My last sampler from that long ago 2017 sampler set order from Dazzle Deer. Sample still sealed. Tea wholesaled from Teavivre.
140ml miniature teapot | 5g | 185F | Rinse/30s/45s/65s/90s/120s/120s
The leaves had a strong, bitter melon note after the rinse, with a bit of herbaceousness (thyme?) The aroma of the liquor also smelled strongly of bitter melon, cooked cucumber, and something sweetly floral (honeysuckle?) The flavor of the first infusion tasted of sour plum, stonefruit, melon rind, cucumber, dandelions, and honey. There was a sharpness to the flavor, but it was not bitter despite the pungent aroma; it was actually quite smooth, and left a somewhat sticky sensation on the tongue after the sip. As the tea cooled, a very floral/peach flavor emerged. After the second steep, the aroma was strongly sweet, herbaceous, and floral. The stonefruit was more of a peach flavor than sour plum, and I tasted warm hay and pollen along with the dandelion/honeysuckle and thick sweet honey. Third steep the floral/pollen/honey notes became even stronger, as the fruitiness became more subtle. The melon didn’t re-emerge until the later steeps, along with with a pear note, as the tea retained a sweet florality. I pushed it through six steeps, and it was delicious and smooth all the way through.
Of all the Dazzle Deer samples I went through (aka Teavivre teas!), I enjoyed the Wild Lapsang Souchong (black), Golden Monkey (black), Yunnan Dian Hong Golden Tip (black), Wuyi Da Hong Pao (oolong), Dragonwell (green), Moonlight Beauty (white), and Bai Mu Dan (white) the most. I really didn’t care for the heavily roasted oolongs and both pu’erhs… While I just don’t seem to be warming up to pu’s despite my many efforts, I do seem to really enjoy aged white teas!
Flavors: Bitter Melon, Cucumber, Dandelion, Floral, Fruity, Herbaceous, Honey, Honeysuckle, Hot Hay, Melon, Peach, Pear, Plum, Stonefruit
Aged whites are bumpin’! They make a good dead-of-winter brew because of the flavor profile, caffeine buzz and body warming effect.
I’m definitely interested in exploring aged whites more!