Reviewing the Spring 2016 version of this tea. This tea has been the workhorse of my winter. My true daily drinker.
Prep: 60 or 100cc gaiwan, full to brim, boiling water. 15s, 10, 10, 20, 20, 30, 40, 60, 60
Sessions with this tea: 30+
Taste: Slow cooked, caramelized sweet potato, with maybe clover or some milder vegetal note on the early steeps. A hint of floral, low-medium roast notes, also a bit of savory soup note in the middle steeps.
Body: Medium thickness to the mouthfeel, good mineral strength. Highly playful across the tongue on the first 3 steeps. Moderate energy, sits in my neck and upper chest.
Very enjoyable tea which has been my workhorse “daily drinker” this winter season. I had a sample of the 2015, which I loved, so I bought a large quantity from 2016. It’s a pretty straight-forward yancha which has a playful melody and fun rock feeling across the first 3-4 steeps, and has an understated sweetness and nuttiness. The roast notes don’t trip over themselves or fade away, but are integral to the opening steeps. These things make this an ideal daily drinker for me, and I keep this bag at work and find myself reaching for it afternoons when I’m not in the mood to experiment with something new, or just want something enjoyable to sip on. I will miss this tea when I run out soon.
Really enjoyed this stuff too; Tea Trekker had some amazing 2009 of it