Got this from Roswell Strange in the slack secret santea exchange! Thanks again!
Brought one of these in to have at work today, since one was already broken up, I wouldn’t have to worry about damaging it bringing it here. Quick rinse, let it all sit in the gaiwan, quick first steep.
The liquor is super dark. The aroma is definitely that of shou, but the mandarin skin is definitely in there as well. The texture is extremely smooth. Thinking I should have maybe done another rinse or two to start, though. rhinkle likens the first steep to shoe polish, and in the second steep I can start to see where she’s coming from. Then I see w2t recommends tossing the first couple of steeps for some. There is an enjoyable creaminess behind it all, though, and I get the mandarin rind coming through, as well.
After a couple of steeps, the mandarin aroma really starts to explode out of the gaiwan, and the flavor pushes to the forefront more, as well. A blend of smooth earth and citrus bite. Definitely one to sip on slowly for me. I’ll continue with this one for the rest of the day and update notes accordingly.
So it’s been a couple of days, but I had saved these leaves so I decided to give them another try this morning. Basically seeing how far I can push leaves I’ve got laying around from earlier in the week before tossing them. Mellow and smooth with an up front sweetness and a persistent aroma. The liquor has lightened up but is still dark. I would say the flavor of the mandarin is pushing into the forefront more and more.
Flavors: Citrus Zest, Earth, Petrichor
