Yunnan Sourcing Cha Qi 2011

I’m a bit stressed because even if I never thought that tea was incredible, it’s the only one I’ve bought a “real tong” of, plus an additional beeng to not crack the tong (lol).

Back in 2011, I wanted a tong to complete my collection, and I ended up buying this one for a simple reason: I was much more keen on putting 21 USD/beeng on some quality leaves than on a famous plantation recipe that would have been a pure bet for me. Maybe it’s not made of high end material, but I had the feeling it was made of good quality leaves for the price. And I can see the tea cost did x11 since 2011.

I know I’ll try to conclude saying I was right to buy it, but let’s see how it is in 2025—it’s been a Bulang week, so it might help reviewing it.

Dry leaves smell wood and fresh.
Wet leaves smell smoke for a second, then prunes, chocolate, then this aromatic-thyme aroma like in the Liming (I wish I knew more about aromatic plants…). It’s clearly an aromatic tea!

• First brew: semolina base, apricot, then some wood, and the aftertaste starts acting immediately.
  I am not stressed anymore, that first cup is delicious.

• Second brew: some grapefruit showing, it’s not very oily but the taste is copious. The astringency is muted compared to last time I’ve tried it.

• Third brew: it’s changing, now it tastes a bit like a Yiwu, very fruity, there is a bit of harshness at the top of the throat. The astringency is slightly rising but remains low. Aftertaste is very fruity with sort of tobacco notes.

• Fourth: the soup started pale yellow, now it’s getting more orangey. Some tobacco and really nice malty feelings. It’s very good but there is still some harshness at the entry of the throat.

• Fifth/sixth brews: the Bulang nature is returning, some thyme-like hints, some bitterness showing but it has faded a lot. It’s a little astringent still.

Further brews are very classic, still rather thick in taste.

Regarding Qi, it was long to come but is really noticeable. Not as brutal as with the ZZ and the Liming, and more on the ZZ meditative & positive side.

Overall: Very aromatic Bulang, with savory richness (umami?), plenty of fruity notes: it has aged really well. I imagine not all the material is great because of some funny feelings on the top of the throat, being more light-bodied than a premium tea, and still a little astringent. But I’m convinced now that I had a great flair on this one back in 2011! I was not sure before starting, but it’s definitely above my expectations. Delicious, not thick and oily as premium, but for the [2011] price it really does not matter.

In 2025, it could be a great choice to share with a friend that does not drink sheng puerh.