CYH 2003 Yiwu / 2003 Manzhuan
3.5g/60ml gaiwan, Toronto filtered tap.
Slightly clearer liquor on the Yiwu. Also a bit darker in appearance.
Yiwu has dark leathery profile, sweet, oily. The taste is much more forward after grinding, and the tea is not overly bitter at this ratio. The Manzhuan actually shows some sharpness in comparison. Very interesting, not something I usually notice on the MZ.
Yiwu is thicker, darker, Manzhuan has more of a tang to it. In this format, they are not as subtle as they usually are, but still the overall profile is comfortable. The Yiwu significantly more comfortable and softer than the MZ especially in test steep.
In late steeps, MZ is more substantial with bitter undertones. Very strong teas, both.
From the wet leaf, the Yiwu looks slightly redder/browner than the Manzhuan, which is a bit more greenish brown. This correlates with a more aged/comfortable profile on the Yiwu and doesn’t translate into any black tea notes. In this session, I slightly prefer the Yiwu, although in regular brewing I usually prefer the Manzhuan. Both of these teas are excellent gushu style tea with good processing, but my pick for the longer term is the Manzhuan.
