114 Tasting Notes
3/6/2017 It just arrived!! 6g/3oz gaiwan/195F/10-15seconds
Delicious. Mineral-marble and floral/peach with a hint of toastiness. Again, one of my absolutely favorite teas.
Flavors: Floral, Mineral, Peach, Toasty
Preparation
2/15/2017 morning gaiwan 8g/212F/4oz? 10-15 second steeps
Another sample from YS that has lived in my tea cabinet for over a year. 1 rinse was all it needed for the chunk to start loosening up, and it was a very clean rinse.
1 – placid sheng sharpness – mellow and non-descript
2 – Calling it mellow pissed it off — intensely bitter and resinous.
3 – lower temp water, 10 second steep – still very sharp. Resinous/herbal – the wet leaf smells of oregano. Suddenly astringent and mouth filling.
4 – full temp water, 5 second steep – less astringent. Tobacco and lemon balm.
Still drinking. Will add further notes later.
The astringency continues – behind it the taste lightened up, and became almost fruit – apricot and pine, and that wet pine forest floor aroma.
This is not a friendly tea, but one that begs exploration, and experimentation – I have to add a few cakes of this to my next YS order — I think it’s going to wicked good in a few more years.
Storage notes – 25g sample from YS, I got it in 2015, and it’s been stored in its loose sample packet in my tea cabinet. Lots of air circulation, drier rather than humid, warm room temperature.
I think it says something about this tea that it makes feel I need to make a note of the storage conditions.
2/14/2017 Tea in the afternoon. 8g/ 4oz/ 212F/5-15 second steeps
A very nice shou for a winter afternoon. Warming and filling. Light pleasant ‘sheep building at the county fair’ aroma.
The tuo has been hanging out in my tea cupboard for a year so, just chilling out. I’m very happy with how well it’s adjusted to my house.
1/1/2016 Evening cuppa. 12oz/212F/2min I didn’t measure the leaf, but I’d guess maybe 2 tsp. Someone gave me a little set of cute gift tins. I find that Ahmad teas always make a nice cuppa, and are great for builders tea. A little bergamot, a little brass, very nice sweetened.
Preparation
12/27-28/2015 10g, 10oz, 180-212F, times varying from 30 sec to 2 minutes
This tea was nothing special. Drinkable. I couldn’t find any of notes or character others have described. I will say it seems to drink forever. The block didn’t even start opening up up until the third brewing, and I gave up on it before it exhausted. The flavour – sort of mild basic ‘tea-y’ was consistent throughout. I won’t buy it again, and it has left me a bit cool on fu zhuans.
