Xiaohusai Ancient Tree - Personal Favorite

Tea Grade: Ancient Tree

Year sampled: 2025

This tea is really one of my personal favorites. There is an initial bitterness that fades after 1-2 seconds and you are left with sweetness and fragance. I found that there is complexity after a while and you get to enjoy the journey of the subtle flavors that come out. I tried brewing it different styles, so if you try kung fu style, it’s on the light side and very easy to drink. I’ve also tried “grandpa” style and it you definitely feel the bitterness but it’s not overpowering and does fade. I personally don’t mind / perfer some some bitterness, so it’s really up to personal tastes. What I really enjoy is the lasting sweetness that can make an afternoon more enjoyable. There is also very strong “Cha Qi” where this tea really wakes me up. I made the mistake of drinking it after 9pm and this tea definitely kept me up longer than I wanted, hence I only really drink this in the afternoons.

There is a reasonable amount of astringency, and it’s noticable after 3-4 cups where my tougue feels drier. It’s not uncomfortable but definitely noticable. Being a younger tea, this is expected and could improve with age. It’s more noticable than other regions such as bingdao I’ve tried from the same year.