After the mildness of the 2012 Shuang Yu yesterday I opened another sample packet I had bought today and got quite the hit. The dry leaf promised something wild and robust with its solid hay and floral aroma. The brewed tea was a strong amber colour and provided the same hit in a different way. It is sweet and smoky with a mild tobacco edge and vegetal notes. The liquor is creamy and coats the mouth and throat so the smokiness and sweetness endure in the aftertaste. Despite its strength, there is little bitterness or astringency, only enough to enhance the other flavours. This tea is much more in my comfort zone than yesterday’s. I can wrestle with it and expect it to fight back instead of having to nurture it to bring out its best properties.

Flavors: Smoke, Sweet, Tobacco, Vegetal

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 0 min, 15 sec 8 g 4 OZ / 130 ML
JC

I’ve had a few like this. You feel at home with them. The ones I have to fiddle too much with I end up inadvertently avoiding(too much work when I just want to relax and enjoy).

Roughage

I know what you mean. With the more difficult teas, I tend to wait until I am in the right mood. That usually means finding a rare moment when I can actually sit down and focus solely on the tea. This does mean that they tend to get ignored a lot.

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JC

I’ve had a few like this. You feel at home with them. The ones I have to fiddle too much with I end up inadvertently avoiding(too much work when I just want to relax and enjoy).

Roughage

I know what you mean. With the more difficult teas, I tend to wait until I am in the right mood. That usually means finding a rare moment when I can actually sit down and focus solely on the tea. This does mean that they tend to get ignored a lot.

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I am a qualified peripatetic berserkerologist peddling berserkjaknowledge at the University of Nottingham.

My favourite teas are Darjeelings, sheng puerhs and Anji Bai Cha. I return to these every time, after whatever flirtation with other teas I have been involved with.

I no longer rate the teas I drink because keeping ratings consistent proved to be rather hard work while not really giving me anything in return.

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Nottingham, England

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