When I tried this tea more than a year ago, I thought it was nice – as a green tea. It really smelled and tasted like a Yunnan green tea, had a lightly coloured green/yellow liquor, very green leaves and little bitterness. Maybe only the wet leaf aroma was a bit distinctive in that regard, with notes such as sage, manure, and freshly cut grass.
Since I’ve heard that pu-erh processed on the green side doesn’t age well, I decided not to finish my sample but rather keep it around to see how it progresses over time. After today’s session, I can definitely say that the tea has not improved in one year – quite the opposite. While before it had the bright, crisp and floral character with sugar peas sweetness and notes of green bell peppers, apple skin, or lemongrass among others; now it just tastes like a stale green tea. The liquor is still lightly coloured for a 3 year old sheng, although a bit more on the brownish side. The main problem is that the taste is very muted and lost most of its edge.
There is some nice huigan for sure, but the aftertaste is also affected by this taste of stale green tea underlying it. In terms of cha qi, I feel like the tea hasn’t lost anything and it is probably the main aspect that would differentiate it from an old green tea. In particular, it induces a strong throat-warming sensation and makes me feel full of energy.
Flavors: Apple Skins, Compost, Drying, Floral, Freshly Cut Grass, Grass, Green, Green Bell Peppers, Lemongrass, Peas, Sage, Umami, Vegetal
:/ I have a cake of this stashed in a crock. Wonder how it’s doing.