Ive had a rough time with this tea. This is a tricky one to brew, as you have to keep the steep times short to not let it get bitter. The first time I tried this tea, I got a very bitter brew, where the bitter and astringent flavors overpowered everything else. Then on advice from the seller I reduced both the brew time and leaf.
Much better results on the second brewing, instead of the primary flavor being bitter and astringent, I got smoke.. which is I believe the proper primary flavor for gunpowder green. There is of course a strong vegetal and grassy notes which is pretty common in green teas. There was a strong astringent quality to it as well, but more like what Ive seen in many other greens, and alot more pleasant.
The color was a deep golden and I was very impressed who rich and thick it looked for such a short brew with less leaf than the first one.
Being rather new to tea, im rather surprised how 15 seconds and a gram and half of tea can change the results so dramatically. Well I have enough left in the sample for 1 more tasting. I will update with the results in a few days, I want to give my pallet a bit of time to clear before another tasting.
One more thing, this thing has got a caffeine kick that will make coffee run home in shame.
Flavors: Astringent, Grass, Smoke, Vegetal
