2007 Yang Qing Hao Huangshan Lingya
6.1g, 80 mL shuiping, Poland spring bottled water
Dry leaf has classic sweet mushroomy smell of YQH
20s rinse
Wet leaf has sweet, almost incense-y smoky smell along with the sweet mushroomy note
8s: a mushroomy, slight medicinal sourness with a slight sweet aspect that fades almost immediately. Slight minty cooling on aftertaste that recedes back into a mushroomy note
9s: a lightly woody medicinal bitterness, similar sourness to before, but much less of the mushroom. Something citrus/tang like to it. Leaves tongue dry, but a shifting sour taste to slight sweet aftertaste slightly in throat. Definitely tastes like something my mom would make me drink when I was sick as a kid. Calming drowsiness, slight warmth
9s: crisp woody medicinal taste. Slight bitterness, much lightened from before. Sourness also lightened. Astringent again, leaves tongue and teeth feeling dry. Much lighter aftertaste.
10s: initially an oddly chalky candy like taste a la Smarties. Sweeter overall taste, but retaining general woodiness and slight sour medicinal taste from before. Still drying on the tongue, slight sweet aftertaste. Slight warming. Caffeine is kicking in.
12s: slight dark fruity aspect, generic slight medicinal clean aged sheng taste otherwise. Still astringent
15s: lightly fruity, sort of generic YQH taste. Can’t really pick any notes out. Slight drying
17s: similar. Not really an aftertaste other than slightly dry tongue, but aroma in back of mouth and upper throat
23s: same generic mushroomy, clean crisp YQH taste
37s: a slightly plum note amidst the rest of the slightly bitter YQH slight mushroomy background. Slightly bitter aftertaste
37s: darker taste, slightly drying. Slight sweetness/floral aspect to aftertaste. Can’t quite find the words for it, but I’m enjoying it
37s: similar
40s: gentle sweetened profile. A little drying
1 min: light Chinese herbal medicine taste. Still drying
1 min. 30s: lightly plummy aftertaste, but taste not too interesting, though comforting. Slight warming settling in again
2 min: a medicinal, slightly plummy taste, though light. Slightly drying
3 min.: a light, very slightly plum note
5min.: much lightened. Will move to thermos.
overall: light warming, relaxing qi. Made me want to nap, but caffeine kept me unable to actually fall asleep. I expected to like this better based on other reviews/tasting notes, but the drying aftertaste of many teas really kept me ambivalent to this one overall, so if this were still for sale from YQH, wouldn’t be one I’d cake
