The dry aroma is very pleasant: hickory smoke, leather, chili pepper, seeet pipe tobacco, a touch of spring soil. It actually reminds me of barbecue sauce. The effect is light, young, and sweet rather than heavy and dank.
(Note: I was using relatively long steepings close to a minute)
First steeping has that sweetness in the flavor. The color is woody, medium brown and a bit yellowish. As promised by the name, the tea unfolds in the pot to reveal large pieces of greenish-brown leaves. The liquor is thin and softly textured. That light pipe tobacco flavor comes through, barbecue sweetness, a touch of barnyard/horse aroma. There’s a bright sweetness at the top that could just maybe be orange peel. After a few minutes the energizing effect begins, invigorating and warming with a gentle “high,” becoming a bit jittery the more I drink.
Further steepings bring out more of a menthol cooling effect in the mouth, which increasingly dominates the experience with additional steepings.
Overall, wonderfully balanced and refined but still exciting and surprising. Some pu-erhs scream, this one sings like Ella Fitzgerald.
And as a bonus, it’s pretty reasonably priced.
Flavors: Barnyard, Earth, Leather, Menthol, Sweet, Tobacco, Wood
