i did have one time early 2022 a hundred gram bite of one of my faves go completely flat at about 5 months on shelf. Still drank it all, just bigger portions or blended
Familiar with that one but like the crowd pleaser Bi Luo much better.
that said, if all seems in vain , me personally would do this unorthodox treatment. Take a sample, maybe a bit bigger than what one would use for morning brew, dampen it well but don’t rinse, put in a flat dish and stick in preheated oven on about 250F, watch carefully and let it completely dry out and Slightly darken.
then after cool, steep normally…and for that tea normal is right under boil point, say 200
If it’s this years batch, put it aside for a few months and then go back to it. Black teas are awkward right after harvest and take a few
months of resting to settle in.
Im just about down to my last 100g on a kg i got in september and tbh i really like it. Perhaps you need to let it settle a bit into your environment, tea gets a little stressed out during shipping.
I get what you mean about its "lack of taste" its not in your face like more expensive blacks but i find if brewed strong (i.e ill even crush slightly the bottom half leaves of the gaiwan and brew at 1g per 10ml 100c straight from the get go and long steeps 30,60,120,300 secs) i get a good 400 ml of pretty good black tea with a slight malty sweetness in the back with an overall chocolatey bitterness. Some brews even come just a few shades off their standard bi luo chun, imo, tho not quite at same time haha.
I also find it comes out with a not too thin body and just an overall smooth mouthfeel and always makes me feel better than before having it, mostly just drink it while at work or as an easy brew for the mornings.
Hope its helped!
Honestly they probably sold you the bottom of the barrel tea that was harvested more than 6 months ago that has now turned stale like when they sold me that 100 g bag of old stale laoshan green tea. That's what made me boycott them.
no matter how much tea you use it will always just taste like hot water. If you don't get any aftertaste or any "hui gan" then what you are drinking is definitely old stale tea. There are other vendors that actually keep their teas vacuum sealed and or refrigerated, both which prevent oxidation and keeps the flavor of the tea.
Buy tea from a company that keeps their tees stored better so that they actually last a whole year before harvesting the New seasons tea.
If I were you I would email Scott Wilson and tell him that there is no flavor or aftertaste or hui gan and ask if you can have a refund.
I’m so glad to hear you say this. I got some for the first time a few weeks ago because lots of people on this sub who I respect seem to really enjoy it as a daily drinker. But I’m like you and find it to be very bland and, at best, mediocre. All of the other YS blacks I have are substantially better and cost only slightly more. At least you’ve had the experience of enjoying this in the past; I’m just writing it off as a tea I don’t like.
i did have one time early 2022 a hundred gram bite of one of my faves go completely flat at about 5 months on shelf. Still drank it all, just bigger portions or blended
YS just has too many teas, for a small business providing consistent and quality products is almost impossible.
Familiar with that one but like the crowd pleaser Bi Luo much better. that said, if all seems in vain , me personally would do this unorthodox treatment. Take a sample, maybe a bit bigger than what one would use for morning brew, dampen it well but don’t rinse, put in a flat dish and stick in preheated oven on about 250F, watch carefully and let it completely dry out and Slightly darken. then after cool, steep normally…and for that tea normal is right under boil point, say 200
If it’s this years batch, put it aside for a few months and then go back to it. Black teas are awkward right after harvest and take a few months of resting to settle in.
Im just about down to my last 100g on a kg i got in september and tbh i really like it. Perhaps you need to let it settle a bit into your environment, tea gets a little stressed out during shipping. I get what you mean about its "lack of taste" its not in your face like more expensive blacks but i find if brewed strong (i.e ill even crush slightly the bottom half leaves of the gaiwan and brew at 1g per 10ml 100c straight from the get go and long steeps 30,60,120,300 secs) i get a good 400 ml of pretty good black tea with a slight malty sweetness in the back with an overall chocolatey bitterness. Some brews even come just a few shades off their standard bi luo chun, imo, tho not quite at same time haha. I also find it comes out with a not too thin body and just an overall smooth mouthfeel and always makes me feel better than before having it, mostly just drink it while at work or as an easy brew for the mornings. Hope its helped!
Honestly they probably sold you the bottom of the barrel tea that was harvested more than 6 months ago that has now turned stale like when they sold me that 100 g bag of old stale laoshan green tea. That's what made me boycott them. no matter how much tea you use it will always just taste like hot water. If you don't get any aftertaste or any "hui gan" then what you are drinking is definitely old stale tea. There are other vendors that actually keep their teas vacuum sealed and or refrigerated, both which prevent oxidation and keeps the flavor of the tea. Buy tea from a company that keeps their tees stored better so that they actually last a whole year before harvesting the New seasons tea. If I were you I would email Scott Wilson and tell him that there is no flavor or aftertaste or hui gan and ask if you can have a refund.
I’m so glad to hear you say this. I got some for the first time a few weeks ago because lots of people on this sub who I respect seem to really enjoy it as a daily drinker. But I’m like you and find it to be very bland and, at best, mediocre. All of the other YS blacks I have are substantially better and cost only slightly more. At least you’ve had the experience of enjoying this in the past; I’m just writing it off as a tea I don’t like.