Jiu Tai Po has all the marks of a pu’er I would like to add to my collection. It has a unique flavour profile, pungent taste, long aftertaste with a strong huigan, full body, and a grounding cha qi. If I were to describe the tea with two words I’d say it is, above all, thick and grainy.
The dry leaves have a sweet floral aroma that reminds me of hot and humid summer days, in the preheated pot there’s also a citrus and parsley like scent. Wet leaves, on the other hand, display a very strong grainy aroma.
The rinse presents a crisp, malty, and vegetal liquor with a sweet apple note to it. It’s quite different from the subsequent infusions though. Soon enough, a pungent mix of bitter and sweet vegetal flavours takes the center stage. The profile is grainy with notes of sunflower and very much like wheat beer, just much more bitter. Aftertaste brings more of floral orchid-like notes, some lemon tart sweetness that keeps a sour bite, and a spicy vegetable broth umami.
Texture-wise, the liquor is extremely thick and creamy, at once numbing and cooling in the mouth. The cha qi seems to be more of the heady kind rather than inducing pronounced bodily sensations.
In short, this one gets one of the easiest ‘recommend’ badge from me :)
Flavors: Alcohol, Bitter, Broth, Citrus, Floral, Grain, Grass Seed, Lemon, Orchid, Parsley, Pleasantly Sour, Spicy, Sweet, Thick, Umami, Vegetal, Wheat
