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For the low price I was more curious than anything else.

Brewed in a Nixing teapot the leaf delivered a rich soup, the kind I like to have after a meal, not complex but bold and fruity.

Machine pressed but easy to separate.

The 2016 brick of Brown Sugar I received is less compressed than the 2015.

Breaking it up produced small bits which feel dry and brittle, one has to be careful not to create dust.

The soup is dark and very earthy with a little cloudiness which should clear with longer storage. I enjoyed the sweet notes.

I reached for this tea every day so 100g went very quickly.

A Shui Xian oolong which delivered a taste of honey and minerals, nice mouth feels that lasted many infusions.

The 2016 production has sold out but the 2017 will soon arrive.

I enjoyed the cake in 2016 but it didn’t leave any notable impression other than it was a mellow balanced daily drinker at a great price.

The Y.S description says the Nan Jian Tulin is similar to Xiaguan productions in their choice of raw materials, blending and processing techniques.

50g and many cups later.

Just when I thought I’d got the steeping parameters right the next brew would be bitter.

Really this is a note for myself in case I try it again and find the sweet spot.

Brewed this Chinese green tea in a Japanese Mini Shudei Tokoname teapot.

I enjoyed the light oxidization, finding it sweet and refreshing with a hint of chestnuts.

Before I finished the bag I placed another order to take benefit of the freshness of spring greens.

One of my first ripes awhile back, it was an affordable introduction to shu.

As expected in a budget tea it didn’t develop through steeps but there were no nasty surprises either, nothing to turn off a newbie to puerh. :-)

This tea was pleasant but left me feeling ambivalent.

I could taste notes of cocoa and light malt but it was pretty much done around 3 steeps.

I’d hesitated to try smokey tea again after a Lapsang souchong smoke bomb I’d bought on a trip; but after reading the description of Red Star 7542 I got a sample along with a tea ware order.

I gave the tea a rest and when the bag was opened was happy to find the leaf pleasantly smokey and not overwhelming for my taste.

The brewed leaf with water off the boil had a semi sweetness which lasted many steeps. I think if I bought a cake it would be an interesting tea for aging.

Edit: I ordered a cake during their 2017 BF sale.

I had a sample of this tea when I became interested in Shue but didn’t care for it at the time, I forget why.

Since then my tastes have changed so I thought I’d give it another go.

When W2T had a free shipping sale I put a brick of Brown Sugar into the cart. Sure enough this time around I have a different take on this tea. I find it creamy and smooth leaving a sweet mouth feel.

Each day I have filled a houhin teapot and added water off the boil until all flavor is gone. I don’t think about it very much, for me it isn’t that type of tea but it’s very easy to brew and enjoy.

When this brick is gone I have the 2016 to try.