After resting these balled up tea leaves in a preheated gaiwan, the dry leaves emanate a rich scent of honeyed tropical fruits, magnolias and irises.
After the first infusion, the wet leaves give an intense and sweet floral aroma, like osmanthus and roses, with a huge splash of candied apples. The tea flavor is incredibly lush, fulling my mouth with the taste of passion fruits and plums. I have never had a tea this incredibly lush in flavor and yet clean tasting with not a hint of bitterness or over-roasting. As the wet leaves cool in the gaiwan, their scent sweetens and shifts from primarily floral to primarily that of (almost sickly sweet) candied fruits, mostly peach or nectarine. The sweetness lingers.
The second infusion tastes more floral, with strong notes of apple and honey. There’s a hint of dryness this time and the lingering taste is of apple peels.
In later infusions the floral note became a more subdued orchid and the roasted flavors came out more.
This tea is one of the best I’ve ever had. Taiwan Tea Crafts has some kind of spell on me. At first I couldn’t stop myself coming back for their unique and amazing selection of teawares, now I’m swooning over their teas, the more samples Phillip sends me with my orders!
Tip: brew this tea at 205F. I tried it at 196F as well and the flavor was nowhere near as bold or complex.
Flavors: Apple, Candy, Honey, Osmanthus, Passion Fruit, Peach, Roasted, Rose
