I steeped one cup of each lot (641 & 864) then forgot about them until they were lukewarm.
Lot 864: Maltiness and oat-y with a hint of a savoury note mixed in at first sip, a hint of sweetness and no astringency. As it cools more, notes of floral come through, very subtle.
Lot 641: Maltiness and oat-y with a hint of sweetness in the background mid-sip, absolutely no astringency at first sip. I would say this one has the barest hint of floral as it cools (a little sooner noticeable) and some fruits in the background, though I can’t say which fruits.
Overall, very similar in taste with only the barest hint of difference, at least at this temperature. I have only a limited amount of 641 remaining, so I’ll have to postpone more thoughts until I steep these two the next time around!
That does sound like different harvest times and possibly sections. This is reassuring!
i think 2015 is the one year i wasn’t a fan of for tea and wine lol