The dry leaf is long, wirey and dark. It doesn’t have a strong smell, just faint floral and vegetal notes. The steeped leaf smells much the same, but unfurls to pieces of green leaves with a reddish tinge.
The liquor is a clear, bright amber, and smells sweet, nutty and floral. I steeped this according to the package directions, 3g in boiling water, for 2:30.
The taste is sweet and floral, with a hint of bitterness, and a sharpness that I associate with astringency, but the mouth feel is smooth and round. There’s traces of nuttiness, but not as much as I was expecting – I can maybe pick out some almond on the finish, but it’s not distinct enough to name as almond if that’s not what I was expecting.
As it cools though, the flavours improve, become more full mouth, and the promised almond is showing itself more.
I tried a second steep of the leaves in 88C water, but even with quite a long steep, the flavour is rather flat.
This was nice, but not as unique as I was expecting, and from what I recall, quite expensive. I’ll have to try my first cup steeped in cooler water, and maybe try this gongfu style, but right now, I don’t feel like this was very good value for the money.
Flavors: Almond, Bitter, Floral, Nutty, Smooth, Sweet
