2008 Xiaguan FT Baoyan "Mushroom Tuo"??

[Tead Off]

I've had some 2003 teas that still retain a lot of smoke.

That's interesting? It must depend on either the storage or the tea. I have been drinking a 2004 XG Iron Cake pretty regularly that doesn't have smoke left on it. I have one "2003" iron cake that has smoke on it, but it is a fake of the Teji red wrapper cake. My tuos older than 2008 are smoke free. Some of the recent ones are still smokey.

I have a 2004 Xiaguan Tie Bing with no smoke. Quite good, btw.

I think vendors should mention smokiness when describing their teas. YS does not do this as well as many others. I try to make a point of asking a vendor about any tea I'm thinking of buying. I am anti-smoke.

[chrl42]

I am pretty ok with smokiness..maybe because I often drink Wuyi teas...

They were far better than humidity in my criteria.

[gingkoseto]

Some producers wouldn't think it's flattering if you tell them you don't think their new puerh is smokey, which also depends on the context and connotation. It's not that smokey is a super good feature, but rarely non-smokey is taken as a good feature of a new puerh either. Since I don't drink much of new puerh, I don't care.