Sipdown no. 129 of 2018 (no. 485 total). A sample.
This sample packet contained only enough for a single tasting in the gaiwan. Dry, the leaves are green and rolled into the typical balls. The dry tea has a green, floral fragrance, that is pleasant but not exceptional.
Rinsed, steeped at 195F starting at 15 seconds and adding 5 seconds each subsequent steep.
The tea has the expected pale yellow liquor that develops a tinge of green with longer steeps. It smells of milk, butter, and flowers. It doesn’t smell as sweet as some others I have had, and the smells don’t blend seamlessly, but it smells appetizing.
It tastes a lot like it smells, and I don’t notice much change from steep to steep (I went for five) — which really does make me wonder whether my taster is off today. There’s a sharp note as well that I’m not loving, though it seems to mellow out around the third steep.
There’s a slightly sugary character to smell in the cup once the tea is gone, but not as sweet or floral as that of some others.
Good, but not a favorite tie guan yin.
Flavors: Butter, Floral, Milk