ITCC

Devon Bartholomew Advent Day 8

A straight white tea was an interesting change of pace from the advent teas I received so far and the dry leaf on this one is lovely: looks like pure buds with lots of nice downy texture. The first sip was a bit too hay-like for me, but as it cooled I found myself enjoying it more and more! It’s surprisingly malty for a white tea with quite a bit of body and a slightly spicy finish that I haven’t experienced before. I kept wanting to go back for more and my cup was gone in no time. This is my favorite tea of the calendar so far and one I’d definitely consider repurchasing!

Tightly twisted leaf. Some of it is dark brown while a few are that beautiful fuzzy light brown. The dry aroma has intense deep chocolate and deep woody notes. The liquor is a clear light amber. I decided to cold steep this one and it really benefits quite well from the lower temps. The chocolate notes are quite lovely. Milk and some dark chocolate notes with spices that finish with decaying wood, redwood, and a hint of varnish.

Hmm the dry aroma isn’t as strong as I remember. The flavor is the same. Though I also could have oversteeped… I will return to this one and do a gong fu session to see if I can bring something better out.

Gong fu: They want it steeped at 195. I’m doing 190 and wondering if it needs to come down to 175. It’s astringent and metallic. Nothing very pleasant present. Second steep at a few seconds yielded nothing so I tossed it back in. Now at a few minutes I’m getting freshly broken twigs and lots of greenwood.

The dry aroma is so good. I was going to watch some anime while eating my breakfast but I think I’ll sit here and sniff this instead. Just kidding. It us a dry woody aroma with hints of honey and bits of floral notes like rose. The steeping leaves smell somewhat like cream. ACHOO. Almost spilled my hot tea all over myself. Lots of lovely golden trichomes all over the bag and up my nose. Wet leaf is reminiscent of wet forest especially the wet logs and everything that surrounds it. The taste is full of different woody notes and some cream and honey to top it off.

When tea is stored properly it can last a long time. For a tea that was plucked back in 2020, this is very good. The uniform twisted leaves are a mix of dark brown leaves and golden fuzz. The dry aroma is sweetly woody. The infused leaf is all milk chocolate brown with only a few leaves opened. The wet leaf switches to slightly more malty notes along with a hint of bread. I need to go stalk around some bakeries. It’s not just any loaf of bread or even a fresh baguette but a certain type of loaf resting after being pulled from the oven… The flavor is much the same notes but it reminded me a bit of a coniferous forest. Though you could steep it longer and add milk I would not recommend it as too many of the notes would be lost.

Holy smokes. At first, I rolled my eyes when I saw the name. It just reminded me of an over-sugared coffee drink I used to serve at Dunn Bros. But then I opened the bag. I was assaulted with a unique peppery sensation. The accustomed notes of hay and barnyard could also be found. But that spicy peppery note is something else. And the leaf is gorgeous. Silver buds. Hello, you adorable trichomes! Looks to be a standard pluck. The infused leaf also reveals peppery notes but with bready notes and some malt o meal. The liquor is clear, light amber, and smells brothy with a slight button mushroom. Such a smooth mouth feel. So nice. The peppery notes remain with the flavor. It’s not spicy like a chai but more like an added spice you get from chicken noodle soup or something like that. Also dense summer florals. Nothing light and springy. Hay. And an interesting bamboo note.