I’ve nearly finished this brick, because I have been drinking it grandpa style a lot while driving deliveries for my wife’s shop. So, to make sure I tasted it properly before I ran out, I bunged a load of leaf in the gaiwan and have been brewing away properly over the past few days.
The dry leaf carries the aroma of a warm barnyard full of horses. It’s pleasing, and the tea responded well to the gaiwan, delivering a light floral liquor that was a mid yellow colour. It gave about 12 or 15 steeps in total, perhaps a little more, before it gave out. I should have made notes on that but I did not, and likely I shall not learn from this either!
My original tasting note from 2 years ago still holds. There is smokiness there and a mild astringency that is pleasing to the tongue. The aftertaste is minimal and there is little subtlety to the flavour. What there is, though, is an unchallenging, workmanlike tea that delivers a pleasant drink at a good price. I could drink this regularly without complaining, were I in need of an everyday sheng. It certainly works for when I am too tired to appreciate something better.
Flavors: Astringent, Barnyard, Floral, Smoke
Roughage, VP’s blog is listed here. It’s really a good start.
http://theguidetopuerhtea.blogspot.com/
Cool, thanks. That’s my reading for the night sorted. :)
is the brick hard as a rock like the one I have that’s also from haiwan?
Yes, Kirk, it was rock solid and really hard to pick apart.
i used a hammer on my ft xianguan and it still tastes great
I should probably have done the same with this one.