Panyang Congou Select ZP22 (Upton)

UPDATE:

After making this tea several times using somewhat more leaf than normal, I came to the conclusion that it was hopelessly weak and too smoky.   So, I went out on a limb and used over twice as much leaf as I normally would.  With most tea, this would result in a liquor too tannic and bitter to be enjoyable, but it was just what this tea needed.  So prepared, it came into balance with attractive floral and fruit aromas matching up to the smoke.  The mouth feel improved greatly and there was much more fruit and cocoa in the taste.  With the stronger brew, it's a nice tea that I can recommend, but not one I'd probably purchase again.  Too bad my sample pack is totally spent.  Oh well, maybe I'll order one more sample in the future and give it another go.

ORIGINAL POST:

After enjoying Upton's basic Congou Panyang, I was excited to try this select version, which, at $8.80 for 125 grams, is twice as expensive.  Will it be twice as good?

It should be noted that this tea (ZP22) is a fairly recent addition to the Upton catalog and apparently replaces an earlier, like-named tea (ZP20). 

The promising-looking dry leaf consists of medium-sized twisted leaf with some light tips and a noticeably smoky aroma.  The somewhat light and matte brown of the tender wet leaf segments suggests a modest oxidation.  The aroma of the medium orange-amber liquor is dominated by a smokiness that has both a pine and hardwood character.  Some sweet fruit and floral notes can be detected beneath the smokiness, but the balance is strongly in favor of smoke.  A similar thing happens in the flavor, were the smokiness is dominant.  While the tea seems to possess a smooth, balanced and pleasant character, to my taste it is not sufficiently strong to stand up to the smoke.  It appears that this tea was made in a style similar to a Zheng Shan Xiou Zhong (Bohea) but with a base tea too delicate for the task.  The moderately-long aftertaste is the most impressive part of the tea, with a strong cocoa note, a nice tang, and typical Fujian red flavors that match up well with the smokiness. 

Keep in mind that I bring my biases to this review.  I'm not a huge fan of "tarry" Lapsang Souchong, but will occasionally indulge in a lighter-smoked  Zheng Shan Xiou Zhong.  If you like smoky teas and are looking for a  budget Bohea, this may be a good candidate.   To get the best from this tea, use plenty of leaf, steep a bit longer, and keep the water off the boil.