55

Stayed fairly close to Verdant’s directions – 2.5g in 60ml gaiwan, 98 C. 1st infusion 10 sec, +5 ff. Dry leaves smell woodsy & earthy & a little of overripe fruit. Also getting an aroma that reminds me of raspberry leaf tea. Wet leaves add a bit of “barnyard” funkiness to the same aromas as dry. First infusion indeed smells a lot like brewed raspberry leaf tea and tastes similar too, though much less intense & not as thick. Taste is sweet, smooth, with hints of earthy fruit. By third steep there is an herby/woody taste creeping in – reminds me of rosemary, though not as strong. A little dryness throughout mouth & throat. The fragrant wood flavor becomes more prominent – like cedar? At around steep 9, there is a cooling, almost minty finish; this continues with the cooling effect even growing a bit until I stop after 12 infusions.

Tried western style with remainder of sample; most of the same flavors, even stronger sense of raspberry leaf tea.

Trying this caffeine-free herbal was very interesting. Tea is not unpleasant, but I don’t feel any need to purchase any more.

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Learning to brew gongfu style in my first gaiwan made me aware that not only is there an amazing array of teas out there to try, but each tea has the potential to have a great variety of flavors revealed by different preparations. Whenever possible, I like to brew each tea I try a few ways: gongfu, western, cold brewed/iced. I’ve enjoyed seeing how these treatments change any given tea.

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