The dry leaf has an awesome fresh, fruity & “green” aroma with some alcohol (fruit brandy) in the background. Once rinsed, the smell becomes really pungent. The dominant notes are wet hay, freshly cut grass, cooked cabbage and anise. It evokes the feeling of being at a meadow after a summer rain that has broken a period of dry weather.
The liquor is full bodied, quite thick and astringent, especially when brewed this strong. It seems to be drying and cooling in the throat, but warming for the body. Other than that, it makes me really relaxed and somewhat lightheaded, which could be because I didn’t eat a lot today though. I didn’t notice any strong caffeine rush effects.
Taste-wise, this is also one of the most pleasant teas I have had a chance to try. It is fairly complex with a protracted aftertaste. The vegetal side of the taste is the most prominent, but there is definitely a strong fruitiness as well, often very alcohol like both in the taste and the mouthfeel. The way I brewed it, there is a decent amount of bitterness, through which the fruity sweetness emerges. There are also notable woodsy tones, mostly cedar I would say.
Now that I finished my sample, I can definitely see myself getting the whole cake at some point. The price seems more than adequate given the quality of the material.
Flavors: Alcohol, Anise, Astringent, Bark, Brandy, Cedar, Compost, Drying, Freshly Cut Grass, Fruity, Green, Hay, Pine, Summer, Thick, Vegetables, Vegetal
Ooh that sounds good, I’ll have to try that one