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Dry leaves had some cocoa and sweet brown liquor notes. Gaiwan. First aroma from the cup and in the mouth was dark-baked bread. Wet leaf smells boozy — rye, tobacco, nutmeg, cocoa, barrel wood. Steeps a light pinkish tan. Menthol cooling from the second steep, that’s quite nice… some antique store vibes from the wet leaf.

This is redeeming LP’s barrel aged offerings somewhat… I was really starting to think I’d just hit the lottery with the PBM and everything else was trash. Good in/good out and all that.

Ah, some cha qi now. Wheeee.

Pronounced sour notes in the third; perhaps less obviously pleasant, but I feel open to the adventure. Reminds me of the Bancha Goishicha from What-Cha, which I haven’t even made notes on yet — it is ALL this sour taste, and I am trying to have faith that I will find something other than ass in there (also sent to derk for assessment… ass assessment). But I digress.

There’s a wild, woody herb smell to the leaves… my brain says “hyssop” and “hemlock,” though I don’t know those smells. More bitter than kitchen herbs. Something poisonous if cooked up by the right witch. Comes through in the mouth, along with the sour note and the vaporous cooling. Can hear my heartbeat against my headphones. Sour-funk buzz pairs well with murk swamps and elven ruins.

More antique store… or actually, maybe a younger-junk shop. These aren’t my favorite old wood notes, though I like them well enough — they’re less cherry and cedar closet and old temple than I’d prefer. It’s probably the poison.

Steeping tan to light brown now. Rye and bread are back. Flavor gets mushy around steeps 8-10, though still tasty with damn good feels. I like.