I overleafed this quite a bit, but since it is not all tea leaves it didn’t present that much of an issue. The steeping times I kept very short though nevertheless.
The smell seems to be dominated by the chrysanthemum flowers, it is slightly sweet and spicy and has a strong lemon note. The liquor has a very deep brick colour and medium body.
In the first few infusions, the tea was also on the back foot in terms of the taste, but that has changed throughout the session. I found the taste to be nicely balanced in these latter infusions with considerable bitterness, a little sweet, but still very floral and citrusy. The aftertaste has mostly the floral and spicy notes, and the drying sensation seems to be limited to the throat only. It actually reminds me a bit of some chili peppers.
Overall, I think this tea presents a nice alternative to standard teas. It is sufficiently different, but still has many qualities of a decent red tea. I can imagine that with a normal amount of leaf it can be a bit mild, but the way I brewed it this time it wasn’t a problem.
Flavors: Citrus, Floral, Lemon, Pepper, Sweet
