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I have found these “tribute” tuochas to be fairly nice. They seem to be made from good raw materials. Of the ones I have tried from Xiaguan they carry very little of the “smokiness” that they are usually known for. This brews a light amber in the cup. It has a little bitter bite with some citrus thrown in. It has a very good mouthfeel that you can feel all over. It gives up some sweetness on the end. It is not a terribly strong sheng as I had hoped for a little more punch from it. At least it has stayed true brewing for three days now so it does have some lasting power to it. It is a warming sheng to drink on these cold winter days. I would recommend it if you want a smooth non astringent or smoky offering from Xiaguan.

This is a very nice young sheng. It brews a light golden color and has a almost no astringency and none of the “smokiness” Xiaguans are noted for. It has a very floral aroma after the first “wash” that transfers to the cup when drinking. It has a sweetness to it that most younger shengs do not have. It is very soft on the tongue and drinks very smooth and nice. The floral and sweetness are the two most upfront flavors of this tea. Very nice and soft for a young sheng. Not recommended for an upfront punchy tea but for those who want a soft calming one to drink this is one to try. The mouth feel and easy drinking have me rating this pretty good fo a young sheng.

Had this one late last night. It has some age on it and the tuocha reflects this in the color of the leaf. It brews an amber golden color. Darker than I thought for its age. It still has that smoky “bite” of the Xiaguan teas and comes across with a woody leather taste. I have only done 2 steeps so far and hopefully this will evolve away from the smokiness.

This a very soft Yiwu. It starts out whispering to you when you break the cake. It is not tightly compressed as some of these are and actually has some nice full sized leaves in it and not “chopped” as a lot are. It carries a small touch of the bitter of a young sheng but it is very light. It has a nice floral and citrusy flavor to it that gives a tingle on the sides and tip of the tongue. It holds well through about 9 infusions with the honeyish flavor coming after the third steep. Nice quality cake to be factory made. I think it is apparent that some steps were made to bring this one up a few notches as we say. It gives you that touch of calm and relaxing feeling to it. Nicely done in all categories. Prepared in the Gaiwan 9 grams leaf, 5 second wash before first infusion.

This has a lot of full leaf in it. Not like the “chopped” leaf of some of Dayi’s arbor cakes. compression is about half of usual dayi compression. It has a pleasant bitterness that subsides on later brews. It still has a little punch to it with some light grassy notes. I will be interested to see how this is 5 years from now.

Had this over the course of the last two days. It has been a good cup to come home to after the cold weather. This tea seems to be lightly fermented. It gives an oak type note with sweetness and a touch of bitterness but not in an unpleasant way. I think the high bud count in this will make it sweeter in the future. I don’t quite get the molasses in it but this has been a good tea and it re-steeps very well. A good buy for a younger shou to age. 15 grams in the Yixing started with a 10 second steep and added 5 to each from there. Pretty solid cake.

This is very floral in aroma and wet leaves. It is soft and fruity and very easy to drink with a nice sweetness to it. This is not one of those young shengs that says Bam I am here but a whisper that says I am here to tickle those taste buds. A very nice young sheng. I think a Yunnan Sourcing order is in the near future.