Backlogging from this weekend.
A sample David was kind enough to send me.
Brewed this gaiwan style for 15 infusions after the initial rinse. I’m not going to write about all 15 infusions, just the first 5 where the most changes happened for me.
The dry leaves were brown and packed and smell was woody with a hint bubblegum, but not just any bubblegum, it was the Big League Chew bubblegum!
Wet the leaves unfurled with shades of green and smelled like mushrooms.
The first infusion was crisp and woodsy like conifers with notes of mushrooms and a sweet note that I couldn’t place. The mouthfeel was thick with a creamy-silky texture.
The second infusion was still very woodsy with mushrooms. The texture became very smooth, more velvety. There was a sweet spice starting to come in, something like nutmeg but not as strong, I couldn’t place it.
In the third infusion there was definitely more spice, the earthy notes were becoming stronger and pine notes were making their way in.
Fourth steeping had that sweet spice turn into black pepper. The pine notes were much stronger and the aftertaste was becoming thick, mouth-coating thick.
Fifth steeping the spice began to fade. The earthy and pine notes were getting stronger still with mushrooms coming back in. The aftertaste was very thick. The aftertaste coated my mouth with a texture similar to eating a too ripe banana.
The later infusions had more pine notes, earthy almost soil-like notes, and mushrooms. For my first time brewing my own pu-erh I would have to say this was a success!
