A couple days ago, I found out about some mould growing in one of my aged pu-erh cakes, ouch! Thankfully, I caught it quite early and I only found in two other samples (from Tea Mountain) which were stored next to it. I will have to be a bit more careful when putting new samples into my storage. I think it has been a good decision to keep most of them separated in any case.
This sample was unaffected as far as I could tell, however. Its dry leaves have a funny look – they remind me of aged moonlight white tea with plenty buds. After the rinse, they smell of kahlua, limestone, peat, and leaf compost.
The taste is a little sour and bitter with a woody/honey sweetness to it. Overall, it is a mild tea and the bitterness really only comes in the middle of the session. There are flavours of nuts, grains, decaying wood, and pinecones.
The body is also on the lighter side and the texture has a drying edge to it, kind of like tree bark. I quite like the overall woodsy character as well as the relaxing energy of the tea.
Flavors: Alcohol, Autumn Leaf Pile, Bark, Bitter, Coffee, Compost, Decayed Wood, Grain, Honey, Limestone, Nutty, Peat, Pine, Sour, Sweet, Woody