More than 3 months later, I am trying this again, and the experience is better this time. I am not quite sure what went wrong last time, but it could be a few things. I seem to remember I sampled it very early after the parcel arrived, so that could be it.
The smell is not super strong, but I do get some sauna, honey, pine and mountain herb notes. Taste is very herbaceous, medicinal and mushroomy. As I alluded to before though, the bitterness hides a lot of the complexity. Given how strong and pungent it is though, I think it has a great aging potential. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately, from the point of view of my savings), I don’t expect to settle anytime soon, so I am reluctant to buy teas purely for aging purposes.
Mouthfeel is fairly thick, cooling upfront and very dry in the finish and aftertaste. This session’s experience was not very physical, but it enabled me to zone out quite successfully, which I prefer to be honest.
Flavors: Bitter, Drying, Herbaceous, Herbs, Honey, Medicinal, Mushrooms, Pine, Wood