A very nice budget option. Tastes a lot different than a standard “smokey/leather/earthy” shou. It’s got a wonderful almond note accompanied by a bit of sweetness that really keeps you coming back for more. Mouthfeel isn’t crazy thick. Pushing the leaf a little heavier seems to remedy that well. Qi is present (chest/body warmth and calming), however it isn’t a “Qi Bomb” or anything.
Haiwan teas so far have been very interesting to me and worth checking out. I think I read that it was started by one of the guys who was the head of shou production at Dayi, so you’ll get a similar vibe in their teas. A very under looked and underrated tea factory IMO.
Update: Decided to bump my score up by a few points as I’m really enjoying this tea lately. It’s not quite in 90’s territory (that’s reserved for perfection/near perfection) though it is very close. I think if it had a better mouthfeel and better Qi then it would potentially get up there. After letting it rest a further week I’m now noticing that it has a flavor note that’s very similar to the rice milk “Rice Dream”. Which is very,very nostalgic as it’s what I drank as kid. That and that persistent almond note are really great together.
Flavors: Almond, Earth, Hay, Smoke, Sweet, Wood
