This just arrived, and I was very excited to try it out. The first thing to note is the strong aroma of the tea, which does in fact smell a bit like grapes and apricots. I’ve never had a tea that smelled quite so fruity, but I find that it is very relaxing. The color of the tea is a few shades darker than amber, which was interesting as I didn’t expect it to be quite that dark. The taste of the tea was very interesting, as it was sweeter than I expected, with very prominent flowery notes and subtler fruity flavors being the most prominent.
The second infusion was exactly like the first. Literally, everything was the same (at least, as far as I cold tell). Not that this is a bad thing, as I do like teas that are good for a lot of infusions, but this tea is actually holding up better than any other tea I’ve ever had!
The third infusion looked the same, but the taste had mellowed a bit. The fruit flavors tend to dominate the taste, bu the flowery flavors linger longer in a pleasant aftertaste. Even more interesting, the aftertaste has a hint of a mineral taste that lingers on the hard palate, a bit like a Wuyi Oolong. This has really turned out to be a fascinating tea.
The forth, fifth, and sixth infusion were characterized by a slight weakening the the strength of the aroma and a mellowing of the flavors of the tea. Honestly, the color stayed the same, and the flavors have only decreased ion potency, but otherwise the tea is unchanged. I think it’s rather amazing that it has managed to retain its flavor for so long.
I decided to stop here, as I cannot have caffeine later than 10:30 tonight, but I have to say that this was an exceptional tea, which I truly look forward to having again.
