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I was looking through my cupboard/s trying to decide on a brew to wake me up, and this stuck out to me. I was trying to decide between this or a 2008 Bulang. This won for some reason. I could just taste the sweet liquor and it just sounded “thirst quenching”. So, into the gaiwan these little guys went. I always loved the look of Yaboa. They are so alien looking. These buds give off a strong hay and wheaty scent. I washed them once and prepared for brewing. The liquor is so clear; it’s as if I’m drinking the hot spring water. I give the steeped little buds a scent and pick up that iconic hot hay. I can hint at some fruit notes in the background and just a pleasant dryness, like steel cut oats. The liquor deepens to a slight golden, but it remains translucent. The taste is juicy! This brew instantly hits my taste buds with an oily sweetness. This is exactly what I needed to get my morning started. The nectar succulence mixes well with the light woodiness and brings my spirit up as it quenchs my thirst. I really enjoy Yabao. Every time I brew some up I recall the first time I discovered this peculiar “Puerh”. I was always fascinated by the colour of the tea. I think that is my favorite part of this brew. I was able to steep this for quite some time before I had to go to work. I love that this brew is so durable; I was able to leave in the gaiwan and still yield a sweet and smooth drink. This is a good Yabao offering, and I’m glad I rediscovered it.

https://www.instagram.com/p/_EpzYYzGYI/?taken-by=haveteawilltravel

https://www.instagram.com/p/_EqIfIzGY0/?taken-by=haveteawilltravel

This is a nice unique take on the classic DHP. I’m always on the lookout for quality DHP, for there are so many sub-pars out there. However, this was unique and not nearly as roasted as most DHP. I opened the package and revealed some mostly green twisted knots with some darkened spots. I poured these grassy leaves into my Cha He and gave them a whiff. They gave off a light mineral and oak scent. I was picking up some faint roast with grassy tones of ivy. Lastly, I noted some crisp sweetness that lingered in the background. I poured a generous amount in my warmed gaiwan and gave it a shake. The warmed leaves was such a peculiar scent. The leaves gave off this warm buttered squash aroma, along with a light roast. This was such a new and delicious scent! I washed the leaves once and prepared for brewing. The steeped leaves aroma spread in so many different directions. I was picking up warm butternut squash, crisp grassy tones, smooth coconut water, and sweet nectar. This was an extremely aromatic brew. The flavor began as slightly herbaceous and sweet. I was picking up some faint barley and oak. The brew carried a full body with a lot of flavor. The taste was smooth and lasting with a lingering sweetness in the aftertaste. The leaves give the mouth a heavy oily feeling. This brew has a very nice warming qi that circulates throughout the body. I noted some astringency present in later steeping that complimented some pleasantly sour tones. This DHP has a lot of mouth feeling and tongue action. This is a brilliant combination of greener more luscious tones that blend well with the roasted yet sweet flavors. Personally, this is a very nice DHP and is quite a unique take on such a typically roasted brew.

https://www.instagram.com/p/-9MsPkzGUU/?taken-by=haveteawilltravel

I was skeptical about this tea, for I thought it was solely for a collector’s item. However, I decided to not judge a book by its cover (or a tea by its nei fei) and give it a shot. Regrettably, I immediately caught the scent of cigarette smoke from the warmed leaves. The steeped leaves gave off the scent as well. I disregarded this scent and did not let it influence the review. The taste is actually very good. The initial sip is sweet and smooth. I detected a very slight bitterness in the brew. I was picking up notes of honey, grass, nectar, and honeysuckle. This was a nice smooth daily drinker. The huigan was pretty thick and lasted well after brewing. The qi was spectacular. I had already has some puerh previous, so I was beginning to double stack the qi. Needless to say, I needed to take a break from the tea session. This gives a nice a chest warming feeling and a stimulating head buzzing. I really liked this tea, and I’m glad that I got some. The taste is smooth and steady, and the qi is nice day starter.

https://www.instagram.com/p/-7HOfhTGeS/?taken-by=haveteawilltravel

Awesome, I’m first to review!

I pulled this from storage and gave the jar a whiff. I was picking up some pine wood, leather, tobacco, and an oddly placed bitter greens. This is the youngest that I’ve had from YQH. I placed a few good sized chunks of these beautiful leaves in my warmed jianshui. The leaves are nicely compressed and very dark. I can spot large leaves and some stems with some golden strands. I opened the lid and took a whiff. This warmed scent fits the profile of the aged sheng with aroma of pipe tobacco. I was also picking up some smoke and a little menthol in the background. I washed the leaves once and prepared for brewing. The steeped leaves scent began as tobacco and leather with a slight oatmeal and maybe plum background. However, the scent completely changed by only the second steeping. The scent became sweeter, and there was an odd sour green fruit scent, perhaps kiwi or maybe a slight lime. The taste was phenomenal! The brew touches the tongue and immediately covers the senses. The brew gives a full mouth-feel with a salivating sensation. The brew has a slight wood taste with a sourness in the background. I could already feel the huigan building up after the first sip. The brew flips and becomes prominently more woody and with a drying sensation at the second steep. Then, the brew flips back again at the third steeping by becoming intensely sweet. The brew begins with a powerful stevia sweetness and moves back into a slight sour wood taste. The huigan returns and takes a hold of the aftertaste. From this point on, the brew follows a circular pattern. The sip would begin with a stevia sweetness, then move into a sappy texture of maple wood, next it would transit into a sour leather tone, and finally it would end back at the stevia sweetness. This was a very complex brew. I was amazed at the transitioning of the various taste profiles. The brew begins to give off a numbing feeling in the later steeping sessions, and this feeling continues to grow. The qi for this brew is something else. This is a knock you on your @$$ brew. I should have eaten before beginning the session. The feeling begins in the forehead with some warming and flows throughout the body. I’m used to this feeling, so I continued drinking. Then, about half way through the session, I took a gulp and I was floored. I had to step away and eat a snack while I recovered. I returned to the tea table with a rejuvenated feeling as my body adjusted. I experienced a lot of blood flowing, sweating, hair prickling, and a wavy head feeling. This tea is something special, and it may be one of my favorites from YGH. I have some more of this, and I’m going to keep it in storage (hopefully). I’d love to see how this develops at the decade mark.

https://www.instagram.com/p/-yxVRpTGdw/?taken-by=haveteawilltravel

I couldn’t find too much information on this tea, so please forgive my blank tea page. I opened up my jar and gave this a whiff. This tea has a very typical aged scent. This brick consists of some heavily compressed dark leaves with some massive stems. Also, i’m noting some prominent gold strands within the cake. The leaves give off that aged and decayed wood scent; it’s a very dark and heavy scent. I placed these inside my warmed jianshui and gave it a shake. The scent opened into a fermented fruit and an antiquated aroma. This tea just speaks old,which is unusual, for it isn’t that old. I washed the leaves twice and prepared for brewing. The steeped leaves livened up to a eucalyptus, leather, spice, and a brief tobacco scent. The taste was somewhat pungent. The flavor begins with a dry sour leather tone. This bright orange liquor gives tongue numbing and some tannin tastes. The drying sensation and leather tones keep the tongue alert and the senses stimulated. The sweetness comes about by the fourth steeping and appear as burnt sugar and are only brief. There is no prescient huigan until much later in steeping. This brew is very sharp and strong. However, the drink soon curbs and becomes more easier to sip in later steeping. The sharp and pungent tones become softer and juicer. The brew begins yielding a thirst quenching experience by the sixth. The huigan begins to build up by the seventh steeping and slowly drips off with warm caramel and burnt sugar. Moreover, the tannin tone is still prescient throughout the entire session and quickly erases any sweet tones by wiping the palette clean. The qi begins rather quickly and starts as a wavy head feeling. This qi mostly stays within the head and slowly circulates throughout the body. The qi vanished by the end of the session and did not reappear. This offering is a nice experience, but is a little too burly for my tastes. I enjoyed my session, but this is not my personal preference. I still have some more of this, so I will see what some extra storage will do. I need a tea with more body, huigan, and a much more prominent qi.

https://www.instagram.com/p/-rLGw3zGcp/?taken-by=haveteawilltravel

This is an interesting tea, for this is the only ounce of this tea. I picked this up without any knowledge of it, and I decided to be a little adventurous. I messaged the owner for help with brewing and gave it a shot. The dry leaves are a black assortment of leaves, and they give off the perfect scent. This tea is meant for winter. The intense aroma of campfire,barbecue, clove, char, and some slight fruit waft from these leaves. I placed a bunch in my teapot and brewed away. The steeped leaves become much more smoky and carry a slightly sweet aroma. The taste is warming and cozy. The flavor begins with a nice smoke and takes a hold of the taste buds. The brew then moves into some caramel and a burnt sugar sweetness. This brew ends with a spicy lingering the background. You can notice a minor chocolate tone that lifts from the leaves after brewing. The second steep leads to a smoked oak wood flavor. The brew kinda falls off after two steeps. I would use this as an on the go camping tea. The leaves are incredibly durable, for you can leave these in the pot for a long time without any bitterness. I’m excited to take this on my hikes to warm me up on cold nights. This tea is my new go to during the frosty mornings. Also, this tea just looks like Christmas; rather, a more wild woodsman Christmas. I’m glad I discovered this hidden gem, and I’m unsure why so little has been created. Personally, I see this as another win among many from this company. However, this is not their best offering; although, it still qualifies as a quick one steep treat.

https://www.instagram.com/p/-b7u28zGYz/?taken-by=haveteawilltravel

Awesome, I’m the first to review!

This tea is fantastic! This is everything I’m looking for in an aged oolong. The dry nuggets are still relatively green with some brown and yellow. I open up my jar, and I take in the nice fig and apricot tone. I was picking up some light wood in the background. I placed these in my warmed gaiwan and shook them up. The warmed leaf gave off a delicious honey covered figs aroma. I was picking up some sweet apricot and oats in the background. This tea is very fruity and syrupy. I washed the leaves once and prepared for brewing. The steeped leaves deepen to a sharper scent of smoked fruit and plums. The taste was phenomenal! This brew is the ideal golden liquor that has a powerful mouthfeel. My taste buds were struck with a potent wildflower honey and ripe apricot flavor. The flavor ends with an intense aftertaste. The brew carries a graham cracker sweetness in the background. The tea grows a little more roasted and bitter in later steeping sessions. The huigan continues throughout the entire session. This sensation is thick, syrupy, and a mouthwatering honey sweetness. The brew has a prescient bitterness that shows up in the later steeping. This bitterness clears the palette for a nice sweet aftertaste to follow.The final steeping reverts back to winter honey and slight grassy tones. This drink lasted me for some time, and the leaves are fairly durable. The qi is a exhilarating head buzzing and heart warming. The sweet taste lasts long after the session, and I expect to have this aftertaste all the way through today. I will definitely be picking more of this up, and I’m so happy to have found an adequate aged oolong.

https://www.instagram.com/p/-o2qGuTGRX/?taken-by=haveteawilltravel

Edit: Just found out this is sold out… facepalm

I’m starting to pull out all the good stuff from storage, and this was on the list. I’m going to be getting a little more of this, so I decided to try this, so I know what I’ll be getting. The leaves are massive, dark, and I can spot some lengthy stems. They carry a dry wood and some spicy aroma. I warmed up my jianshui and placed them inside. I gave the pot a shake and took in this unique aroma. The scent was very light and subtle. I was picking up some slight fruit mixed with tobacco. The background scents were of decayed wood and some peat moss. The aromas were so subtle that I had to sit for a bit and try to pick them up. I washed the leaves once and prepared for brewing. The steeped leaves gave off some much more prominent notes of tobacco, leather, fruit, and some cherry wood. The first taste was intense, yet it was also incredibly light bodied. The initial sip was syrupy sweet and juicy with some underlying oak tone. The brew gave a gummy feeling in the mouth. The brew develops to a maple candy succulency (east coast people and Canadians might know about these candies). The aftertaste consists of a brown sugar sweetness. I detected no astringency in the brew, and I only tasted a very slight bitterness. I pushed the brew after a little bit to try and extract some more intense flavors. The brew was a nice bright orange, and I was getting more leather tastes in the later steeping sessions. The sweet tones faded for most of the session and were replaced by maple wood and leather. The taste also drift towards the pleasant sour side. However, in the final steeping session, the brew came back with a sugarcane sweetness mixed with the maple wood. The huigan is very delayed, but is extremely thick. The back of my throat had nice maple syrup taste that followed after the session was finished. The leaves are mostly intact and massive. The qi is not all that powerful, but it is intensely warming. I had to change out of my sweater in the middle of session, for I began to feel like a furnace. This is a very nice tea, but isn’t my favorite offering from YGH. I think this needs a little more storage, but it’s still really tasty.

https://www.instagram.com/p/-ojCjWzGQf/?taken-by=haveteawilltravel

I decided to bust this out from storage for the after Thanksgiving celebration. The dry cake has some massive dark leaves. They carry a dry camphor and pipe tobacco. I placed a good sized chunk in my warmed Jianshui and gave it a shake. The pipe tobacco scent deepened and notes of pine resin and wet wood came up. I washed the leaves once and prepared for brewing. The steeped leaves gave off a whiskey, menthol, dark wood, and pipe tobacco scent. The liquor was a deep dark bronze. The taste was fantastic! This is a beautiful tea. The leaves are massive and whole and yield a delicious brew. The flavor is very slight and tasteful. The prominent notes of pipe tobacco, leather, and an underlying sweetness follow the drinker throughout the entire session. The leaves are unbelievably durable! I was able to pull over fifteen long steeping sessions. The taste is not a full heavy body, but its light, airy, and smooth. The best part about this brew is the qi. It is so good! The qi begins quickly within the first couple steeps. The feeling begins with a warming body and a nice head buzz. This feeling follows throughout the entire body and gets you zinging. My eyes blurred, and I became very talkative. This brew makes my body and mind feel really good and happy. I loved the feeling I received from this incredible session. I didn’t notice any huigan and zero astringency. This would make a perfect tea to serve to guests and get a gathering talking. I really like this, and I will definitely be sharing some with my guests.

https://www.instagram.com/p/-mFdFOzGbd/?taken-by=haveteawilltravel

I was excited when I heard all the talk about this cake. Once it arrived I tucked it away in storage for a couple weeks before busting it out for steeping. The cake is an array of loosely compressed maocha with long strands. You can identify the older material blended well with the fresh stuff. The cake is not heavily aromatic, but you can pick up a distinct sweet fragrance with some light herbaceous tones. I broke off a decent chunk and prepared for brewing. After placing the picked amount in my warmed yixing I gave them a shake. The scent deepens to a much sweeter tone. I was picking up nice warm honey, nectar, and possibly some wildflowers. The sensation was so sweet and tangy. I washed the leaves once and prepared for brewing. The scent completely changed in the steeped leaves. I was picking up more sharper notes such as; bitter greens, wet wood, and moss. However, I was also picking up a sweet apricot tone in the background. The taste began slightly askew. The brew had a full mouthfeel with soothing qualities, yet it was lacking in flavor. I pushed this aside as a needed “second wash”. The second steeping was much more appeasing. I was picking up that same sweet and tangy tone. The apricot tones were much more prominent and they were followed with a pleasant drying sensation. The qi was quickly felt in the session by originating in the temples and following to the eyes. I was experiencing a nice eye fluttering by the third steeping. The qi is very cooling and an almost airy feeling; its very uplifting. The brew is not that sweet afterwards. I was experiencing bitter qualities shortly into steeping. The kuwei was nice and peppery and helped keep the tongue alert. The light honey tone followed and helped soothe the bitter sensations. The huigan was extremely delayed, but it was well worth the wait. The huigan was a light wild blossom honey flavor, and it was fairly thick. The sweetness was lasting and followed throughout the session. The later steeping sessions include a peppery bitterness, light amber colored liquor, and a nice pleasant sugarcane sweetness. The brew lasted for some time and is very durable with multiple longer steeping. I enjoyed this, and I’m glad that I have so much of it. This is a good daily drinker, but it won’t make it to my top puerhs.

I will take more notes after a few months in storage.

Also, I felt compelled to take a lot of photos. This tea is more photogenic than most things ;)

https://www.instagram.com/p/-RYjfmTGQA/?taken-by=haveteawilltravel

https://www.instagram.com/p/-RjkKEzGU_/?taken-by=haveteawilltravel

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