I was searching through my cupboard this morning looking for a tea to complement the weather. It’s cool, overcast and humid today, making it feel a little warmer than it really is. I figured I’d dip into this yellow tea for the first time.
I prepared this gongfu, using 3g, 60mL gaiwan, 195F. Flash rinse followed by 10 steeps, though you could probably get more with attentive brewing.
The dry leaf smell was very rounded with sweet potato, sweet mango, malt and a deep umami that reminded me of soy sauce. The wet leaf scent remained surprisingly strong throughout with notes of tropical fruits like mango, passionfruit and guava, some malt, light cocoa and a faint mint which disappeared early on. The mint made its presence known as a cooling effect more than a taste. Despite the warm notes in scent and taste, this was a very cooling tea. The flavors remained unchanging and reflected the scent of the wet leaf: tropical fruit, umami, malt, sweet potato, mineral and a kind of lightly bitter alkaline taste with a building but not unpleasant astringency.
The amber-gold liquor remained thick throughout and sat heavily in my stomach, making food a requirement. I ended up finishing the session while eating some leftover Ethiopian food which overwhelmed the experience so I was sitting and wondering what kind of food would go well with this tea. Maybe a guava or pineapple cake or a red bean moon cake? Something to bring the fruity notes forward and tame the growing astringency.
I really enjoyed this tea and found it to be a great pick for today’s weather. It’s definitely Yunnan in taste and very different from the yellow tea I’ve tried from Anhui province. I’m glad my curiosity brought me to this tea.
