Finished off a small Taobao sample of a 2004 Xiaguan FT brick – recommended to me by James of TeaDB. It was a pretty enjoyable session once I got past the first two steeps which, 14 years later, retain plenty of that distinctive smoky/burly quality that young Xiaguan teas often possess. The material was chopped to hell, but excessive compression wasn’t really an issue.
Flavor in the later steeps was nice and woody with some sweetness and a hint of smokiness. Definitely one of the nicer examples of Xiaguan tea that I’ve tried – this and a few others allow me to believe that Xiaguan can age into something pleasant and very drinkable. I don’t think this had particularly humid storage – not enough to come through in the flavor or aroma certainly.
