The dry leaf here smells almost like malted milk balls. Sharply sweet. For someone like me, this is what initially put me off golden needle teas and had me skeptical about the final cup.
The wet leaf is less sharply sweet, but still has a powerful, vague fruitiness to it. I know I know what this smells like, but I cannot find the noun, right now.
Thankfully, the liqueur in the cup is unexpectedly dark, rich, toasted and malty with only a lingering hint of all that sweetness.
