03 CYH Youle / 05 CYH Shanzong Chuanqi
3.5g/60ml identical gaiwans, Toronto filtered tap. 2003 CYH Youle vs 2005 CYH SZCQ. Medium grind for testing.
Dry leaf is dark/black for the Youle and dark brown for the SZCQ. Aroma of Youle is more raisin-prune sweetness whereas SZCQ has some brassy bite to it.
SZCQ showing a big flavour, woody, brassy, lots of tea taste. Youle is actually quite a bit more aged, softer, less acidity.
Boldness of SZCQ continues, more astringency and a multilayered loud taste. Aroma of Youle is sweeter and richer.
Interesting that the SZCQ has darker red liquor. More concentrated taste. Youle is more pure, significantly softer and oily-sweet.
Youle is very viscous, thick, and subtle. Surprisingly comfortable and aged in comparison to SZCQ.
Very interesting to have these teas at the same time and ground to a similar level — subtle differences are exaggerated and become more obvious. The three 2003 CYH teas I’ve tried are quite similar in terms of general profile, whereas the 2005 seems noticeably younger and stronger.
