Tea Chapter

5g in 150ml Chaozhou Hong Ni teapot

1st infusion (85˚C, 0:20)
Wet leaves smell incredibly musty, like something has spoiled, gone “off”. Now that I go back to smell the dry leaf, yea it’s definitely (inadvertently) aged a bit while in the fancy gift tea canister that isn’t airtight. Damn this humid Singapore weather.
Liquor actually tasted fine and had nice floral and nectar notes, but to be safe I threw the second half out.
Rating: Rinse

2nd infusion (85˚C, 0:20)

4g in 100ml gaiwan

Dry leaf is small rolled pieces, smaller than a Jin Xuan or Jasmine Pearl. Smells like a medium-roast, sweet oolong.
1st infusion (85˚C, 0:20)
Gives me Jin Xuan vibes – fruity and floral – sweet melon, peach, cherry blossom, slight citrus/apricot tang, milky sweetness. A bit light
Rating: 76

2nd infusion (85˚C, 0:30)
Deeper milky creamer notes, a hint of apricot/yuzu but less tangy than 1st infusion. Flavour and texture still not as full-bodied as I’d like. Maybe because the leaf fragments are quite small. No bitterness or astringency.
Rating: 79

I got several more steeps out of this but forgot to record. Overall a solid 78 rating.

Harvest Year: likely 2022 (expires 2023)

4g in 100ml gaiwan
1st infusion: (80˚C, 0:20)
- I guess this would classify as the “rinse” as the balls are not unfurled yet. Almost no green tea flavour in this. All floral. A slight soapy note which makes this unpleasant, a bit gagworthy for me.
- Rating: 65
2nd infusion: (81˚C, 0:30)
- Liquor has very slight faecal smell (?!?!?) Reminds me of a horse stable smell… hay and bitter / rubbery tinge of manure omg. But makes it complex and quite enjoyable to drink
- Rating: 75
3rd infusion: (81˚C, 0:35)
- Still a bit animalic scent but milder than before, nice like a subtle perfume. Liquor is super tasty green tea
- Rating: 80

Rating: 73