Excellent tea. I am not the most stringent rinser, but, this tea does require it. I rinsed for 7 seconds. It should brew a dark golden liquor for the 1st ‘drinking’ steep. It starts off with a spicy, woodsy (carpenter’s shop) taste. The spice taste ends abruptly but the woodsy taste stays consistently and develops honey notes in the middle. The ending is what makes this tea special; the spice taste returns and the honey notes evolve into green apple. This spiced apple (cinnamon + nutmeg or apple spice) aftertaste lingers on the tongue for awhile. The tea has a medium boldness, and is fairly smooth but with subtle astringency as well (which becomes more pronounced in later steeps). I thoroughly enjoyed the intense complexity, and ‘nature’ flavors present in this tea. There is no noticeable wet soil taste, just a deep wood flavor. In the later steeps the spice/apple flavors diminish and the ‘woodsy’ flavor remains strong. A great tea for anyone who is looking to expand their aged tea repertoire….though I wouldn’t recommend it as someone’s first crack at fermented/aged teas. Might add more to this later.
Flavors: Green Apple, Honey, Spices, Wood
