Wet Leaves: Pretty unique. Jasmine flowers, heavy cream, seaweed. There’s a creamy sweetness to the aroma that reminds me of lightly fermented Hunan Fu cha.
Early Steeps: Light body, soft sweetness like fruit flower honey, and a bitterness that comes and goes very quickly. The mouthfeel is kind of buttery, almost like high altitude oolong.
Middle Steeps: Bitterness has arrived, and the sweetness has gone from floral to a kind of raw vegetable flavor that’s subtly unique. Reviews on the YS site say there’s a mung bean or green pea flavor. Not sure I’m tasting that exactly, but that seems pretty close. Finish is now full of heady florals that feel as if they are filling my sinus.
Tail End: After steeps 6 or so, the tea has become heavier, almost soupy. The floral sweetness remains, but has taken on a stewed kind of taste.
Verdict: Tasty stuff. I’m still getting my bearings for terroir in pu-erh, but this seems like a pretty representative Yiwu sheng. If you’re looking for a floral sweetness and a buttery mouthfeel with light astringency, this is your tea. At $0.23 a gram, it’s kind of pricey for everyday drinking, but well worth it.
