Silk & Jade

Gongfu!

The smoke notes are very gentle, and the strongest element of the session is actually the overall nuttiness. Like a mix of roasted or grilled peanuts and salted cashews that are peppered with complimenting notes of charcoal, carob, lilac, and even a little bit of coconut cream. Not particularly sweet overall, though there are elements of sweetness to some of the tasting notes I’m getting. Overall it’s smooth, medium bodied and quite agreeable for a darker, stormy afternoon.

As an aside, I thought the black grapes might pair nicely with the smokiness but definitely not a great combo. The smoke note isn’t intense enough and the grapes are so juicy and sweet that they through the balance of the tea all out of wack – so, I’ll finish them up AFTER my session. Oh well, you can’t get every tea pairing right and you never reaaalllyyyy know until you try them out. Live and learn.

Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/C80BKPzOQGY/?img_index=1

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tz2JKgBxs6o

Gongfu!

This was one of my favourite teas I sampled this past week at World Tea Expo, so I was quite pleased to get to bring some home with me – and I have to say that it’s even better brewed up gongfu!! It actually takes a steep or two for the overtones of smoke to really hit as the ball rolled tea leaves gradually open up, and it’s a much different type of smoke note than what I typically drink. Particularly because it leans so umami with a whole lot of char and a bit of bitter roastiness to compliment the other tasting notes. I find myself absolutely entranced with the strongly nutty midsip, which tastes simultaneously of practically burned peanuts, black sesame, and sweet yet savory peanut butter. The more raw and natural stuff that still has chunks in it and separates super quickly. It’s also very woody, in a musky but sort of fruity way with undertones of what I would imagine barbecued lychee or other floral-leaning tropical fruits might taste like. Very, very unique!

Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/C43icLOO3KA/?img_index=1

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-GkHpRKCmI