Some extra notes from today’s session:
The dry leaves have a strong fruity smell, mostly reminiscent of apricots. In the wet leaves, I get a lot of the “barrel aged” aroma, while the empty cup smells mostly of honey, flowers and dry grass.
I decided to crush some of the leaves instead of using longer steeps. As a result, the brew is smoother and thicker without getting too rough around the edges. The bitterness stays with you in the aftertaste, which is interesting, it takes a long time until it transforms. Also, it somehow reminds me of the bitterness found in some raw pu-erh – like the YS Dehong Ye Sheng Cha for example.
When I came home today, I was craving some raw pu-erh, but in the end I decided for this one and it was a good choice. In some strange way, its profile is not too distant from an aged sheng, definitely not your standard black tea. I have to increase the rating, because this session I enjoyed it more than the last time.
Flavors: Apricot, Dry Grass, Flowers, Fruity, Honey