Wet Leaves: Right away I notice a kind of vegetal aroma that reminds me olive oil, but after the rinse the leaves give off the very distinctly sweet, saturated smell of raw honey. Underneath that there’s very prominent floral and stone fruit aromas. (Weird Aside: I swear the lid of the gaiwan smells like baby powder…)
Early Steeps: Light, sweet, floral. By steep two, the sweetness begins turning into a kind of apricot or peach flavor.
Middle Steeps: The floral, fruity notes are fading fast, giving way to a kind of boiled vegetable flavor. Little to no bitterness coming through yet, but a moderate huigan has come through. Honestly kind of a bummer, considering where this tea started out.
Tail End: Drying astringency is now coating my tongue, yet flavors have become dull and uninteresting. No noticeable body effect that I can feel either.
Verdict: This tea creates a very uneven experience. Beautiful aromas and a very gentle fruity sweetness gives way to astringent boiled vegetable flavors. The tea is very tasty for about 3-4 steeps, then rapidly doesn’t have much to offer. Might develop some depth with time, but the relative softness of the tea doesn’t suggest it has a ton of aging potential. It’s not bad, just oddly uneven. Your mileage might vary.
