Dry Leaf – Sweet,vegetal, nutty and plummy scent.
Wet Leaf – Sweet,nutty,fruity and vegetal.
After the leaves the water they look ‘alive’ and bright. Very pleasant it almost begs to be prepared in a glass tumbler or glass gaiwan.
Gong Fu Style – 5g leaves 5oz Gaiwan
1st – 2 secs – Very fruity sweet, almost plummy. In contrast is nutty and vegetal. It seems clean and sweet during and after drinking, the aftertaste is vegetal in aftertaste.
2nd – 2 secs – Light green color in the liquor. Very nutty and vegetal, the nuttiness stays but becomes more sweet as it washes down. There is a slight plummy taste that is very pleasant, even if you are not fond of floral notes.
3rd – 3 secs – The lid of the gaiwan smells sweet and nutty; the leaves smell nutty and sweet and very vegetal with a very bright green color.
The liquor is very nutty and vegetal with subtle plummy notes. This steep is a perfect mellow balance with pleasant sweetness that lingers.
4th – 4 secs – Sweet, nutty and vegetal. As it washes down the nuttiness becomes very apparent. The plummy taste is very subtle but doesn’t seem to faint away, rather it lingers through the sweet and nutty aftertaste.
5th – 4 secs – Sweet and nutty. Its vegetal notes mix with lingering plummy taste, it seems very well balanced. As it washes down, the nuttiness is more apparent and stays during the aftertaste.
6th – 6 secs – The lid of the gaiwan is still very sweet and nutty, while the leaves are more vegetal and sweet. The liquor is sweet and nutty, the vegetal notes is more apparent and more nutty. The plummy taste is almost gone but the aftertaste is just as sweet and nutty.
7th – 8 secs – Sweeter and more vegetal than previoius steeps. The nuttiness very present while initially slurping the liquor and then again while it washes down. The after taste is sweet and vegetal while still maintaining the nutty taste.
8th – 10 secs – Sweet and nutty, the vegetal note is slightly ‘revived’ and then cleans into sweetness that lingers into the aftertaste. At this point the tea tastes more like a Silver Needle tea with nuttiness added to it.
9th – 20 secs – Sweet almost fruity. There is barely any vegetal notes in the liquor. It once again reminds me of a nutty Bai Hao Silver Needle.
10th – 30 secs – Sweet and fruity. The nuttiness is reminiscent or a nutty rice or oats, very pleasant. At this point there’s a slight astringency.
Notes:
Very pleasant tea. I’m not the biggest green tea enthusiast and is love this tea. I recommend using the hottest water possible below boiling temperature with short steeps. Although longer steeps are really good and I do them at work, specially because it is a very forgiving tea that I haven’t been able to really over steep.
