This tea from Berylleb was strong and punchy without all that much bitterness. It was smooth from the beginning. It continued to be strong and smooth throughout all ten steeps I gave this tea. I did develop some sweet notes in later steeps but I would not use the term apricot. They were more subtle. This tea has a potent aftertaste that is somewhat bitter. As to qi, I can say it has a relaxing qi but this is not what some would call a stoner tea, it’s qi was not quite that strong. I enjoyed this tea immensely. It is at least as good as sheng I have acquired from White2Tea or Yunnan Sourcing. It also claims to be ancient tree, from 400 year old trees. While I believe you should take all such claims with a grain of salt, Berylleb has a good record of telling the truth. I tend to at least believe they believe that this is from 400 year old trees. If bitterness is a prerequisite for a good aging tea, this has enough of it I think it. While the bitterness was not at all unpleasant, it was there but not that much of it. In the end this is a good, slightly bitter sheng for an excellent price. It was on sale for $45 a bing, don’t know if it is still on sale, the regular price lists at $90.
I brewed this tea ten times in my new 150mml ruyao gaiwan from Teaware.house with 10.g leaf and 200 degree water. I gave it a 10 second rinse and a 10 minute rest. I steeped it for 5 sec, 5 sec, 7 sec, 10 sec, 15 sec, 20 sec, 25 sec, 30 sec, 45 sec, and 1 min.
