2006 “Osmanthus Fragrant” Farmer Style Raw Liu Bao
7.5g, 100mL gaiwan, Brita water, 212f
dry leaves don’t have much smell
in prewarmed gaiwan: not quite osmanthus to my nose, but slightly sweetened
1x 5s rinse
wet leaves carry no osmanthus for me, but smell rather similar to some of the Xia Guan shengs I’ve tried, with their characteristic light smoke and dried fruit.
5s: taste upfront is sort of nondescript, but slight sweet dried fruit aftertaste, like a sheng.
12s: slight sweet, more woody. similar aftertaste
15s: back to nondescript w/ aftertaste
20s: a bit of bittersweetness and woodiness w/ aftertaste
30s: woody and lightly sweet
1 min and 2 min: both similar to before
thermos brew: slightly bitter and medicinal
Apparently osmanthus is one of the main liu bao profiles, but didn’t really catch it here. I guess the osmanthus teas I’ve tried are nauseatingly strong on it though, so this was a change of pace that I didn’t quite seem to acclimate to.
Flavors: Bitter, Dried Fruit, Medicinal, Smoke, Sweet, Wood
