2008 Bi Yun Hao Daqishu: Pure Yiwu

Daqishu is an area of Yiwu and I don’t remember having one from this specific area.  I picked up this sample from Liquid Proust last year…

Dry leaves smell of a very creamy candy floss sweet floral woody odour.

First infusion has a creamy soft candy sweet taste that begins then floats off into the distance.  There is some sweet creamy candy like sweetness that rides out on the breath also an almost carrot/ sweet potato nuance faintly in the distance but mainly this long creamy sweet ethereal uninterrupted taste very Yiwu taste.

The Second infusion has a peachy creamy sweet onset with a long airy clear note of sweet creamy Yiwu that hangs up in the breath a bit.  Very soft mossy full mouthfeeling with a bit of saliva producing but a deep vacuous throat feeling.  Nice floating out of body Qi feeling here with some body wobbling side to side feeling as if bobbing like a buoy in the ocean. 

3^rd has a slightly more woody sharing a balance between sweet creamy and woody dry onset with very clear notes not interrupted by any storage notes- this one is stored quite dry and the result is lots of clarity here.  There is a bit of a juicier peachy nuance here with mainly a long creamy sweetness that uninterrupted rides out in the breath.  Deep breath throat feeling.  Nice mossy full mouthfeeling with a deep subtle open throatfeeling.  Nice spacy Qi with some chest beats.  A bit time slowing Qi here too.

4^th was left to cool down and it gives off a woody watery almost honey sort of floral and ends creamy sweet in the mouth and breath.  Ethereal and airy and pure and light.  There is more of a mossy gripping mouthfeeling now with a slight pull at the throat.  Nice spacy feeling qi with some chest beats.

5^th infusion has a watery almost sweet potato nuance to it over woody with faint suggestions of creamy sweet and maybe peach taste.  Nice chalky mossy and slightly tugging the throat sensations.  Nice spacy Qi feeling.  Some almost candy glimpses in the aftertaste.  Clear taste profile nice spacy qi.

6^th has an oily buttery creamy taste slight woody with a melon and sweet potato there is woody creamy nuances that fade into the breath here.  Nice spacy feeling.

7^th has a melon watery fruity onset with clear taste of Yiwu here.  The cool cup is even clearer sweet potato and melon taste fade out in the breath and less deep in the throat now.  Very straightforward single estate material.

8^th has a woody oily sweet potato and melon onset with a subtle fading out into creamy sweetness.  Very clear and simple single estate gushu brilliantly dry stored.  Nice spacy feeling to the Qi.  In the body there is a loose jaw feeling in the face and some more obvious chest Heart beats.

9^th is cooled down and gives off a sweet woody sort of melon peach with a nice faint fade out.  The mouthfeeling is mossy with a bit of gripping- pretty mild.  Nice floating feeling, spacy, with heart beats.

10^th has an oily peachy woody taste with a nice lubricating texture when left to cool.  Nice soft mossy mouthfeeling.  Simple and clear taste.  Nice mild spacy feeling.

11^th has a woody oily taste with a bit of distant peach not that sweet but absolutely no bitter or astringency either.

I mug steep out the spent leaves and it gives off woody faint onset with a peachy melon taste to it.  The mouthfeel is a full mossy slight gripping feeling.  The peachy taste lingers for mintues later popping in the mouth and saliva then fading only to come back again.  Nice spaced out feeling here.

This is a very simple high quality, straightforward and pure single estate Yiwu Gushu with near perfect storage and processing.  What’s not to like about this?? 

Shah8’s Tasting Notes

Peace

1999-2000 Fuhai Yiwu Six Green Leaves= Powerful

This is a bit of a famous cake stored by the more famous and at times controversial Cloud’s Tea House… I got this sample from LiquidProust.  It was a damn cold Spring day with lots of wind and cold and this seemed like a very satisfying drink to warm up to…

Dry leaves smell of cardboard-woody damp paper bag.

First infusion has a soft fluffy onset with some watery humid notes, some dirt notes, then a mild bitter astringency pop and a cooling almost creamy sweet finish.  The mouthfeeling is really gripping and engaging.  There is a tobacco note that appears minutes later.

Second infusion has a rye-whiskey woody onset with a smooth woody creamy sweet transition in the mouth.  There is lots movement in the taste from a woody rye whiskey onset a bit of bitter astringency then returns a creamy sweet almost wine like long finish that sort of merges with cooling.  Then there is a lingering aftertaste minutes later that has a tobacco taste to it.  The mouthfeeling is chalky and tugging and really full.  It reaches down the throat deeply stimulating it.

Third infusion has a strong rich smoke woody rye-whiskey slight dirt with strong mouthfeeling and dry chalky gripping feeling with a strong returning sweetness of cooling menthol with a creamy sweet finish.  The flavours are very strong and distinct. Very intense gripping full mouth and deep gripping throatfeeling.  Long tobacco finish in the mouth many minutes later.  Very subtle warming feeling in the body.  Subtle focusing and relaxing.

The 4^th infusion has a woody wine whiskey vibrant pop of flavours that has a plum taste kind of layered in there.  There is a strong menthol cooling with pops of plum cherries and a long cooling creamy sweetness with long tobacco finish.  Very strong full tugging mouthfeeling and throatfeeling.  This infusion has stronger cherry-plum sweet vibrancy.  The mouthfeeling continues in be quite intense and the Qi is this subtle warming relaxing focusing energy.  You can feel a warmth in the diaphragm. 

5^th has a strong woody whiskey barrel onset with some distant smoke and distant sweet plum there is a strong mouth and throat presence here with a bitter astringency underneath and strong simulating mouth and throatfeeling.  Camphor woody and not as creamy sweet.  Intense mouth and throatfeeling taste centered by very soft warming relaxing Qi and comfortable bodyfeeling.  Have never experienced the extremes of this dichotomy in a tea this old and aged. Qi has a distinct warming heavy sensation in the Stomach and diagram.

6^th infusion has a strong woody whiskey barrel taste with some developing cherry-plum some lesser camphor wood.  Nice tobacco and creamy sweet finish.  Very strong pulling mouth and throatfeeling.  Nice strong warming diaphragm and stomach.  Relaxing focus.

7^th infusion has a creamy sweet woody onset with a touch of bitter astringency.  The mouthfeel is more oily and velvety with a long plum camphor taste.  There is this tobacco finish in this puerh that I just love in Yiwu puerh.  The creamy sweet profile is long throughout the profile. 

8^th has a plum woody whisky barrel onset that is mainly sweet with lesser bitter astringency in the last few infusions.  Nice camphor cooling with a creamy sweetness and some bitter finish in the mouth.  There is a creamy sweet and tobacco with bitterness in the finish.  Strong diagpragm warming feelng. Very full chalky gripping mouthfeeling and deep and strong throat stimulation.  Long cooling in the throat.  Some faint dirt and plum tastes initially.

9^th is left to cool and gives off a subtly smoke, subtle dirt coco bitterness, and soft creamy sweetness initially.  The initial tastes go long in this cooled down cup.    There is more smoke and more dirt taste in this infusions.  The throatfeeling has more tugging strength than the mouthfeeling which is more of a dry chalky.  Nice relaxing focusing with strong warming digapragm and Stomach.  The warming centering Qi is really compforting.

10^th has a silky full mouthfeeling with a stimulating pulling throat feeling with a creamy sweet coco dirt onset with an expanding creamy sweetness.  Longer creamy sweet profile now with lots of creamy coco taste.  Strong warmth in Stomach and diaphragm.

11^th is cooled down and gives off more dirt tastes than creamy sweet coco.  There is this dirt and bitter taste that has a certain brackish taste to it.  This infusion has some faint camphor and barely sweetness but is mainly this bitter dirt taste.  The Qi is still strongly warming and relaxing.

12^th has a bitter dirt with some creamy sweet notes underneath.  The bitter dirt taste pretty much tastes over the taste here.  The mouthfeeling is dry tugging with strong throat stimulation only faint creamy sweet coco tastes now.  Strong relaxing….

I put these same leaves into mug infusions….

The result is a bitter dirt bland strong tasting broth that is not that enjoyable tasting but strong relaxing and warming Qi remains.  Nice warming and relaxing feeling on this slow moving unseasonably cool and windy day.

This is a powerful factory Yiwu puerh with power in its taste and mouth- and throat-feeling.  Yet very warming and relaxing and comfortable in its Qi.  The dichotomy is striking.  The strength and power of the mouth and throatfeel in an aged puerh like this sort of reminds me of the 88 Qing Bing.  It also offers an interesting contrast to the Black Stamp of the same year which is quite refined, smooth, and very tasty fruity taste with high quality body feeling.  Very opposite this Fuhai in almost every way.

Peace

Teas We Like vs Liquid Proust: 2010 Dayi 7542 001

Teas We Like natural Taiwanese stored offering (purchased for 58.00 a cake but a slightly more aggressively stored version is stillavailable for $75.00 for 357g cake or $0.21/g) is first up…

Dry leaves smell of strong dried longan fruits, raison, and slight smoke.

First infusion has a watery smoky tobacco leaf onset with a slight sweet plum returning after faint flat bitterness.  Flat slightly tight tongue coating.  Lasting bitterness in the mouth.

The second infusion has a woody smoky plum taste with a mild but persistent bitterness that returns some mild sweet plum tastes.  The mouthfeeling is tight.  There are woody metallic tastes in there as well as some creamy sweet tastes as well.  The dominant tastes are bitter with plum and fainter smoky wood.  Strong energetic Qi.

The third infusion has a creamy woody slight smokey bitter-sweetness with a returning plum sweetness.  The bitterness is overarching and a bit acidic in the mouth.  There is a chalky slight tight mouthfeeling over the tongue and mouth.  Minutes later there is some caramel faintness in there under bitterness. Strong Qi.

The fourth infusion has a plum woody onset that transforms into a bitter-sweet taste.  The retuning plum is nice and is paired with a camphor coolness. The mouthfeeling is becoming a thinner tight chalky.  Bitter-sweet taste lingers in the mouth.

The fifth infusion has a sweet creamy sweet and plum onset with woody tastes combining with significant bitterness.  The bitterness lingers and has a bit of puckering tightness to the mouth.  There is a slightly cool throat.  Bread and plum tastes are in the aftertaste minutes later.  Strong alerting energy.

6^th is let to cool luke warm and gives off a tasty melon, plum, almost floral resin woodiness.  There is some mild bitterness and some faint coolness.  It finishes cool and plum over a mild sticky mouthfeeling.  Nice alerting energy.  Lots of sweeter flavours more than bitter here.

7^th has a dark bitter woody taste up front with a darker taste to it.  This infusion is a lot bitterer but also a bit creamy buttery deeper taste to it.  Plum aftertaste.  Sticky mouthfeeling.  Nice alerting energy.

8^th has a sweet onset of melon, sour plum, and sweet plum with a dark coco bittersweetness to it.  This has a nice long coco taste and aftertaste now.  Really delicious over a chalky full mouthfeeling.  Nice alertness.

9^th has a bitter woody smokey taste now with a woody bitter-creamy sweetness.  The bitterness is almost a vegetal bitterness here that you would see in a younger/ less strongly stored 7542.  Nice tight full coating.  Saliva returning creamy coco sweetness.

10^th infusion has that bitter woody smoky vegetal bitterness with a returning breath cooling and bitter-sweetness coco.  Tight mouthfeeling, slight dry.  Strong alerting.  Chocolate coco bitter-sweet aftertaste.

11^th is left to cool and gives a nice coco chocolate bitter a bit of vegetal bitterness, plum, full sticky dry coating on tongue.  Nice cooling afterwards with a nice coco plum mild bitter.  Strong alerting still.

 

Liquid Proust version ($72.00 for 357g cake or $0.20/g

whichis now sold out) is up second and is described by Liquid Proust as “near perfect storage” I believe that it could be Taiwanese dry stored by my notes below…

Dry leaves have a smoky dry woody even faint pear-melon odour.

First infusion has a melon fruity woody smoky watery taste with a cool pungent tingling vibrant finish with smoke and woody taste dominating.  The mouthfeeling is slightly numb tingling.

The second infusion has a quick pear fruity onset that turns to a dry woody smoke, very slight bitter, with a sweet fruity clear pear returning that fades into dry woody smoke.  There is a bit of mild bitter astringency.  Tight slight drying mouthfeeling.

The third infusion has a quick moving fruity pop of taste.  The fruit has a stewed jam like quality like sticky dried longan fruits.  The sweetness has a thick dense syrupiness to it- very full throughout and delivers a certain vibrancy over a slight smoky woody background.  Not much bitterness here, surprisingly sweet.

The 4^th infusion has a syrupy sweet fruity onset with a smoky syrupy dry woody under taste.  The taste is thick and smooth and oily in the mouth with a nice long coolness.  There is lots of syrupy sweetness with a bitter woody smoke underneath- a nice melded and cohesive taste.  Coco aftertaste minutes later.  Sticky mouthcoating.  Strong alertness.  Saliva returning oily sweetness.

5^th infusion has a syrupy fruity sweet taste that has a smoky dry woody long cool pungent taste.  There is some floral melon that is underneath.  There is a nice oiliness to this 7542 over a drier tight mouthfeeling.  There is surprisingly not too much bitterness.

6^th smooth creamy sweet, a bit fruity with mild bitterness.  Nice combo of fruity sweet, coco bittersweet, and creamy bread-like sweetness.  Not much woody or smoke here.

7^th has a creamy fruity pear bread taste with faint bitterness underneath.  The fruitiness returns with coolness and trails out in the breath over a slight tight/ slight dry mouthfeeling.  Nice alertness.  It’s been a very altering kind of day with both of these 2010 7542s!

8^th is cooled down and is a creamy fruity pear chocolate tasting thing.  The taste is really nice and I’m left wondering if this is the most delicious dry stored 7542 I’ve tried.  Bitterness is not as much but faintly there.  Chalky tongue coating.

9^th is a nice mix of fruity sweetness and bitter coco.  This is more fruity and sweet than the Teas We Like version.  There is a nice smoky dry woody finish.

10^th is much the same balance and mix of fruity sweetness and bitter coco.  Still more weight to the sweetness than bitter compared to most 7542 storage.

11^th infusion was left in the cup overnight and I go back to it the next day… it has a resin woody incense woody body with a syrupy sweet fruity finish in the mouth.

The spent leaves of both 7542s are left overnight then mug steeped out the next day... the Teas We Like offering is deep darker bitter with some astringent vegetable bitter taste not that sweet at all and a bit awkward.  The Liquid Proust offering has a sweet fruity vegetable bitterness with a longer cooling with a subtle more flat almost tart smoke to it.  A subtle coco bitterness comes out minutes later.  The Liquid Proust mug steeping is the better tasting and more complex mug.  The Teas We Like has a more peaty taste to it but more cohesive where the Liquid Proust version is more vibrant and changing and compartmentalized in the mug steeping of spent leaves.

Overall, this is an interesting comparison because they are both nicely stored versions of the 7542 but also dramatically different in their strengths.  The Teas We Like offering is the stronger of the two with a stronger, more condensed taste with much more intense bitterness.  The bitter taste is the dominant throughout the session.  There is also much more change from infusion to infusion with the Teas We Like offering- this is how the Teas We Like 7542 is complex.  However, the Teas We Like version has a much more narrow taste profile, less texture, and shorted aftertaste compared to the Liquid Proust version.  The Liquid Proust version is much more sweet and vibrant with much less intense bitterness.  The Liquid Proust 7542 has a thicker more oily texture and longer and more cooling and complex throatfeeling and aftertaste. Overall, they are both really nice versions of 7542!  I love the comparison!

I think that this first version on offer at Teas We Like would be nicer for aged in more humid environments but for my really dry storage that I have here in Canada the Liquid Proust Version would probably age out better for my situation. 

It’s really nice to finally see some genuine interest in the classic 7542 and I hope that both Liquid Proust and Teas We Like will continue to offer affordable 7542.  It looks like Liquid Proust has a 2016 short Natural Hongkong stored version up already.  It looks also like the Remaining Teas We Like 2010 7542s are from a batch with more aggressive storage and are going for $75.00 a cake (so basically paying more for something with a little less power, I imagine).  It is a real issue of great timing in buying 7542 as well as many factory puerh cakes in general.  This is because there is a small window in the life of a semi-aged cake where you can get a feel for how it’s going to age out and you can get a clearer read on how it’s going to age out but once enough people have this knowledge prices can shoot up quickly.  For the 7542 there is also serious speculating that you have to deal with as well- not just the taste experience.  This makes it a continual challenge too for vendors who aim to offer the best 7542 with the best quality because as soon as they find a good batch at a good price quickly it rises in price and no longer becomes worth it.  My hope is that these two vendors will be up for the challenge in the future and continue to offer us ongoing 7542 options!

Peace

2009 XiziHao Diangu: Orange Blossoms Peachy Floral Heartbeats!

This sample was also acquired from Liquid Proust.  He also used to sell the whole cake on his site as well…

Dry leaves are a sweet creamy talc rose woody odour.

First infusion has an icing sugar with a rose and woody paper taste.  There is a watery creamy kind of fruity finish in the mouth.

Second has a tangy perfume floral cardboard box sweet taste initially.  It has that turnip taste and a sort of dirt and mint taste too.  The coolness in the throat is much more with this than the 2007 or 2008.  There is an almost peach edge to it.  The mouthfeeling is more juicy and lubricating too not the same as the 2007 and 2008 which was more fine sandy slight gripping… it might get there in later infusions…

The third infusion has a peachy fruity rose perfume creamy lubricating sweetness to it.  The coolness goes deep into the throat and expands in a peachy creamy perfume way.  There is some bitterness throughout here now and a flat cardboard taste.  This infusion is a nice balance of sweet, cooling pungent, bitter and bland with sweeter overall.  The Qi is quite strong in the Chest closer to the 2007 than the 2008 in its strong chesty heart beats.  The Qi is more invigorating and energizing than the 2007 and 2008.  The 2007 has more of a deeper profound effect with pronounced bodyfeelings which the others don’t.

The fourth infusion has a medicinal cardboard cherry cough syrup taste that the 2008 definitely had- bitter, sweet, kind of sour and dense.  There is a juicy bitter sour fruity thing with a dose of significant perfume.  The liquid is much thicker and oily than the 2008 and 2007.  There is a peachy, creamy bitter cardboard taste that comes out in the aftertaste.  Nice strong Chest sensations and intense energy.

The fifth infusion has a strong medicinal bitter cherry cough syrup and cardboard taste with edges of turnip.  This infusion is strongly bitter and leaves an oily but underneath fine sandy aftertaste.  Strong Chesty Qi and Heart beats with energy bursts.

The 6^th is left to cool and gives off a creamy bitter cardboard parsnip bitter sweet taste… mainly bitter with a lesser perfume body.  The aftertaste has a perfume and almost sour fruity cardboard taste to it.  This is bitterer than both the 2008 & 2007.  With more dynamic movement between initial taste and aftertaste.

The 7^th has a lubricating Sweettart candy like taste that is both sweet and sour and almost artificially tasting.  This infusion is more sour and less bitter or sweet.  The taste is really delicious and candy like here.  The aftertaste is pretty long but not at long as the 2008 or 2007 which would go even 10-20 min later some infusions.

The 8^th is left to cool and is a bland cardboard bitter woody sour fruity perfume kind of initial taste that extends into the aftertaste.  There is a kind of sour floral orange blossom perfume finish that lingers minutes later.  Decent Heart pounding Qi.

9^th infusion is very peachy pear onset with almost no floral bitter cardboard tastes.  It has a bit of a sour orange peel taste to it with orange blossom.  Nice citrus taste here that is a touch sour and bitter but volatile fragrances and mainly sweet.  The mouthfeeling is a faint fine powdery feeling.  The throat is deeply more cooling than the 2008 and 2007 but the mouthfeeling is less strong or full.

10^th infusion has a peachy pear taste with a subtle cardboard flat woody taste.  There is lesser bitter notes in there and lesser sour and still a floral perfume but not as strong.  The mouthfeeling is a fine sandy feeling that the other years have.  This one has a bitter orange peel and orange blossom finish.  Qi has still some chest action going on with some energetic focusing.

11^th has a bitter woody dirt floral nuance to it with an orange peel blossom bitter woody taste. The dry sandy mouthfeeling feels like the 2008 and 2007 now.  Nice mild energy still uplifting and mildly Heart racing.  Although this is the youngest of the tasting it isn’t at all raw on the stomach like the others can be in a few of the infusions.

12^th has an oily peachy pear fruity onset with not really any bitter or floral or spicy left.  There is an nice oily texture with some cooling deep throat and a bit of sandy undercoating with a mild energy now.

13^th has a strong Asian pear and lesser honey taste, pear peelings, nice sweetness of melon now.  Light fruitier notes are coming out now without any bitterness.  Nice mouthwating sensations.

14^th much of the same peachy, melon, pear tastes that really taste like Yiwu puerh here.  The 2008 and 2007 didn’t have the last handful of infusions that were very fresh and fruity with no bitterness.

Mug steepings of all three spent leaves…

2009 is bitter woody cardboard dirt like taste a faint underlying sweetness of candy melon that barely makes its way through the bitterness.  Big Chest pounding in this long infusion!  On the whole significantly better than the 2008.

2008 is a sweet plummy initial taste with some bitter cardboard underneath taste with a strong cherry cough drop cool pungency.  I think this is that weird minty taste working out.  Overall tastes quite delicious.  Very oily and lubricating. 

2007 is a deep sweet resin incense taste with this very sweet initial pop of flavour.  It’s weird that this mug steeping reminds me lots of the 2001 Naked Yiwu? Strange… but delicious.  More of a deep complex lurking bitterness underneath.  There is this deep penetrating perfume taste that just lingers for a long time on the breath.  2007 is by far the best of the samples mainly due to the strong Qi and bodyfeelings and very intense unique tastes and long stamina.  The Houde storage is significantly better to this year than the Taiwanese storage of the Liquid Proust samples.

These long steepings do much to reveal at its core the differences between these Dianggus!

Peace

2008 Xizi Hao Diangu: Minty Cardboard Perfume Heartbeats!

I picked up this 2008 Xizi Hao Diangu sample at Liquid Proust last year.  I think it was a comparative set along with the 2009.  He has done lots of options with Diangu on his site over the years including offering this full iron cake version.

Dry leaves smell of cardboard and a sweet creamy woody odour.  Not any piercing nectar like the Houde 2007 but same cardboard like odour which is interesting because I thought it was a storage odour and maybe it comes from the same collector and is…

First infusion has a woody, cardboard onset cherry and turnip earthy tastes.  It’s a smooth and a bit watery with a thin full sandy mouth and unique hints of fruit I can’t describe.

The second infusion has a perfume onset with notes of tart rosehips and almost grapefruit pith fruity bitterness.  There is a movement to a creamy berry sweet taste that slowly emerges and expands in the aftertaste.  There is a sweet tart perfume taste in the mouth even minutes later.  The lingering aftertaste is long.  Qi is focusing and happy with a bit of chest Qi.

The third infusion has a woody perfume cardboard bitters onset.  There is a subtle hong cha note and an emerging minty perfume taste in the aftertaste.  Tastes a bit soapy floral almost creamy.  It has a soft thin sandy but full feeling in the mouth.  Spacy and floating Qi takes hold of my mind with some Heart beats.

4^th has a woody bitter cardboard with a soapy floral perfume note that is a bitter minty taste.  Not as condensed, perfume, or bitter as the drier stored 2007 from Houde.  Strong initial presentation of flavour then develops a bit more cardboard minty taste.  Long aftertaste of initial flavours.  Steady strength from the Qi totally spaces me out while I can feel strong Chest pounding.  The cooled cup has a more tart woody cardboard fruitiness, less bitter-mint, and nice long creamy and smoother sweetness.  A touch harsh on the digestion from being a bit young maybe.

5^th has a medicinal cherry cough syrup onset with that minty bitter edge to it.  It has an emerging creamy sweet note in there that comes out as the more bitter notes recede.  Soft full thin sandy mouthfeeling.  Nice Chest Qi sensation with floating mind.

6^th infusion has a sour rose hip and cardboard taste.  There is some bitter floral tastes a touch woody and sort of minty.  The fine full soft sandy mouthfeeling is prominent.  Nice relaxing floating Qi.  Vs   2007 this one is much less condensed, powerful in taste, aroma, and Qi.  Its maybe 1/2 as good.

7^th has a root turnip, floral perfume, carboard onset with a carrot creamy sweet finish.  Nice soft full fine sandy mouthfeeling.  This infusion has more of a root veggie taste which did not appear in the 2007.

8^th has a bitter metallic woody body floral cardboard and sandy mouthfeeling.  Cooled it is more creamy sweet and minty with lesser bitter cardboard wood.  Nice lingering sweet floral breath.

9^th has a cardboard woody floral taste to it.  There is a bit of minty almost root veggies edges to it.  Still lots of medium bitterness that comes with a woody flat taste.  Nice decent chest expanding and uplifting spacy feeling.

10^th infusion has a bitter woody root veggies floral taste initially then has a metallic like finish along with woody bitterness.  This infusion has much less sweetness.  More of a flat taste in the mouth.

12^th is a more creamy woody cardboard floral onset that ends more sweet that woody.  The 2008 is way less perfume.  Nice thin full fine sandy mouthfeeling.  Nice uplifting Qi.

13^th has a woody almost watery bitter flat woody taste with edges of sweetness.  Mouthfeeling is a bit more gripping and has not much sweetness, a bit of perfume.  Nice Chest pounding and uplifting more energizing Qi than the 2007s stupefying Qi.

14^th has a woody cardboard root veggie kind of flat taste with not really any sweetness left.  A flat dry puckering mouthfeeling.  Uplifting Qi.

Although this 2008 is still pretty enjoyable, the quality gap between the 2007 from Houde and this 2008 is very significant.

Peace