I’m enjoying this. For the last few days, I’ve kind of been hiatus … I’ve been reading tasting notes, and checking things out, but, my head cold that I had at the beginning of this week kind of put a damper on my joy of writing as well as my ability to really taste much … I’d say that my taste buds have been up and working properly for at least two or three days now, I’ve noticed them getting progressively better … and I think they’re functioning well now.
I was a little worried about this tea before brewing it, although I have to say that I’ve been very impressed with the blends that I’ve tried thus far from The Whistling Kettle, so I don’t know why I worried. I just tend to be apprehensive when it comes to Pu-erh in general. Maybe eventually I’ll get over that. I hope so, because I’ve enjoyed most of the pu-erh I’ve encountered over the past couple of years … since I’ve learned how to brew it to my liking.
This tea has a very compelling balance of pu-erh and white tea … I was surprised that I can taste the white tea here, and I think that I can taste it a bit more than I could in the other Whistling Kettle tea blends that I have tried. The sip starts out with a sweet, slightly hay-ish vegetative note that is distinctly white tea and toward mid-sip, I notice the earthy character of the pu-erh. The lemon is slightly tart, and the tartness builds as I continue to sip. It has a vibrant flavor, and it really brightens the cup. The ginger is less distinguished than I thought it would be … the lemon is definitely the stronger of the two flavors. The ginger is a bit more like a sprinkling of peppery heat that sort of dances over the palate – it doesn’t overwhelm.
I like the way this tea plays out. Nicely done.
