I bought this cake from Scott Wilson recently and here are some of my first impressions. Since the two sessions I’ve had with it were mostly quite broken-up material, it’s hard to assess its longevity, but it seems to be a tea just above the 150ml/g mark. I suspect this led to a higher flavour intensity and possibly thicker body too.
Still, it has a medium body and a slightly thicker mouthfeel than what I learned to expect from plantation tea from the mid 2000’s. Though the main takeaway for me is that rather than having a very specific flavour profile, the tea has a good depth and breadth of flavours, as well as an expansive aftertaste with a pretty impressive huigan.
If pressed, I would describe its flavour character as sweet and woody with a savoury finish. There are notes of brown sugar, bread, grass, spruce and thyme, and a touch of honey in the aftertaste. The astringency is mild but definitely present, while I didn’t detect much bitterness. Aroma is sweet, woody and herbaceous with a hint of smokiness.
I definitely don’t regret the blind purchase, I don’t have too many teas like this at the moment and for the price it’s hard to ask for much more.
Flavors: Astringent, Bread, Brown Sugar, Grass, Herbaceous, Pine, Sweet, Thyme, Wood
