Hello from Tennessee! I’ve had a couple hundred teas or so in my life, so I thought it would be cool to reflect on which ones I enjoy(ed) the most. Comment with your top ten if you want. Doing this exercise taught me a lot about my personal taste, so it could be revealing to you also. All these teas are highly recommended!

#10:

2011 Dayi Jia Ji Tuo ($27.99/500gr, $.06/gr)

The cheapest tea on the list. Cheap, but with a deep flavor that you only get after 7 years of Guangdong dry storage, no more, no less. The Dayi house taste is good, and it’s here. The range of flavors in the blend is very wide, and the amount of flavor (and caffeine) is wonderful. As long as I would not steep it for more than a second, the tea was not harsh. The smoke was well integrated, and I think this is a product of the storage. It makes me just as happy to drink as any expensive cake out there. Frequently, tea can surprise you.

Score: 7.6/10

Other reviews of this tea: https://steepster.com/pflipp/posts/360867

#9:

Hojo Tsukigase Zairai Sencha ($9.37/50gr, $.19/gr)

It’s a sencha that tastes like high mountain oolong. Significant throaty bitterness, spicy note, really deep qi, tea drunk feeling. Umami is absent here because there is no nitrogen fertilizer used. Goes nine steepings easily. Thanks to pedant for recommending this, it really made me realize that tea can absolutely surprise you. It’s not a novelty-only tea, as the dry potency of the tea is satisfying.

Score: 7.6/10

#8

Living Tea Being and Time ($32/56gr, $.57/gr)

It’s unusual to find quite aggressively stored tea that still has power to it, but this tea has small traces of white mold and a dark liquor, and I can get it whenever. Supposedly from Kunming Factory (now closed), serious qi experience with very intense thickness and a sort of coffee throatiness occasionally. Very relaxing and energizing, it’s quite therapeutic to drink. Living tea is offering something here that is actually tough to get; quite decent quality leaves that are well-aged for an affordable price.

Score: 7.9/10

Other reviews of this tea: None

#7:

Leaf of the East Charcoal Roasted Dong Ding ($6.99/56gr, $.12/gr)

Leaf of the East’s Charcoal Roasted Dong Ding: Review #1

Score: 8.1/10

Other reviews of this tea: None

#6:

Teapals Mengku Rongshi 2003 Da Xue Shan Wild Brick ($39/250gr, $.16/gr)

Now sold out, this brick has a very soft taste. It’s a really powerful tea that you have to be careful with. This tea is a favorite because it revealed how subtlety and power are not mutually exclusive. The malaysia storage isn’t really that wet, quite dry actually. If I didn’t know it was da xue shan, I would assume it was a Yiwu because of the sweetness. It’s subtle but it hits all areas of the mouth and has a full profile with some savoriness. Tastes much fancier than its price.

Score: 8.2/10

Other reviews of this tea: https://medium.com/@wongki/2003-mengku-rongshi-da-xue-shan-brick-250g-%E4%BA%8C%E9%9B%B6%E9%9B%B6%E4%B8%89-%E5%8B%90%E5%BA%93%E6%88%8E%E6%B0%8F%E5%A4%A7%E9%9B%AA%E5%B1%B1%E7%A0%96-ba82ebca9e7c