This was an interesting and subtle Yancha. Later steeps reminded me of a perfume I have with mineral tones, hints of bergamot with its citrus, spicy floral tones, spice and hints of aromatic wood. I prepared it gongfu style (2g/100ml) in a yixing pot but I think next time I would choose a gaiwan to better appreciate it. The dry leaf smelled very fresh and grainy. They were very large and thick and were loosely twisted and ranged in colour from dried up moss yellow green to dark grey toned chocolate.
My first steep was 60 seconds. The resulting broth smelled floral, a green cool floral like lilies or some orchids, with hints of hay cocoa and cream. This steep had a rather interesting mix of flavours with a mix of floral notes, wheatgrass, and plum with cream and cocoa underneath at first. As it cooled the tea added a hint of cinnamon, cherry and a very faint bit of mango to the flavour. The tea created a cooling sensation in the mouth.
The second steep (also 60s) was sweeter with more fruit and a bit of honey underneath. The floral notes were also stronger and mixed with the mineral notes to create a flavour that was slightly herbal. The spice and cream remained whereas the cocoa weakened significantly. I found a bit of peach in the aftertaste.
By the third steep (90s) the herbaceous floral blended with the fruit in a way that was subtle and quite perfumy. The cream was missing and hints of citrus appeared. The tea was spicy on the tongue and the peach once again appeared on the aftertaste.
This flavour profile continued into lasted steeps (90, 120, 180s) with the tea maintaining a mineral, floral, citrus, spice profile. The later steeps yielded a bit of aromatic wood and vegetal notes as well.
The flavour was never intense and I found the mineral notes to be quite intense at times with this tea, but I enjoyed the blend of fruit, floral, and mineral notes in this tea. Thank you very much Nannuoshan for the opportunity to try this tea.
