brewed this after the much enjoyed session with the 2007 Repave. Yet the 2007 Yexiangwang Naka…I did not want to finish steeping this out. I came back to it the next day. It has longevity, it made me drunk-ish (stopped before getting too woozy). I just did not enjoy this tea in any way shape or form.
It was harsh on my stomach, and didn’t settle either. Felt like a mild case of indigestion just before acid reflux set in.
Bitterness, smokey, totally smoky, it needs more aging, maybe another 5-10 years? However long I think the smoke needs to mellow a bit longer.
Cooling huigan kicks in about steep 5-6. the first 3-4 steeps it tasted like smokey Lipton tea, with a bit of extra complexity, or perhaps smokey puerh laced/blended with a bit of lipton black tea. That distinct Lipton black tea flavor, its in this tea, that’s the only way to describe it. The description says its blended, and the dry leaves look like some heicha is in there, maybe…? Does appear to have some darker leaves in it.
steeps 5+ it started to open up but never got too complex. Its not super smokey now, but the smoke flavor is prominent and dominant and not much else shines through flavor wise.
Feeling – its medium bodied, oily mouthfeel, lingers on the tongue, cooling huigan, and head chi. This tea if brewed strongly could make you tea drunk.
I’m on the fence if I want to buy a cake to age. If I bought a cake I’d push it to the back of the stack and forget about it for another 10 years, its not something I see myself reaching for any time soon.
Its not bad, fun to sample, but not something I’d be reaching for. Final thoughts the next day when finishing this…not worth a cake. It gets you drunk, but the other effects are too harsh on me personally. Too much indecision. Love/hate…
