Gone gaiwan. 8g, 100mL, 205F, 10s rinse followed by 11 steeps.
The dry and warmed leaf possessed a good range of aromas dominated by the roast.
Underneath were scents of oak, red cherry, star anise, osmanthus, dark chocolate, fennel
and cinnamon. Rinsing the leaf brought forward aromas of oak, roasted walnut and pumpkin with osmanthus, peach and woody cinnamon in the background.
For the first several steeps, the aroma was fragrant with bittersweet chocolate, orchid
and osmanthus. In the mouth I could taste bold flavors of oak wood and minerals and a
lighter peach. The liquor was woody-bitter with a good astringency felt on the tongue,
leaving behind an intriguing rough texture. The aftertaste had notes of mint and orchid
and a delayed expression of cassia. With the first steep, I could quickly feel my sinuses
opening with a cooling menthol or perhaps camphor which soon crept its way into my ears. As the steeps progressed, the flavors became smoother and more muted while the aftertaste vied for attention, developing prolonged notes of peach, osmanthus, orchid and chocolate. At this point a pleasant returning sweetness also presented. From there, the high notes completely faded away and the brew became more bitter, ending with wood, flat pumpkin, and faint cassia.
I found this to be a really nice Rou Gui. I enjoyed the long peach and osmanthus aftertaste and the cassia played a nice supporting role instead of dominating. The Rou Gui cultivar tends to be a bit too woody for my tastes but this one was nevertheless very pleasant.
