2 quick rinses.
1st steep – Autumn Leaves,. Nori, soy sauce, salt. Iodine, and minerals. Smell of wet leaves. Soft, and medium thick in the mouth.
2nd – Very standard. Smooth. Not overly woody. Lots of autumn leaf notes. Dry leaf pile. Earthy. Lots of mineral character coming through. Enjoyable. Even if you’re not a fan of pile flavors in the tea, this is still pretty subdued. Super approachable.
3rd – Seems to be really rounded on this steep, not flat , just cohesive? it is one experience. Round and broth like, with a mineral , and kind of salt characteristic, soy sauce, and fishy like pile flavors have taken a far back seat.
4th – Very soft still, medium body. Still pretty light in the flavor department. Some roasty note. Maillard reaction characteristic. Still very round. super smooth.
5th – More of the same. still has depth with the flavors. dried leaves, earth, a roast character. However, there is a brightness, this accentuates the brine/ saltiness you get on the finish of the tea. mineral aftertaste. Some cedar/ humidor notes too.
6th – more wood character up front. still that Spanish cedar/ humidor flavor…like wood with an accent of pepper. Some brightness came through, lime, and tobacco. leaf, and light wood flavors continue. something about this is almost cigar like. the combination of the wood,and maybe the brightness is making an ash like flavor, very light, but reminder of a Connecticut cigar, in a humidor.
7th – Finally starting to lighten up in the color realm, never brewed super dark or inky. Much like the flavors…pretty nimble, and brown. Down the middle. Lightened up in flavor as well, some slight black pepper notes. Some fruit element, almost peach on aftertaste. Followed by some sweetness. A little juicy.
8th – Brews even lighter now. Some melon sweetness, comes through. Honey dew. Some milky-ness. Melons, milk, black pepper, leaf type earthiness. Very light in the flavors, predominantly dried leaf flavors, and some sweetness.
9th – Brews even lighter, at a 1 min steep time at this point. Definitely coming to the end of the tea. However, I still feel like it is a decent brewer, and have nothing to complain about at this point. Yeh, nothing too much here. Some malt maybe, body lightened up as well. A flash of watermelon/ apple jolly rancher type sweetness? calling it a day with this one.
All in all, a lot of bang for your buck. I bought two cakes of this as a daily drinker, due to price point, and as of right now, really into shou as my go to, as some shengs on the regular can be a little rough on you. This isn’t a knock your socks off, or a one of a kind experience , however, it is a great enjoyable tea. Easy going, and approachable. Perfect for a daily drinker. Drinks above its price point. If it was more complex, it’d score higher, but makes up for it in the value department.
Watch my session with this tea! https://www.twitch.tv/videos/459333627
Flavors: Apple Candy, Autumn Leaf Pile, Black Pepper, Broth, Cedar, Green Melons, Grilled Food, Honeydew, Iodine, Lime, Malt, Milk, Mineral, Salt
