25 Tasting Notes
I was really curious about that tea. I tend to associate the smell of jasmine with freshly washed clothes, since washing powders often have the jasmine aroma added. So at first I was a bit put off by the aroma of dry leaves. I just don’t like jasmine that much.
Still, when I made my first cup (1 dl/3,4 oz water, leaves washed) I was pleasantly surprised. The aroma of jasmine wasn’t so strong as I had feared and mixed really well with slightly earthy and salty accents of tea.
The taste itself was well rounded, somehow thick but not too “earthy”. It was much smoother than my everyday pu erh. The aftertaste was an interesting mix of sweet and bitter feels.
Even though I like this tea, it is not the thing I would drink everyday. I am yet to develop the taste for pu erh teas and I don’t like jasmine too much. But for someone who does, this might be his perfect tea.
Preparation
First, a few disclaimers: yesterday I got I packet of samples from Daoli. Since samples can’t lie around for long, most of my following notes will be about their teas. Secondly – you shold take this particular note with a pinch of salt, since I am not really into black teas at the moment, so I have few “references”.
This was my first morning cup today. I warmed my ware, “washed” 5 grams of leaves with hot water for few seconds, then steeped in 1 dl (3,4 oz) of water. First cup hit me with the aroma I can describe as that of a good stout (beer drinkers will know what I mean). It is slightly smoky at first, which turned into dried apples or pears. I have difficulties pinpointing the taste itself, but it had a full bodied feeling. (At first I was almost disappointed since I anticipated strong tastes associated with beer.:) ) The aftertaste is somehow bitter, but not unpleasant.
I drank my second cup with a piece of chocolate. A party in my mouth! Sweethes of chocolate helped to pronounce the dried fruit aromas of tea. Lovely!
That’s it for now. I’m off to make some more. Overall, this is a really good tea. Again, keep in mind that I am not a black tea drinker so my note might be of little help to experienced drinkers.
Preparation
An overall pleasant experience. Each time, I steeped in about 1 dl (3,4 oz) of water. Drank it without milk or sugar, of course. First cup surprised me with light, mellow taste and slightly nutty aroma, followed by sweet aftertaste. The following cups were more and more floral in aroma, while still light and sweet in taste. The initial nutty overtones disappeared.
