Liu An is not a type of tea that one would encounter all that often, especially an aged one. That’s why I was very happy to be able to sample this tea from Tea Joint. It is indeed quite unique, but also somewhat reminiscent of wet stored shou.
In particular, the aroma has strong notes of fresh soil, dungeon, and nuts besides other ones that are harder to identify. The liquor is medium bodied, very smooth and super comforting. Mouthfeel-wise, I get mostly oily and bubbly sensations.
The taste is sweet, nutty and earthy above all else. Early on in the session it tastes of milk, later on it gets more vegetal. Long infusions towards the end specifically are very nice and nutty. The aftertaste is slightly astringent and cooling with new notes of molasses, garlic and vanilla.
Finally, I found the cha qi to be very relaxing – overall, this is more or less the ultimate wind down tea. It also lends itself very well to boiling infusion(s) at the end of fairly long sessions.
Flavors: Earth, Forest Floor, Milk, Molasses, Nutty, Smooth, Vanilla, Vegetal, Wet Earth
