I bought this 2008 Xiaguan happy tuo with much anticipation of the happiness that comes when I brew a teapot of this tea. The term "FT" which you see sold on some Xiaguan tea products, refers to the collaboration between a Taiwan 'Fei Tai' business, together with Xiaguan, that exported pu erh tea from China to Taiwan. I heard rumors that FT Xiaguan pu erh use a better grade tea which may explain the higher prices. I will be ordering and drinking a bit more of these teas and I will give you my thoughts on this rumor.
This 100g tuo is raw pu erh. The compression of the tea is tight and this time, I use a shorter pu erh pick to break the tuo. A shorter pick, in my opinion, is easier to manage and break open a tuo as the pick would not easily slide out and cause an accident.
This tea is very pleasant and nice. Compared to the 2007 Xiaguan teji tuo (13 dec 2011 blog), I felt this tea is slightly more robust. Like the teji tuo, this FT tuo has that pleasant sweet flowery bouquet aroma. Most importantly, this tuo has a nice smoky scent when I brew this tea. This combination of woodsmoke and the nice fresh aroma does makes this drink a happy experience. There was the slightest hint of sweetness in the pleasant aftertaste. I also found that the tea taste better when drunk hot or warm. I did not like this tea when it has cooled down to room temperature and I would heat the tea again before drinking ( yes, many of you readers will frown on my reheating the tea, especially in a microwave.....give me your thoughts)
Overall, this is a nice tea. Not too expensive and Yunnan Sourcing has this tea on their site....I think about $5-6. The wrapper and box looks really pretty and this tea would make a nice inclusion in your next online order.
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