Dry leaves are whole and intact. That aroma! Wow, the aroma of the dried leaves is very strong and translates into the tea. One of the best parts of young sheng is that stone fruit honeysuckle apricot aroma.
I brewed this 3 steepings at a time, mixed together in a chahai/pitcher. Each set was different. This tea is interesting, and different in each set. I think I’ll need to break this tea down to separate steepings to fully explore its nuances.
First impressions: Once hot water hit the leaves there was a remnant of a very rich sweet burnt sugar/antifreeze-like smell, maybe remnants of processing? But it went away after the first steeping. Very mild flavor, malty sweet, very full body. Very full body (worth repeating). Thick liquor with lots of bubbles. Underwhelming flavor at first.
Second set: Slight sour/astringency and subtle bitterness developed throughout the session, then converted into a long lingering sweetness and long lasting aftertaste. Not much flavor complexity. Grassy honeysuckle dew.
Third set: Here’s where the huigans started along with throat cooling effect. The gentle bitterness has faded but that aftertaste keeps building. Its wonderful to see it develop throughout the session.
Good longevity, lasted over 10 steepings without fading.
No chaqi.
Last thoughts: Seems a bit too raw for me at the moment. Very pleasant, but stomach was a bit uneasy. I may need to let it get some age. I think I’ll revisit this tea in a few months.
Brewed in bone china gaiwan, 2x rinse, gongfu
