Well, now, I’ve had this Changtai raw/sheng for a couple years in my dark tea cabinet at 62 %RH, making it now 18 yrs old. Let’s see how it tastes today! The leaf in this cake is in large pieces, 1-2 inches long, and not too tightly compressed, so it was easy to pick off 5 g.
Gave it a quick rinse of 5s under hot tap water, then 5s more with boiling spring water. Successive infusions in 3 oz boiling alpine spring water:
15s- Golden orange soup, withered tea on the nose. Slightly tannic in the first sip, with notes of wood and malt coating the tongue and mouth.
20s- Same, but a little smoother.
30s- The tea leaf flavor is picking up here.
45s- Same golden orange soup, but the tannic notes are declining, to reveal some astringency and a longer smooth finish. No defects, but no other flavor notes either.
—[paused an hour, boiled more water and continued infusing]—
30s- Same golden orange soup, tea, wood, hint of chamomile taste.
90s- Same golden orange soup, returning astringency while other flavors decline.
2min- Ditto.
3min- Ditto.
Overall, while this isn’t a bad tea, it is a disappointment. Going back into storage for a few more years. I have better tea to drink.
Flavors: Astringent, Chamomile, Dry Leaves, Tannic, Tea, Woody
