Backlog from last night.
This is the kind of evening for which I’ve been saving this tea. Rainy February nights here in the Bay are like (I really don’t want to say it!) cold November rain in Ohio. Contemplative, maybe depressing if one possesses that lean.
I want to write so, so very much something poetic about this tea but I’m exhausted. To further derail my effort, this tea is inducing a mental and physical state that is utterly calm.
This is a beautifully scented oolong with a dark, woody-grassy-earthy sweet incense aroma of aloeswood and vetiver with smooth integration of the licorice-like star anise and cardamom. I also smell something dark and fruity; I can’t shake the idea of mulberry. On the sip it transitions to sandalwood then mid-mouth to a general woody-mineral oolong. On the swallow it moves back to the aloeswood, vetiver, star anise and mulberry, though less pronounced than in the aroma. Cardamom is noticed in the aftertaste as those flavors slip away. A zesty tingle and some mouth watering arrive after that and then the cardamom and aloeswood return.
I couldn’t see myself drinking Azure often but this is something I definitely want to keep in my cupboard. It’s almost medicinal in character (drying, warming, deeply calming) and smells and tastes wonderful. Try this if you’re an incense fan or seeking an air of the exotic.
