2016 Old Trees Black Tea N1 Medium Oxidized, Loose Leaf

It's probably softer than #3, but that softness allows it to be brewed a little stronger. Personally, I think it's great. Perfect tea for spring, early fall. Very pronounced, gives strong condition.

5g \ 90ml Gaiwan
Haven’t been drinking black teas for a long time. From the very first steeping tea smells with bird-cherry tree bark. I know this smell very well from my childhood.
The dry leaf smells with dried fruits, dried apricots. By its light acidity, softness and roundness, it reminds me of wild purple-leaf bushes red tea from Yunnan Sourcing, but the aftertaste is much deeper and denser. The absence of any dryness or excessive viscosity speaks about the high level of processing.
The tea itself leaves an extremely positive impression and it is different from those Thai blacks that I drank earlier. I can even say that the tea was a bit surprising. I cannot measure it by the Chinese standards, because I’ve never met such a tea there. The tea leaves a pleasant impression, made very carefully, long, even leaves. There is no Ming Hong’s taste hurricane or Dian Hong's severity, this tea is a little sheng-alike, but with a soft and minerally-dense taste of hong cha.
I will not be surprised if will have qi with time. For fans of determining particular tones in taste, I will say that there are caramel and some plum. The fragrance is moderate, the aftertaste is rich, mineral-caramel.
Summary: this tea does not fully fit into my understanding of blacks. So I don’t understand clearly what place it can take in my tea card. To savor and got drunk there are sheng’s. To properly warm up and cheer up there is Dian Hong... So, I rate 8 out of 10 and put this tea in a treasure chest of tastes.