Review Details

2005 Lao Tong Zhi Raw Brick

Product Review (submitted on October 8, 2011):

This tea looks expensive at £42 a brick, but as it is a generous 500g slab, it doesn't work out too costly. First infusion gives a dark thick liquid, a shade brackish, with an astringent, tannic mouthfeel. Tastes of straw and chestnut, November woods and acrid smoke. Subsequent infusions mellow it out, with a reduction of astringency and more of a velvety mouthfeel, quite chewy in fact. A rounder, smoother palate emerges, intriguing in its subtle variations. An interesting tea to savour at leisure, but it does need careful handling. Be careful how you prise this apart and try not to break up the leaves. Sieve it well to get rid of the dust. And you must use a Yixing pot to get the best out of it. It needs coaxing, but it's well worth the effort.