Jingmai Single Trees 2014

From the Puerh Plus TTB.

My first Farmer Leaf tea. This was a relatively mellow sheng that actually got more bitter in the later steeps. Not bad, not great. Just so-so.

While finishing The OA today, I was able to brew this out 14 times.
The leaf has nothing unique when looking at it, but like most of the Jingmai raws… it’s very light and easy to drink.

Slight viscosity, end note comes through as sweet, up front high notes of vibrant honey that are masked by some bitterness which may end up being overcome through age; damn you toddle, grow up already.

Anyways: This is probably the honey comparison to spring bangdong when it comes to price, ease of brewing, accessibility, and potential; bangdong being the floral.

All that to say, this brews out one clean cup after another.

Jingmai was all the hype in 2015, and I think the craze is dying down some and moving into other areas. Personally, I think Jingmai is a good place for easy drinkers. This tea fits into that category. The leaves are loosely compressed and offer aromas of honey, hay, grass, floral, and light lemon. I warmed up my shibo and placed some inside. The scent opens into a sweet buffalo grass with candied fruits and tangy syrup. I washed the leaves once and prepared for brewing. The taste begins with a honey sweet thickness. The brew is intensely sugary sweet with a smooth sticky finish. I can note a light astringent tone present. The brew continues in this manner; however. there is no depth or complexity to the brew. The brew falters a bit and moves from sweet into woody and hay. The huigan ends once the transit takes place. The tea is somewhat bland and basic, IMO. I couldn’t feel any qi. This is a good easy drinker, but I don’t view it as anything more.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BNj3CIPg36g/?taken-by=haveteawilltravel

Third sample from Farmerleaf that we’re trying. Nice gold liquor, and I sipped a bit of the wash of this one and it tasted quite sweet. I notice a distinct richness from the first steep with nice huigan. Nice, oily mouthfeel that becomes increasingly more apparent as the tea cools. A nice, honey-like sweetness up front emerges over a few steeps.

Simply put, very enjoyable!