graceatblb Send Message

I spent 4 days with this tea. It was 4 days of pure tea bliss where each steep was something new and something brilliant.

I somewhat deliberately overleafed this time around. I think I used around 7g.

1st Steep-30 seconds
Somewhat smokey but it’s more of a camphor or mint type of feel. There was also a crisp fruitiness on the finish. Like a green apple.

2nd Steep-45 seconds
Somewhat similar to the first steep with the camphor and smoke but much more apple and a bit sweeter. There is also a spicy note peaking through. A nice creamy finish.

3rd Steep-1 minute
Holy 3rd Steep! Apples, spices and a nice toasty note—-almost bread like. Is it possible to get a pie-crust note in tea? I’m also definitely getting cloves and nutmeg. Some cinnamon pops out every odd sip. There is also a citrus note in the background. Am I crazy to say this tastes like pie?

4th Steep-1.30 minutes
This is my second day with this tea and I still love it. Smells like honey and apples. Faint taste of heavy cream. Maybe some raw sugar. It’s also not mellowing out much.

5th Steep-2 minutes
Lots of honey and citrus. Apple is in the background. Creamy finish.

6th Steep-2.30 minutes
Sort of grassy. Apple crispness returned with a natural honey sweetness.

7th Steep-3 minutes
This is the 3rd day with this tea. It’s become like a friend of mine and there is very little fade so I am a bit convinced that I will be brewing this tea for the next week. This steep still had the apple but it was more starchy. Maybe a bit like jicama.

8th Steep-3.30 minutes
Honey and spices. The apple is gone but it’s still so tasty. I’ve been brewing this tea for 3 days and I am not ready to let it go yet.

9th Steep-4 minutes
Spicy note. Not so much the sweet sort of spice from the previous steeps but a spice I can feel. Like cinnamon. This steep is also a bit fruity.

10th Steep-4.30 minutes
The apple is back with a bit of lemon on the finish. I am shocked how well this tea stood up to 3 (almost 4) days of steeping.

11th Steep-15 minutes
I usually do one extremely long steep at the end to squeeze whatever flavor I can from the leaves. It worked well here. The apple pie taste is back but less aggressively. The bready note also re-appeared when the tea cooled down a bit.

This tea was amazing. Almost 4 days with it and not a single moment of boredom or wanting to try something else. The flavors jumped all over the place and each steep was a revelation in and of itself. I could have easily brewed this for another 10 steeps and not have minded at all. Such a beautiful sheng. I am so happy I bought a cake.