The dry aroma of the leaves is rich, creamy, and buttery with lush green notes of evergreen forest and flowers. The wet aroma is the same but more vibrant.
Brewing in a gaiwan, the first infusion tastes subtle, green, and buttery, though there’s a surprising tang in the finish. I’m moving ahead to the next infusion as this one turned out a bit too subtle to really analyze. The second infusion is again buttery, green, this time a lot more floral, and there’s a somewhat bitter finish. Third infusion quite similar.
Fourth infusion I’m getting more floral than anything, reminds me a bit of Jasmine.
I anticipated really enjoying this tea from the aroma, but there’s something missing. There is no sweetness to it at all, and not enough umami to balance the floral tones. The finish comes off rather dry, and at times bitter. I don’t detect a lot of complexity and overall i feel this tea is sour.
I went ahead and checked their description to see what I’m supposed to be getting here and I’m not getting any of the sweet berry tones (unless we’re talking pretty tart berries), I can see the safflower and crysanthemum references they made though. Definitely not getting sweetness or a caramel taste even by the fifth brew. I did find that it was subtler and more flavorful on the fifth brew though, with less tartness.
Of course, I don’t mean to speak badly of this tea. It’s just not one that leaves a great impression on my palate. I have this problem with certain varietals of green rolled oolong, particularly Alishan. This one reminds me of that. Others might like this more than I do.
Flavors: Butter, Floral, Green, Pine
