Thank you for the samples, Angel!
Brewed gongfu method with a gaiwan. 10 second rinse. Steeping times: 5, 5, 5, 5, 10, 20, 30, 60, 90, 120.
The dry leaf smells like…fish. I tried to make out something else, but that’s all there was. Fortunately, my experience improves thereafter. The wet aroma is complex, changing as the temperature cools and the leaf is steeped more: cooked vegetables, maple syrup, brown sugar, cooked meat with honey BBQ sauce, pork in teriyaki sauce, and – near the end – chocolate.
Throughout the session, the liquor is full-bodied, smooth, thick-textured, and, as *Teavivre*’s website says, mellow and sweet. The first infusion is damp earth and leather. The second tastes more like wood, reminding me of a pine forest whose trees and ground are coated with moss. (Infusions three and four, similar). The liquor becomes more broth-like and smoother at the fifth and sixth infusions. Seven’s flavor is lighter, though still sweet, and now a bit chocolatey. The eight infusion has bitterness, but this disappears in the ninth, which resembles hot cocoa (very dark chocolate). Lastly, the 10th infusion tastes weaker and the leathery note returns.
A relaxing and thorough shou. It says, “Take it easy, bro.”
