No. 648 Red Jade Ruby 2020
I’m trying this out for last to see how it goes, and I’m doing it without reading the notes. I’ve already got the eucalyptus, malt and menthol expectations up as I try it out, and I hope it’s not as astringent as other Red Jades I’ve had.
I went 5 grams 150 ml, 15, 30, 45, 65 and stopped.
The earlier notes I mentioned were there as expected, and this one was considerably smoother to drink. Each brew had a bright ruby red color, and lots to offer in the aroma in terms of mint, eucalyptus, sage, and malt. The flavors are much the same, but steep three gave me a little bit of cherry hint, and every steep was sweeter than normal, as if it had simple syrup added. Overall, the effect reminded me of cough syrup or sweetened cough medicine, but I didn’t have a major headache afterwards. I’d give it a 75-80 rating. I could also see other people giving it a much higher rating.
While I’m still not someone who likes the Red Jade varietal in blacks and whites as much now, I appreciated and enjoyed the tea because it was smoother than others I’ve had prior. This last note solidifies how well rounded the sampler is to give people an idea of what Taiwan teas are like. I preferred some over others and wish there might have been at least a Assam or Qin Xin Black, yet this is a good gift box for someone learning about or adoring of Taiwanese teas. Again, I deeply recommend Zhao Zhou.