(Spring 2016 picking) [edit – see comment below]
Dry leaf: HERBAL, VEGETAL, SWEET (bitter greens – like a green twig or stem – dried herbs: parsley and dill, tomato vine, corn, floral perfume, cocoa, Mexican hot chocolate, some sugary sweetness, honeydew melon)
Smell: VEGETAL, some FRUITINESS: (creamed corn, corn, sour cherry, artificial cherry, some peach and cantaloupe)
Taste: VEGETAL, HERBAL, some SWEET, BITTER (corn, green chestnut, roasted chestnut, dried herbs – parsley and dill, bittersweet floral, some butteriness, generally consistent bitterness. Aftertaste and finish – noticeable sour cherry and artificial cherry flavors, rock candy sweetness, bittersweet floral)
I tried brewing this tea a few different ways, including the traditional “tall glass” method. Personally, I settled on a small gaiwan (1:1 g/fl oz leaf : water), with the lid OFF. I find this little guy to be quite a challenge to brew. At one point throughout my experimentation, I managed to get a glass that had boiled cod flavors… The notes above reflect the best of what I was able to bring out.
Personally, I found the flavors to be consistently “sharp” – even the sweetness was a bit acrid – it reminded me of these old cough drops I had as a kid that were heavily flavored with artificial cherry. The vegetal notes consistently had a “green twig” and dried herb bite to them. When I adjusted the parameters to alleviate some of this bite, it ended up losing quite a bit of body.
I would love to hear how others have approached this tea and what they did to coax out the best flavors.
