Had a 2018 harvest of this tea. I’m pretty sure I received two packets as freebies in a few orders, so thank you, Old Ways Tea :)
The dry leaf was all intense Caramelized Peaches and Cream! Super clear expression. Warming and rinsing brought out the sweet roasty-toasty nature of the tea along with the tanginess and red aroma of raspberry, pomegranate and red apple, and dark chocolate and wood.
I had a rough day at work when I tasted this, so my notes kind of trailed off after the first infusion. I noted that it was light-bodied, mineral, still quite roasty with an astringency toeing the ‘too much’ line but it never really got out of control. Beyond the roast was a pure peach-fruit tree flower essence. Creamy impression on swallow followed by a peach-osmanthus-cream aftertaste.
My notes were sparse for the remainder of the session. Some things I wrote: late emerging bitterness, caramel sweetness, osmanthus aftertaste, bitterness gone. Toward the end I noted the growing thickness of the liquor and tongue tingles with the final infusions being nutty, sweet and grassy. Good longevity with short gongfu infusions.
I’ve had one other Jin Mu Dan, from Yunnan Sourcing — https://steepster.com/teas/yunnan-sourcing/85028-gold-mudan-jin-mu-dan-wu-yi-rock-oolong-tea-star-spring-2017
This was a completely different experience, and despite my mindstate, I fully appreciated what this tea had to offer. It was much livelier and I’m guessing Old Ways Tea’s Jin Mu Dan had a heavier roast than the one from Yunnan Sourcing which had left me not wanting to further explore the Jin Mu Dan cultivar. I’d go for this one again but it’s not a favorite yancha. The clear and vibrant peach/flower and osmanthus expressions were fantastic, though!
Flavors: Caramel, Cream, Creamy, Dark Chocolate, Drying, Floral, Fruit Tree Flowers, Grass, Mineral, Nutty, Osmanthus, Peach, Raspberry, Red Apple, Roasted, Spices, Sweet, Toasty, Vanilla, Wood
