2015 Biyun Hao Yibi Tedagushu: Lovely!

I remember when Teas We Like offered the now sold out BiyunHao Vertical Tasting of Yibi.  I was definitely curious.  I remember Marco being fond of the processing and care and overall experience of this Yiwu area which Biyun Hao has a long history.  But I also would have just preferred to simply know what the best Yibi is.  This 2015 Biyan Hao Tedagushu ($255.00 for 360g or $0.71/g cake) was a limited release and sold out fast.  It was billed by Teas We Like as their favorite of all the available Biyun Hao Yibi Gushu productions.

Dry leaves have a woody, almost licorice, and candy odour.

First infusion has a buttery woody creamy almost licorice sweet approach.  The mouthfeel is soft and full fluffy feeling.  The throat opens to an upper-mid depth which causes a bit of salivation in the mouth.  There is a long lingering licorice almost mushroom wood aftertaste.  This is a nice smooth puerh.  The Qi is a very reassuring calm with a bit of Chest sensations.

The second infusion is a creamy sweet woody kind of caramel licorice in a nice oily broth.  The oil leaves and the tongue and what is left a soft chalky sand with saliva pooling in the upper-mid throat.  The aftertaste of almost candy but mainly woody mushroom that is mainly sweet and oily.  The sweet candy lingers on the breath.  The Qi is immediately apparent in the head even a heavy head sensation is left there with deep breaths in the belly and open chest feeling.  There is a fresh coolness in the inhales and exhales along with candy in the upper-mid throat.

The third infusion has a richer woody sweet onset with a slight sandy mouthcoating with an oily broth.  There are notes of licorice and even metallic notes in the initial taste.  You can sense some almost unnoticeable incense tastes as the upper-mid throat is stimulated and an almost woody, mushroom, caramel sweetness is left behind.  The Qi is pretty strong in the mind and makes me feel like I am a bit heavy and hazy here.  Nice mild but quite noticeable body feeling of heavy shoulders and head, open diaphragm and chest.

The fourth infusion has a rich woody almost caramel sweetness the taste is real pure and clear and comes in a somewhat oily broth and as it recedes leaves a fine slight sandy mouthcoating and lips dryness.  The throat is stimulated a bit deeper in the mid throat here where a woody, mushroom, licorice and faint candy really linger.  The sweet woody mushroom long aftertaste is real nice.  So is the Qi that is both strong but relaxing on the body.  It leaves me feeling great with a nice opening body sensation in the Abdomen and Heart with slight heavy shoulder and head.

The 5^th has an almost pear sweeter candy almost caramel initial splash of taste in a mildly oily broth.  There is a sweet candy that overarches the whole profile and is really nice.  The sweetness hangs out in the mid-throat and is long on the breath.  The taste is nice like a mushroom woody a predominately sweet taste.  The mouthfeeling is a sandy, lip drying, feeling that is revealed when the oily broth recedes.  The Qi is nice and happy and deeply refreshing in the mind with opening and heavy mild sensations in the body.

The 6^th has a smooth creamy sweet almost caramel with mushroom and woody complexity to the sweet that is overarching and long.  The tastes really are quite long and stretch deep into the breath.  The taste is really yummy, expansive and long.  Very gushu but also very East Yiwu.  The Qi is really nice with a deep feeling good strong mind feeling with a very harmonious, soothing, strong bodyfeeling of heavy shoulders and limbs with opening chest and Lungs.

The 7^th has a woody mushroom onset with a candy like taste that comes out and expands in the throat.  The liquor here is not really oily anymore so it just coats the mouth in a sandy, lip drying coating and simulates the upper-mid throat a tiny bit enough for a long candy like and mushroom-wood taste.  Again the taste profile is really clear and pure with the same tastes coming out in different measures.  The Qi is happy and soothing in the mind and obvious but harmonious in the body.

The 8^th infusion has a more fruity pear taste upfront with woody-mushroom in the distance- the tastes go long in the profile and make themselves known in different areas like the mouth, throat, breath- a sign of a nice single estate gushu taste for me.  The Qi is deeply penetrating but harmonious and relaxing.  Long almost caramel mushroom woody sweetness is left on the breath.

The 9^th has a nice woody mushroom subtle sweetness over a full fine sandy dry lips mouthfeeling.  There is a soft cool almost mushroomy caramel sweetness.  Long candy finish.  The taste is starting to weaken although it maintains its breadth.  Almost fruity finish on the breath now.  Nice relaxing uplifting Qi.  Good harmonizing bodyfeeling.

The 10^th infusion has a bit of dry woody astringency now with more of a subtle sweetness.  The woody taste is dominant now with the sweetness reduced and mainly on the breath with a bit of fresh coolness.  The mouthfeeling is drier even into a dry upper throat.  Nice Qi.

The 11^th has a woody dry initial taste with a subtle sweetness.  The oiliness is gone in the liquor leaving lots of sandy dryness as a mouthcoating with no polarity to level it out.  The throat is a bit dry here too with a subtle candy breath taste.

12^th is much more watery and woody and fruity.  There is a distinct mild dryness about the mouthfeeling and throatfeeling with edges of candy in the aftertaste.  Nice relaxing Qi with a bit of heavy shoulders body feeling left.

13^th has a watery muted fruitiness over a dry mouth, lips, and throat.

I mug steep the rest out…

These long mug steeps push out a chalky, woody, almost savory mushroom, slight dirt taste with very faint coolness on the breath with ghostly almost unrecognizable candy sweetness.  Solid tastes are left in these long infusions.

This is a nice gushu puerh with very clear single origin taste (of woody mushroom, sweet candy finish, some caramel and occasional pear), mouthfeeling (full sandy almost drying lips and mid deep throat simulation with an oily liquor in the first half of the session), and qi (nice bodyfeeling of open chest and abdomen with very happy and harmonious qi feeling.  Great Qi and bodyfeeling!  It is strange that the taste, mouthfeeling, and Qi reminds me of the 2020 EoT TianMenShan!  They might possibly be similar in production, tree age, and location.  The Tianmenshan is definitely stronger and less smooth gushu and has a more interesting but kind of similar flavour.  This lovely Yibi is nearly twice as cheap per gram though.

Shah8’s Tasting Notes

Peace