A promising but ultimately mediocre yancha. I got the Spring 2020 harvest of this tea from my OWT order, and the first few steeps were going good, but it fell off a cliff quite quickly. Decent leaves albeit slightly broken, with a nice and rich aroma full of complexity, topped with a decent liquor that was relatively vibrant. The flavour was quite nice and packed a bit of complexity and richness to it, which was great. However, the flavour only lasted for the first 4 or 5 steeps, before it became blander and thinner, with the complexity dropping off one by one. This tea also has average steep longevity along with no noticeable cha-qi, a lack of character to it, and an average texture, finish & aftertaste. If this tea was able to hold up its flavour for longer, or even better have its flavour transform throughout the session, this tea would’ve gotten plaudits from me. However, this tea just couldn’t hold up for long enough and became a mediocre tea.
Flavors: Acidic, Bittersweet, Dark Chocolate, Floral, Gardenias, Lily, Malt, Mineral, Nutty, Salt, Spices, Wet Rocks, Wet Wood
Your palate and experience seems to line up well with mine. I was surprised to get so much gardenia in a cultivar that, in my limited experience with Qi Dan, has been oxidized and roasted much heavier This leaf is so green!