[Autumn 2017 harvest]
I am very happy about the developments of this tea over time. It is now even more oxidized and starts to resemble a black tea. However, beneath its undeniable sweetness, there hides a well-balanced character without an overbearing complexity that is common among high-end black teas. One other general observation to note is the longevity that is almost unparalleled for a tea at this price point. One can easily push the tea beyond 350ml/g, and this may improve even further with subsequent aging.
The aromas seem to be more pronounced than before. Before the rinse, there are notes of white peach, cherry wood, hot hay, and other floral ones. On the other hand, during the session I can detect hints of apple, peach blossoms and other flowers, shellfish, maple syrup, and sugarcane emerging from the gaiwan.
The taste profile is decidedly sweet and woody, with occasional dips into floral, fruity, and towards the second half also malty and bitter territories. The very end of the session is characterized by a smooth, creamy and mineral taste though. Additionally, flavours of nectar, sandalwood, apricot, winter honey, nougat, and tree bark that come up over the course of the session.
The aftertaste is slightly drying, warming and coupled with a throat tingling sensation. As I mentioned in earlier notes, it is quite a subtle aftertaste. Compared to the sensations from the liquor itself, I find it to have more of the dry grass and thistle notes, but overall it’s fairly similar just more floral.
Flavors: Apricot, Bark, Bitter, Cherry Wood, Dry Grass, Floral, Fruit Tree Flowers, Hot Hay, Malt, Maple Syrup, Mineral, Nectar, Peach, Smooth, Stonefruit, Sugarcane, Sweet, Winter Honey, Wood
I love this tea. Wish I had stocked up more. Haven’t had the new version yet. I hope it’s good.