The leaves have an unremarkable appearance, with some tips, few twigs, and very few huang pian. After brewing, a pinch of the leaves reveal their youth and tenderness. I would guess they harvested these leaves in spring.
The aroma was sweet and carmelly, like young pu'er mixed with cola. Thick, round, soft, the flavor lingers, but not too long. Slightly bitter, not smoky at all, it had an odd energy that made me sleepy. For a young sheng lover like me, this tea really is a pleasure to drink now.
Most interestingly, it shows a mild lincang flavor profile. Lincang has a bit of a funky taste to it, a little danker than Xishuangbanna and Simao teas. The regionality of the flavor is there, but not strong. Still, Lincang flavor intensifies during the first 10 years of aging or so, so I wonder how more apparent the regionality of this tea will become. I plan to finish the sample, though, and more cakes aren't in my budget until at least after I finish off all my remaining samples from this shop and others.
3 comments:
After all this talk of tea tables, that piece of wood in the last picture seems to be the most natural, beautiful thing one could possibly use to catch drips.
Nice review. I especially enjoyed "like young pu'er mixed with cola."
You said, "After brewing, a pinch of the leaves reveal their youth and tenderness. I would guess they harvested these leaves in spring."
How can you tell? I have been trying to perfect my ability to identify flavors, aromas, etc. of the teas I have tasted. I research locations and ingredients, but I have yet to be able to tell the age of the leaves or the time of year in which they were harvested.
How does one learn these things?
It can be hard to tell. Generally, spring leaves are lighter in color, smaller, and more delicate. Summer leaves are big and thick, and fall leaves tend to be larger and more robust, too.
It's tough to tell, though, because over-harvesting in summer (summer harvests usually become shu pu'er) can make fall leaves thin and small. If overharvested, though, the leaves when dry often won't look as "juicy" or oily/shiny.
Post a Comment