Thank you blodeuyn for this beautiful tea!
This is a strange (in a good way) brew for me. I saw these gorgeous curls on the website and knew I wanted them. I love Yunnan Blacks! I especially love the golden ones. I was lucky to have been given this, so I brewed with anticipation.
I opened the package to take in the scent of these snails. I was hit with a whiff of an anise sugar cookie, or an italian cookie for those that know what I’m talking about. It reminded me of the ones my nannie used to make when I was younger. I used my mini gaiwan for these little guys. I washed the leaves and then brewed in 15, 30 alternating second intervals (5,15,30,60,75…). The aroma of these critters was amazing! I was surrounded by sweet maple and malt syrup. I poured out my cups and drank it in. The initial sip was surprising. I expected a Yunnan malt and with a background of sugarcane sweetness. Instead, I was greeted with a crystallized honey mouthfeel and slight undertone of maplewood. This brew was incredibly light and fluffy. I expected the malt to come out in later brews, or I thought even the baked bread flavor would show. I never experienced these classic Yunnan flavors. I loved the atmosphere this tea created. This is why this brew was strange to me. I am in no way complaining haha. I actually added more leaves in my gaiwan in mid brew. I thought I might have underscored it the first time. I guess thats just how this brew is. The wet leaves gave me my dose of malt that I needed. The malt and bold flavors must of been trapped in the steam; because my tea room had a heavy mood. I love this tea, and I think it would be a perfect crowd pleaser. I’ll have to break this out at the next gathering :)
Flavors: Maple, Winter Honey
