What a funny little tea. And I mean that in a good way. It’s like a really delightful Assam – except it isn’t an Assam. It’s malty and thick but with a sweet honeyed lightness that makes it feel both solid and delicate at the same time. There’s not a lot of complexity to the flavors but the dichotomy between the light/sweet/soft note and the heavy/darker/hearty note makes up for that and gives it a good depth. There’s even a little dryness at the end of the sip that I could see turning into an Assam-like nutty bitterness if I brewed it longer.
The second steep (4min) tastes more like what I expect Fujian teas to taste like – not really malty and not quite as honeyed, but more of a sweet, figgy-type flavor. Both steeps are very good, even though they taste like they came from two different teas!
