NOTES FOR NEXT TIME: Use 5g to 100ml water OR Yixing clay pot
Date drunk: 31 Mar 2023
4g in 100ml gaiwan
This section of the sample had quite a few large stems. Dry leaves smell like raisins, slightly musty, wood. Rinsed once. Wet leaf smells like yellow honey jujubes and sweet fragrant wood.
1st infusion (100˚C, 0:15):
Subtle sweet flavour – jujubes, white fungus, mineral-y, chestnut, unidentified floral (maybe lotus?), sweet rice and lotus leaf notes. Reminiscent of cheng tng. Not much body, quite thin but still enjoyable. Bit of sharp metallic aftertaste.
Rating: 77
2nd infusion (100˚C, 0:15)
Wet leaves smell of Asian pear. Stronger, starchier notes of jujubes and sticky rice. A bit astringent / bitter now. Not as sweet as previous. I get some tangy and fruity notes when liquor cooled – notes of apricot or pomelo. Body still quite thin.
Rating: 74
3rd infusion (100˚C, 0:20)
Flavour is smoother but even more muted now. I think these leaves aren’t very strong, or maybe it’s because of the stems in this portion. Still getting jujube faint sweetness, floral. Astringent, dry aftertaste.
Rating: 73
4th infusion (100˚C, 0:45)
Stronger now but still has this dry papery note to it, probably from the ageing. Unfortunately not my favourite. It’s a not a good sign when I feel like ditching these leaves and switching to brew a new tea for the rest of the day. Oh man it reminds me of the tea that Gong2’s relatives gave us in Guangdong – now I realise that was probably an aged raw Yi Wu pu-er as well. But well, still don’t like it.
Rating: 65
Flavors: Apricot, Chestnut, Raisins, Sticky Rice, Sweet, Tangy, Wood
