Gongfu!
I was actually looking for a different sheng initially, but the jammy fruit notes coming off the dry leaf of this tea sample made me change my plans! I know W2T describes this as a more savory and broth-like tea, but I find the liquor to be quite viscous and syrupy with a lot of upfront sweet, fruity flavours: cassis, nectarines, candied lemon or orange peels. If the flavours were a painting it would be a weird mix of berry-like purples and sunny oranges and yellows. The latter steeps do pivot a little; the syrupy liquor starts to get an astringent “fuzziness” at the edges that’s pleasing texturally and the fruit becomes less intense and a greener, borderline medicinal undertone starts to build up and push into the mid-sip. It still feels a far distance away from something I’d describe as soup-like, though I love the flavour very much.
I would be so curious to hear what other people thought of this tea! I know tasting notes are always highly subjective, but I don’t know if I’ve ever had a W2T tea session where my notes differed so drastically from Paul’s…
Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/CzMolVGumna/?img_index=1
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L56YYQYkPnM