5g, 90 ml gaiwan.
wet leaf: retired smoke, honey, sugar
1. light bitter quickly dissipates, sweet that slightly extends into throat, mint
2. goji berry swetness, cooling finish
3. more bitter and woody. floral sweet w a bit of raw olive finish
4. berry sweetness. feeling very warm
5. a bit bland sweet, mild bitter
6. bit minty
7. steeped a bit longer. not too much bitter
I stopped here and did not push more since it was part of a 3 tea run with others. for something not that old, I was surprised by the relative lack of strong bitterness. The only other tea I’ve tried of comparable age is the LSGC, and I remember that still having quite the bitter kick. I guess my brews were with a much lighter hand this time, having remembered how the LSGC went. I think the texture and aftertaste quality could be a bit better here but I could’ve been a bit too gentle with steeps. I wonder how it’ll continue to change. It had a lasting heating effect for me, but I can’t say for certain since my body has been acting up again lately with most teas. It didn’t feel as rough to drink as the LSGC though…
