Brewed the whole orb in my 100ml thick walled gaiwan. Hit the ball with a medium strength off the boil pour for a little over a minute, at which point it was almost completely open. Proceeded with slow and light pours for the next few brews. The liqour was a bit darker than I expected for a 3 year old tea. Nice florality on the wet leaves with a hint of pitted fruit (apricot/ peach?), woody, with some hay and spice. This brew was medium bodied and started silky smooth and then developed a solid and persistent ku wei which went on for about 12 brews. The flavors started on the lighter end of the spectrum and around brews 7-10 hit the darker and richer end, going from floral and fruity with a woody complexity and honey sweetness to a rich woodiness with some forest floor and incense intertwined with a nutty bitterness. Mouth characteristics were great, this is definitely a mouthfeel lovers tea, it’s not overly intense but persistent and long. Wonderful sweetness and cooling sensation in the back of the throat with a lingering flavor of wood. Qi is solid.
Overall this is a well balanced and flavorful tea with a surprising amount of life and a wonderful mouth feel that doesn’t give up. I want to say this is Mengku but it’s not really forward enough for me to guess that.
Brewed while listening to The Shape of Colour by intervals : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fx8c3CuUxw0
Flavors: Apricot, Floral, Forest Floor, Hay, Honey, Mushrooms, Nuts, Oak, Spices, Winter Honey
