Afternoon tea session with 2023 Prosbloom from @white2tea, a free sample mini that came with my recent order. I prepared the leaves with a 10s rinse.
1st steep (10s) – pale orange liquor, almost roasty/charred flavour with a slight hint of sun-warmed earth in the tail of the sip
2nd steep (15s) – darker orange-brown liquor, increasing woody-earthiness, delicately sweet. Hints of black liquorice
3rd steep (20s) – liquor now red-brown, very pronounced woody-earthiness (not wet earth), roasty.
4th steep (25s) – still lots of woody earth/roast, but also a developing creaminess. Becoming sweeter.
5th steep (30s) – balanced earthy/creamy interplay
6th steep (35s) – ditto
7th steep (40s) – ditto
8th steep (45s) – ditto, but starting to fade. Very smooth.
9th steep (50s) – very smooth, sweet, creamy, only very mild underlying woody-earthiness.
On the whole I found this one a bit nondescript, just a typical low-budget shou sort of affair. Which is fine, because that’s what it is, but there are many others like it. The roastiness sets it apart a little, and it occurred to me whilst drinking that this would go really well with something like roast beef. I’m pleased to have tried it of course, and it’s a likeable, easy-drinking shou, but not one I would actively seek out again as there are others I greatly prefer at a similar price point.
