This is by far my favorite of the Mandala Sheng puer I have tried (which are the four that came in their recent sampler).
The initial steeping is very light and creamy with a taste that reminds me of golden raisins and something creamy like plain rice pudding (not the spiced kind). A couple steepings in the dried fruit flavor is more prominent while the creamy quality backs off. There is a very nice clean mouthfeel to this tea. In the third or fourth infusion there is a very noticeable vanilla note in the aftertaste.
Of the four samples in Mandala’s recent Aged Puer sampler pack (Heart of the Old Tree, Wild Monk, Wild Mountain Green, and this one) I may end up purchasing a brick of the Autumn Song to age. It seemed the most delicate of the bunch. Very smooth. I really enjoy it.
I flash infused this in a gaiwan, using only around 7-10 second steepings until around the fourth or fifth, at which point I started adding a few seconds each time.
UPDATE: Five months later, I finally had the extra money to buy one. I imagine myself having trouble saving this to age it. At only 100 g I’ll have to be careful to use it sparingly… or I could just be totally indiscriminate and buy another one for aging later, this one for drinking now. :P
Flavors: Dried Fruit, Raisins, Rice Pudding
