Another sample courtesy of Togo :)
I didn’t quite know what to do with this tea since I had never had a balled green tea (unless I count gunpowder green) but I think I did ok!
Teapot time :) 5g, 100mL, 195F dropped to 175F for the third+ steeps, 10s rinse followed by 9 steeps at 10/15/20/25/30/40/50/60/75s.
It took me forever to place the dry leaf smell, which wasn’t terribly complex but it was very fragrant – Grape Nuts cereal with something green vegetal and a hint of honey. Some tanginess tickled my nose when I sniffed the warm leaf. The rinse carried the same notes of Grape Nuts, tang and vegetal.
In the first steep, the tea had a very light grainy aroma. I could taste Grape Nuts and citron with a lingering finish of lemon, faint cream, grass and wheat. The liquor was noticeably drying and remained so throughout the session. The tastes were the same for a few more steeps, with the liquor thickening up and producing a really pleasant tart aftertaste. Mid-session turned oily and the grass taste turned vegetal, similar to spinach. At one point, I picked up on unplaced fruit and florals in the aftertaste and an unexpected strong returning sweetness. After this, the tea rode out with it’s oiliness, tartness, and astringency and fading tastes of Grape Nuts and butter. I ended the session at the ninth steep due to the astringency.
Overall, I really enjoyed the flavor profile though the astringency makes a snack a requirement. It didn’t really pull me in but the session was still very enjoyable. I was pleased that this tea didn’t have any of the funk I’ve experienced in other GABA teas. When I’m ready to cry my money away at Taiwan Sourcing, I’ll be looking to try a more recent harvest of this tea.
