minerally, with a little bit of gritty dry texture.
2020 Jiu Jiu Shui Xian
The leaves are peanutty with a hint of peach.
I used 1 gram of leaf per 12.5ml of vessel size, steeped with boiling water and quick gongfu infusions. After infusion, the Shui Xian is a bit more fruity smelling like bruised peaches fruit leather.
Jiu Jiu Shui Xian is fruity – definitely leaning peachy with a couple of bruises and dark twiggy leaves. The leafy green aspect is sharp but is in the background with the nutty peachy woody flavor. The texture is silky and chest-thumping tea to go to a metal concert with. The third infusion was strong sappy wood with concentrated peach skins and finishes with an underripe apricot taste.
By the sixth infusion, the tea lightens to smooth woodsy sandalwood, with some bitter fruit skins in the finish. The final 8th infusion is light, minerally sweet with a bit of astringent wood.
Jiu Jiu Shui Xian is a solid, well roast rested Shui Xian with a strong start and pleasant ending. If I wasn’t awake already, I am certainly now.
2020 Yu Qilin from June Old Ways Tea Club
This Wuyi tea has a deeply rich and roasted scent of chestnuts and peanuts.
I went leaf heavy with a gongfu ratio of 1 gram of leaf per 12.5ml. After a steep, the leaves smell of rum raisin.
Yu Qilin starts off peanutty and boiled cinnamon sticks, with a rum spice hint. As the tea develops it is chest hair growing with strong dark woodsy, rum, black plum, and lit incense. The texture is on the thin side but sticky and snappy in feel. As I drink the tea slaps back also with a chest-thumping and cement brick feeling, like I ate a large plate of food. The aftertaste is a sweet mineral nut that sinks to caramelize plum skins.
As Yu Qilin lightens, it shifts to boiled wood, plums, then bitter peaty incense that my brain fills in the smoke notes. Each steeping gets more bitter and chest punching. The last infusion is lightly woody and mysteriously sweet after all that dark meaty notes. I got around 9 infusions.
Yu Qilin literally slaps you around and perfect for those who are peaty hong and shou drinkers. It is a bit harder to brew as I tried a lighter ratio and it didn’t shine, but my heavy ratio was too heavy and intense, but delicious.
On the topic of slapping, Old Ways Tea club slaps. Every box so far has been awesome!
