The second edition of the 'Tian Xiang' cake is made from a selection of natural tea gardens from Jingmai Mountain. Each year, we research about the characteristics of each tea garden and some spots give teas with special traits. This cake was made from natural tea gardens located close to the ancient tea gardens and another group of gardens remotely located halfway between Mangjing and Jingmai. Because of their history and the current agricultural practices, these gardens make a tea of superior qualilty, featuring a thicker soup and more complex fragrance.
This tea was processed in a wok, in the same way as the Miyun cakes, but the raw material differs. The tea features a complex floral fragrance, with hints of tropical fruits. The soup is thicker and Huigan deeper than in the Miyun cake.
In terms of quality, this tea is a good middle ground between the basic natural tea gardens tea and the more expensive teas grown in the ancient tea gardens.
Francesco
Excellent price/quality for a luxury daily drinker
Thai broth, boiled vegetables, savoury, umami, chinese cabbage and shitake, mild dried fruit, dense, oily, slightly astringent, slightly flowery (yellow).
Seems less fragrant than the 2017 batch (comparing the two respectively at the same age). Perhaps a sligthly redder sha qing for the 2018? I feel like the tian xiang gives its best with a greener cooking for enhanced fragrance, and I'll keep the older trees for aging.. but delicious anyway!
ccrtea
Excellence in assamica
This is a wonderful cake of amazingly processed pu'er tea. This is a very clean tea, as I've come to expect from Farmer-Leaf productions. There's no off notes, no smoke, just pure assamica goodness. It has a strong and pleasant aroma that lasts throughout the session and sticks to your palate even after the session is done. The aroma is somewhat nutty with deliciously pungent vegetal notes. The medium body is easy to gulp down, and carries a smooth flavor with only a touch of bitterness. Great feels. This is a lovely tea that I have to restrain myself from drinking too quickly!
Stratton Wills
Exceeded Expectations
One of my favorite Jingmai teas from Farmer Leaf! Medium body with a pretty solid Jingmai Huigan. Cha Qi is quite soothing with this tea. Fragrance quite straightforward. Definitely a step up from the 2017 Tian Jian production! Would definitely recommend to someone who wants a quality Jingmai tea without having to spend the money for the Gulan version.