Thanks to R2 for the sample!
2017 Xiaguan Jingmai “Gushu” shou
7.0g, 90 mL gaiwan, Brita filtered tap, boiling
Dry leaf is pretty standard shou smell, slightly sweet and slight fishiness
18s rinse
Wet leaf is smoky sweet fishiness initially and later more of a woody honeyed smell
9s: nice mouthfeel. A woody medicinal slight bitter sweetness. Slight cooling on tongue after.
12s: similarly nice mouthfeel. Tastes more medicinal than before, but also the slight sweetness is stronger in this cup. Same cooling on tongue, but lingering more than before.
12s: similar, but less sweet and less cooling afterwards.
12s: a muted woody taste with a light bready-sweetness
12s: generic woody shou taste. Shook up the gaiwan to break up the chunks that were stick stuck together, which I later regret doing. The tiny particles that usually filter in the strainer must’ve broken down too much because they ended up repeatedly clogging the strainer after, and I had to wait for the tea to drip through every steep at an aggravating pace despite clearing it out each time.
12s: A medicinal slight sweetness though not much else of note
20s: forgot to take notes, but not memorable
1 min. 20s: light sweetness amidst generic shou background.
Will thermos the rest since it’s not interesting enough to me to continue from here
Overall: I can see why LP mentions a floral likeness, though I would not have described it that way myself. At .24/g, I’m not expecting anything earth shattering, and this tea, specifically in its initial steeps, punches above its weight considering price. It was nice to try this since I’ve been tempted to blind cake this before and I’m glad I didn’t since I prefer sweeter shous.
