Huang Zhi Xiang

The dry leaf has a very sweet scent. It caught me a little off guard, but it was suddenly clear why it is referred to as fragrant.

My first infusion was perhaps steeped overlong. I steeped for around 2 minutes. The liquor was a very lovely shade of citrine, hence the yellow, I’m guessing. It was quite bitter and astringent, but not in an unpleasant sort of way. Just in such a way as to give the impression it perhaps demanded a shorter brew time. I wasn’t able to taste much of the flavor beyond that in this infusion, so I kept on.

Each successive infusion became less astringent, mellower, and sweeter. It also acquired a smoothness to the brew that I found particularly pleasant. Some of the sweetness reminded me of teas that have been scented, but without the strength of an actually scented tea.

Next time around, I’ll definitely steep the first infusion for a shorter time to get a better impression of the beginning flavors for this tea.