2 Tasting Notes
I found this to be a delightful tea that had a nice fruity and even (dare I say) spicy scent to it while dry… it smelled somewhat like lickerish, the liquor was a pale green and the flavor was smooth and buttery with a floral aftertaste.
Preparation
This is a wonderful TGY, I’d purchased it last year (2009) and lost it in the back of my tea cabinet, today when I found it I steeped a cup using gongfucha in my gaiwan, I was pleasantly surprised with the strong, sweet, nectar like floral aroma, I could almost smell citrus in the unfurling (mostly unbroken) leaves.
After rinsing my leaves (1st cup is for your enemies :P ) I steeped the tea for 15 seconds, it was extremely good for being a year old, it had a nice depth to it and tasted very sweet, the leaves now had a more sharp scent, less floral and more citrus(y).
The second steep was for 25 seconds, this was the best steeping, the leaves took on a slightly more vegetal flavor, slightly less sweet, but still layered with many different tastes.
The third steeping was for 35 seconds and- surprisingly- smelled a bit like hojicha, the tea took on an almost roasted flavor as well- it lost most of it’s sweetness, but was still a pleasant brew with quite a bit of depth, I don’t think I’ll be attempting a fourth steeping though.
