1 Tasting Note
Brewed gongfu style 30s/5s/6s/9s – 180-170 F, 2g in 50 ml gaiwan.
Aroma of the dry leaf was fairly smoky, so I was pleasantly surprised that the first infusion came across as more sweet than smoky. The flavor definitely improved with the second and third infusions as some slight astringent notes came out to complement the sweetness and the body filled out. The third infusion even brought with it a faint hint of lemon.
Though Murchie’s calls this a green tea, it both tasted and appeared much darker than what I’m accustomed to with greens. Liquor is a medium-dark yellow orange, and the leaves are a deep, deep, brown green. I’d imagine some of this is due to bruising that may occur in the rolling process. None of this is a particularly bad thing as it tastes just fine, but if you’re looking for the freshness and vegetal taste of greens I’d suggest you look eslewhere. Overall a nice enough tea, but not one I’ll be racing back to.
Gaiwan drinkers be warned, as the leaves aren’t fully open on the first infusion they can easily stop up your pour if you aren’t careful!
Flavors: Astringent, Lemon, Smoke, Sweet
