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Seduced by the glowing reviews of derk, beerandbeancurd, and Leafhopper, I ordered A Different Eighteen (and a couple other teas) from Song. I was already prejudiced in favor of this tea by my prior experience ten years ago with a gifted sample of the Ruby 18 tea from Nantou county that was brought back from Taiwan by a colleague. We were told only “this is the best tea in the World.” It was that tea which initiated my 21st century return to tea-drinking (after years of coffee), and which ultimately led to my joining the Steepster community.

So I happily indulged in a purchase, despite a tea cabinet bulging with recent adventures. My 60g packet is from the June 2024 lot, so can be expected to vary from prior reports. And I certainly have been enjoying it! I steeped 5g leaf in 8oz 205°F alpine spring water (western style in a steel strainer basket) for 60s, successively. And although it’s into dinnertime, I’m unwilling to pollute my taste buds with a meal, lest the tea be less enjoyable. I do not detect any blackcurrent or wintergreen notes at all, but there is plenty of malt, brown sugar, pruny stonefruit, and a nose of malt and mild woodiness. My fifth infusion got away from me and ran just over 4 minutes, producing a beautiful mahogany brew with crystal clarity and not a hint of bitterness or astringency. The flavors are beginning to lighten up, so I’ll stop here. Note that I used almost twice the recommended amount of water in each infusion, but this was not weak tea! I like it as much as the Ruby 18 based “Brandy Oolong” from Tealyra, though this is distinctly a Different Eighteen! So it gets a 95 rating from me. YMMV.

edit 2/28/25: I ran a formal gongfu series across 21 serial 100 ml infusions of 5g leaf in a small porcelain teapot, ranging from 5s to 60s in 205°F water, using a streamlined process and dispensing with the emotional/decorative aspects. The final 18 of those infusions are pictured, starting at top right and going horizontally, to finish at the teapot. I do not doubt that a few more infusions could have been made. These all gave similar flavor profiles and I have nothing further to add from the experience, besides a bit of a caffeine buzz, but it was a worthwhile endeavor!