Very fragrant dry, warmed and rinsed leaf. Brown sugar baked plums, caramel, wintergreen, cherry, wood, apricot, banana. Interesting mix of aromas there.
First steep was delicate with a light upfront bitterness. Here began the oily, coating liquor that moved into a viscous thickness. Mineral and very mouth-watering, caramel plum aftertaste.
Strangely, besides a passionfruit undertone, I didn’t write down any specific tastes after this as I think I was lost in the mouthfeel and the invigorating, positive energy. The aroma became quite sweet and strong, the liquor a touch spicy.
Somewhere around the 7th infusion at 30s (this pot has a 12s pour, so I get less infusions than a pot with a fast pour or a gaiwan), the tea became more vegetal and astringent with an intriguing apricot-violet aftertaste. I don’t know if I’ve ever experienced those two flavors tied so closely together like that. The brew finally became thinner in the 8th steep, and the next at 1 minute was more bitter-floral.
I really enjoyed the happy afternoon-type energy provided by this session and hope it’s reproducible. The texture of this tea is spectacular with such a viscous, coating feel that still allows the light, upfront bitterness and mouthwatering qualities to play.
I’m excited to see how this cake will age.
Now that I’ve finally tasted all my Yiwu-region teas, it’s time to move on. Since I’m off for 5 days this week, I think I’ll make a “Trip to Changtai.”
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Flavors: Apricot, Bitter, Brown Sugar, Caramel, Cherry, Floral, Herbs, Menthol, Mineral, Passion Fruit, Plum, Smooth, Spicy, Thick, Vegetal, Violet, Wood
Changtai! Hope you can enjoy the journey.