This is a nice Darjeeling-type tea. It’s quite green. and aromatic – in fact, its aroma was the strongest point for me with intense meadow, hay and fruit fragrances. Prepared gongfu the taste was similarly intense, sweet and floral, with a typical Darjeeling profile. Muscatel was not too prominent, but flowers and stone fruit notes came out quite strong. Eastkyteaguy and Leafhopper identified individual flavors well enough, so I will not go in there.
The disappointing parts in my experience is that the complexity of taste fades quickly – I could not get many quality steepings. Oh, and also it was quite horrible Western style: just a bland undifferentiated sweetness that turned me off enough that I could not finish my cup (which is rare for me). It probably requires a very high leaf-to-water ratio to shine.
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I’ve never tried to gongfu a tea from the Indian subcontinent. What parameters do you use?
I am not that scientific about gongfu and pretty much play it by ear. I usually use 4-5 g per 80-90 mg, let the first steep to last 5-7 seconds and go from there according to taste. Eastkyteaguy is certainly a much better source for gongfu details based on his painstaking reviews.
I kinda stopped regularly making tea the gongfu style except for puehr and dark tea: it always comes out way better and more intense in the first couple of steepings but then the quality of teas plummets so noticeablty that I have to force myself to keep steeping and drinking. If I had unlimited money then yea, I would always drink it gong fu and discard after the second steeping but oh well.
Now, in terms of drinking South Asia tea gongfu: I would not do it for your typical Assam or Ceylon, but Darjeeling and Nepal teas usually come out really well.
I’ve never tried to gongfu a tea from the Indian subcontinent. What parameters do you use?
I am not that scientific about gongfu and pretty much play it by ear. I usually use 4-5 g per 80-90 mg, let the first steep to last 5-7 seconds and go from there according to taste. Eastkyteaguy is certainly a much better source for gongfu details based on his painstaking reviews.
I kinda stopped regularly making tea the gongfu style except for puehr and dark tea: it always comes out way better and more intense in the first couple of steepings but then the quality of teas plummets so noticeablty that I have to force myself to keep steeping and drinking. If I had unlimited money then yea, I would always drink it gong fu and discard after the second steeping but oh well.
Now, in terms of drinking South Asia tea gongfu: I would not do it for your typical Assam or Ceylon, but Darjeeling and Nepal teas usually come out really well.