标签： Tea Review
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A Tea That Outlived Its Shop — Revisiting a 1998 Anhua Dark Tea
A tea kept for more than ten years, from a shop that has since closed: ten infusions of woody sweetness across two days. Labelled 1998 Anhua dark tea, with the year unverified. Rated 8.0/10.
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紫天饼 8592, Claimed 1980s: Enjoyable, but Not Worth SGD 400
Ten infusions of 紫天饼 8592 (Zi Tian Bing), a ripe (shou) Pu’er, brought herbal woody sweetness and a lingering monk fruit finish. Claimed 1980s; provenance unverified. My verdict: 6.8/10—enjoyable, but not worth SGD 400.
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2021 新益号 金冰岛 (Xin Yi Hao Golden Bingdao)
Eight infusions of 2021 Xin Yi Hao Golden Bingdao: earthiness, herbal sweetness and a silky middle, with a welcome reason to slow down. Personal enjoyment: 6.5/10.
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2024 澜沧古茶 0085 景迈山熟普: Monk Fruit or Paper?
A nine-infusion tasting of 2024 澜沧古茶 0085 景迈山熟普: clean aromas and silky texture give way to medicinal-root bitterness, papery flavour and a drying finish. Provisional rating: 3.8/10.
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Dayi Jin Zhen Bai Lian: A Memory of Monk Fruit
An eleven-infusion Jin Zhen Bai Lian tasting: thick tongue coating, earthy monk fruit, caramel and nutty sweetness, with a childhood memory and a provisional comparison to Dayi 7572.
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2026 Huoshan Huangya 霍山黄芽 — A Different Recipe of Tau Suan
Orchid and warmed edamame give way to a different recipe of tau suan: whole mung beans, bitter skins and increasingly sweet soup across eleven infusions of 2026 Huoshan Huangya.
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An Old Room, a Familiar Scent — A Purported 2002 Banzhang Sheng
A 15-infusion sheng Pu’er tasting: smoked wood, medicinal memories of my grandmother, and a late turn towards vegetal minerality. Provenance unverified.