I bought a sample of this tea in order to get a better idea about what to expect from a Kunming stored semi-aged Yiwu tea.
Its dry leaf aroma is elegant. There are sweet florals as well as a mild marine hints. Coupled with a grassy smell of a very green meadow, it reminds me of standing on a rocky cliff on the British Isles. After the rinse, the aroma is deep, metallic and nutty with notes of kiwi, root vegetables, fish, and roasted nuts.
First steep also has a sort of nut oil flavour. It complements some floral notes, a grassy sourness and a warming astringent bite. Second infusion has a good bitterness and a cedar-like woody finish. The next one is more savoury and yeasty with cooling florals. Other flavours I noted later include conifer trees and citrus fruits. Aftertaste is long and savoury/nutty with a strong huigan reminiscent of tree sap.
The tea has a medium body and a buttery mouthfeel. There is an interesting tingling sensation present after swallowing. The cha qi is somewhat mild, but also very heady and stupefying.
I wouldn’t buy the tea given it’s current price, because I prefer to get fresh sheng and watch its progreesion as it ages. I cannot reproduce the storage conditions of warmer and more humid climates, but I’m hoping that my own stash can move in the direction as a Kunming stored tea would. As such, this sample was a valuable benchmark for me to try, even though I haven’t had it in its young state.
Flavors: Astringent, Bitter, Cedar, Citrus, Fishy, Floral, Grass, Green, Lemon, Marine, Metallic, Mineral, Nutty, Pine, Pleasantly Sour, Roasted Nuts, Sap, Sweet, Vegetables
