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Tasted this the day after having the 2006. Only the second or third shou I’ve had, take this with a grain of salt. Compared to the ‘06, this one comes off with a little more cherry/fruit/spice/wood on the nose, and I’m getting more of an old book/paper aroma as I exhale after a sip. A very round/earthy tea, very thick and creamy. It’s nice, but a little boring for my taste.

My first or second (I can’t really remember the first, I was too drunk) shou I’ve tasted, so take this with a grain of salt:

Aroma is like shoving your face into a pile of old sweaters at a vintage shop. A stale piece of bittersweet baking chocolate found at the bottom of your grandmother’s leather purse. Someone made pancakes yesterday and left them in the glove box of your ‘64 mustang overnight. There’s a faint hint of earthy floral spice like nutmeg or saffron.

Flavor is mellow, dull, a little sweet, with a vague hint of astringency in later/longer steeps on the finish. Mouthfeel is thick and leaves a sort of chalky sensation, not unlike raw chocolate.

Probably not my go-to style of tea, but I can appreciate it.

Brewed gong fu style in a gaiwan with boiling water. Yuzu forward, as you might expect from a tea stuffed into a yuzu fruit. Longer steeps toward the end of the session are like drinking orange marmalade. Drink it with some citrus flavored cake or gift it to someone who enjoys earl grey and blow their mind. I might drink this every morning if I could.

This is my first time tasting an aged oolong — it’s very comforting. Like putting on a warm blanket and settling in next to the fireplace. Cocoa nib is the dominant flavor, with a nice rounded malty sweetness and just a bit of tartness/astringency on the finish.