My last Nepali tea, squeezed in just before the end of August! This one came from a cupboard sale from Ost, thank you Ost! Prepared gong fu style.
7.5g / 200ml / 185F / 20s|30s|40s|50s|60s
The wet leaf has a strong, pungent aroma of wet hay. The steeped tea smells of bitter melon, hay, and an herbaceous/floral aroma that is reminding me of bee pollen and dandelions. The first steep is spot on with the aroma, leading with a sharp bitter melon note that fades to more of a sweeter cantalope over the sip, and a strong peppery herbaceous/sweet floral quality that tastes of hay, flowers, and pollen. A sweeter rosy floral lingers on the tongue after the sip, as well as a sort of lemony citrus note, which presented much stronger on the subsequent steep. The third steep in particular had a strong lemon/ginger sort of flavor. Was still getting a nice flavor by the time I wrapped up at five steeps, so it probably could’ve been pushed a bit more, but I was very tea-full by that point. I’m always impressed how well very old white tea holds up.
Flavors: Bitter Melon, Cantaloupe, Citrus, Dandelion, Flowers, Ginger, Hay, Herbaceous, Lemon, Pepper, Rose, Spices