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Thanks again to my favorite sample-sharer Dinosara! I’m quite excited by this tea company, can’t wait for March 1st!
The dry leaves and the tea have a vaguely butter smell, almost nutty, with an edge of sweetness, like if you dipped dried papaya into cool browned-butter. Or maybe some kind of buttery raw nut, like a hazelnut or macadamia nut. It’s sort of familiar, but really pleasant!
The first steeping, boiling for 1 minute: the scent has become a flavor on the intake of breath before the sip while hot, but throughout the sip as it cools. A sweet minerality lingers on your tongue for a very long time (I haven’t allowed longer than 2 minutes between sips, but it likely last much longer!) after you swallow, it is really quite amazing. The whole experience is quite soothing and fresh at the same time, like a cool asian garden walk. VERY nice. It very definitely gets sweeter as it cools.
Second steep: 1:30 at boiling. This steep both looks and smells greener. While the first steep was pale yellow-green, this is much more spring green. The leaves have totally unfurled by now and they are huge. There are a few short stems with two or three leaves popping off! It also smells more floral. I’m getting way less of the nutty/buttery aromal now it is more like a far away florist’s shop, that fresh, green smell of flowers that are not known for their scent. The minerality is stronger and not as sweet. There is a sensation on the back of my tongue that bitter is much to strong of a word for. More like when you sort of taste someones perfume? It makes my mouth feel slightly cottony. An interesting steeping, but I miss the flavor I was getting in the first steeping. Sweeter with a soft floral note when cool.
3rd steeping: 2 min, boiling. This steep smells quite vegetal, like the steaming water of a green vegetable. The water is again greener, but some of the nuttiness is back in the scent. Now the flavor is a veggie sweetness, like really good broccoli or asparagus, and fills my mouth as it cools. The minerality has faded quite a bit and only lingers at the back of my mouth. The ‘bitterness’ is absent as well. This is good, but not nearly as floral or as fruity any more. I think I’m just tasting a fabulous oolong, most of the flavoring must be gone at this point.
These are all the steeps I have time for today. Overall a very pleasant experience of a high quality oolong. I’m a relative beginner, and it speaks to the quality of this tea that I was able to get so much variety and flavor between steeps. Very excited to try my other samples!