Spring 2022 harvest
The scent of the dry leaves is much more satisfying than the tea itself. Mediocre prepared gongfu. Brews strong in the first three infusions but rather thin with flat, undefined taste. Malty, and tangy in a stewed vegetables way. Not much of the spice or blackberry fruitiness in the dry leaf comes through in taste. Fourth infusion on, the tea does well enough with long and hot steeps, producing many more cups. I can’t recall an aftertaste or any cooling or sweet huigan.
I’ll try this out western one day this week and if it doesn’t work out, cold brew for Kiki it is.
Update: it’s better prepared western. More aromatic, as smooth as a tangy, thin-tasting tea can be. Tastes more like cedar this time. I notice a cooling finish. The aftertaste is sour like lemon or oxalis. I do think this tea has great potential. Perhaps refinement of processing will transform it into a truly enjoyable cup. I made a few pitchers of cold-brew for Kiki and she had very positive words :)
Side note: one of the 2 tea plants I found at a local nursery has produced a flower. If only the other plant would flower so they could pollinate each other and produce a few seeds. Patience.
Flavors: Blackberry, Carrot, Cedar, Chili, Cinnamon, Citrus, Eggplant, Flat, Honey, Lemon, Lime, Malt, Menthol, Moss, Orchid, Rosewood, Sour, Tangy, Tannin, Thin, Tomato, Vegetables
