Well, to be honest this one did not start off very well with me at all, at first I was really disappointed I thought this was going to be the worst tea I’ve had just by the scent of the leaves dry, Smelling them dry all I could think was “chemicals?” I wasn’t sure what I was smelling, after first steep and leaves were wet I realized that the “chemical” scent I thought I was getting was more like “camphor” instead much like some scents and flavors that I get from puerhs. Ok then my first cup the first taste of this was “horrible” I really hate to use such a word as “horrible” but thats all I could think, very camphorlike and I quickly noticed the “scorched/burned” taste of this tea, I tasted like this tea was “overbaked/roasted” (I brewed it at 185F so I wouldn’t scorch it myself) so it was just the initial taste of this tea that was “burned”, I also noticed a very smokey flavor to this tea not quite like a lapsang but more like a smokey “gunpowder” (I think some one else said that too in a review here). After about 4 steeps( BTW at this point there are pretty much flash steeps, very short) this Tea finally starts to mellow out and take on more roasty, toasty flavors rather than just burned flavors with some nutty tones, still smokeyness and only the after taste is slight “scorched” tasting.(Lance suggested putting some sweetener in it so I put some sugar crystals from butiki tea in there, it was not bad at all gave it a nice sweet flavor and brought out nutty tones but at this point it still didn’t help that little burned flavor, but it was nice). At about 6 steeps this tea turns very nice wonderfully flavorful smokey with some roasty nutty notes getting naturally sweet NO MORE BURNED flavors(after 5 steeps lol) Super good!
Steep 9 I pour on my water and it still turns dark right away, its not going to give up anytime soon, Different, this time no nuttyness, more smokiness and very nice, almost how you would imagine a really nice Oolong and Smoked Lapsang blend, perfection. The aroma of the wet leaves is still very “camphor” like.
Steep 10 ok perhaps I steeped it a tad long this time( a very short almost flash steep was needed but i was looking at the computer lol) the smokiness is heavier and the slight burned flavor is back but not so bad tastes almost like a Smoked Lapsang now lol nuttiness is back now tho and it is quite pleasant, smell like Oolong in the cup but Lapsang in the gaiwan .
Steep 11 Omg! same deal as steep 9 steeps up dark right away still I like this teas endurance, same basic flavors as steep 9 smokey and nice but with some nuttiness again and natural sweetness coming thru again, honestly kinda PUERHish in some ways.
Steep 12 is just a dark as before with the same type flavors notes but very smokey, i’m going to skip ahead a few steeps now, ok Steep 15 and it has gone very mellow and earthy even, still smokey and slightly nutty it is starting to remind me of a nice well aged naturally fermented Puerh, This has turned out to be quite a complex tea, I like it.
Steep 17 again the last 2 steeps were still pretty consistent with the few steeps before them, Smokey, Nutty, slightly sweet naturally, I’m going to stop talking notes now and steep till 20 times then I’ll write about the 20th steep Thats where I decide to stop even if the tea is still going lol.
Ok Steep 20 was one of the best just take all I said before and add it up and balance it all out perfectly and that was the 20th cup, I hate to give up on this one but 20 cups of one type tea is just a bit much for me today but I enjoyed it a lot.
At first I thought that this tea may have been over roasted, then I thought maybe not, then after the whole thing is over I have to say that I DO think it may have been a little over roasted because after 20 steeps all day and the leaves were still rolled tight and strangest of att they were still hard and "crunchy:, I took one in my fingers and crushed it like it was still dry AFTER 20 steeps lol(you can see it in the photo crumbled in my hand), I don’t know what to think, VERY GOOD TEA!!!
This was copy paste from my blog, the photos I tak about can be seen here :)
http://toadsteablog.blogspot.com/2012/11/aged-oolong-1990-by-teafromtaiwancom.html
