12 July 2020
From the dry leaf already I want to give this tea a 100. Smells of incredibly fruity sweetness – expensive Japanese muscats, ripe mangoes, apricot, cherry, peach, some florals, hint of roast / baked goods good ol’ Maillard reaction.
1st (180˚F, 15s): light, fruity, sweet – yum! Wet leaves smell like golden brown baked goods (gingerbread?)
2nd: (185˚F, 25s): slight astringency, fuller flavour. Still smells fruity but tastes less so – tastes more like a vegetal sheng pu-erh.
3 (190˚F, 1 min): Astringent – I pushed it too hard.
4 (195˚F, 3 mins): Wet leaves and liquor smell buttery! But too bitter – pushed it too hard. Will try again another time.
Rating: 90
Flavors: Apricot, Astringent, Bread, Butter, Cherry, Floral, Mango, Muscatel, Peach, Vegetal