95
drank Lichuanhong by One River Tea
1604 tasting notes

2023 harvest

Wonderful hongcha. Pronounced floral rose and cocoa aroma, tannins balanced with taste. Floods the body with warmth. High in caffeine. Like Qimen, I think. Overleafs pretty well if you’re wanting something real viscous. Does just fine with a tiny pinch of leaves. I prefer this tea grandpa style over any other preparation.

Flavors: Cacao, Clean, Cocoa, Coconut Husk, Floral, Geranium, Juicy, Leather, Malt, Malty, Oak, Olives, Osmanthus, Peppercorn, Persimmon, Rose, Smoke, Spicy, Tangy, Tannin, Viscous

Marshall Weber

Have my first order from ORT arriving soon! Just some sheng and dancong samples tho. Are you a pretty big fan of their teas?

derk

It’s funny, I spent almost 4 weeks deep in the mountains outside Enshi city with a few people who run ORT but I only drank a few of their teas while there!

Alex is a part of the Loushuiyan tea collective (where I was staying), so he sells the teas from that collective. They specialize in greens but also make red tea. Those are generally pretty good teas if you like Chinese greens from that region.

The teas from outside the collective, I believe, are mostly sourced by another guy from ORT (I forget his name, never met him – Dylan?). I’ve only had two dancong and one zhengshan xioashang from ORT that were gifted to me by leafhopper. All were mediocre teas to poor quality.

This tea in particular, which is not from the collective, Alex gifted me to take home. Apparently it’s not the highest quality lichuanhong (which is considered a novelty tea in China due to the milkdown effect), but I would never know the difference! It’s a great tea.

Their pressed red tea from Laos was also very good!

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Marshall Weber

Have my first order from ORT arriving soon! Just some sheng and dancong samples tho. Are you a pretty big fan of their teas?

derk

It’s funny, I spent almost 4 weeks deep in the mountains outside Enshi city with a few people who run ORT but I only drank a few of their teas while there!

Alex is a part of the Loushuiyan tea collective (where I was staying), so he sells the teas from that collective. They specialize in greens but also make red tea. Those are generally pretty good teas if you like Chinese greens from that region.

The teas from outside the collective, I believe, are mostly sourced by another guy from ORT (I forget his name, never met him – Dylan?). I’ve only had two dancong and one zhengshan xioashang from ORT that were gifted to me by leafhopper. All were mediocre teas to poor quality.

This tea in particular, which is not from the collective, Alex gifted me to take home. Apparently it’s not the highest quality lichuanhong (which is considered a novelty tea in China due to the milkdown effect), but I would never know the difference! It’s a great tea.

Their pressed red tea from Laos was also very good!

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This place, like the rest of the internet, is dead and overrun with bots. Yet I persist.

Eventual tea farmer. If you are a tea grower, want to grow your own plants or are simply curious, please follow me so we can chat.

I most enjoy loose-leaf, unflavored teas and tisanes. Teabags have their place. Some of my favorite teas have a profound effect on mind and body rather than having a specific flavor profile.

Favorite teas generally come from China (all provinces), Taiwan, India (Nilgiri and Manipur). Frequently enjoyed though less sipped are teas from Georgia, Japan, and Nepal. While I’m not actively on the hunt, a goal of mine is to try tea from every country that makes it available to the North American market. This is to gain a vague understanding of how Camellia sinensis performs in different climates. I realize that borders are arbitrary and some countries are huge with many climates and tea-growing regions.

I’m convinced European countries make the best herbal teas.

Personal Rating Scale:

100-90: A tea I can lose myself into. Something about it makes me slow down and appreciate not only the tea but all of life or a moment in time. If it’s a bagged or herbal tea, it’s of standout quality in comparison to similar items.

89-80: Fits my profile well enough to buy again.

79-70: Not a preferred tea. I might buy more or try a different harvest. Would gladly have a cup if offered.

69-60: Not necessarily a bad tea but one that I won’t buy again. Would have a cup if offered.

59-1: Lacking several elements, strangely clunky, possesses off flavor/aroma/texture or something about it makes me not want to finish.

Unrated: Haven’t made up my mind or some other reason. If it’s puerh, I likely think it needs more age.

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Sonoma County, California, USA

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