35 Tasting Notes
Steeped per the brewing instructions provided by Verdant Tea. 4g of leaf in 4oz of water. Boiled then cooled to 170F. The aroma of the leaves is intoxicating in the bag and only becomes more so after a wake up rinse, steep, and decant (I’m using a gaiwan). With a 5 second steep (second infusion) the liquor decants a very pale straw yellow, very clear. I get a lot of sweet green pea in the nose, some other young green vegetables, and a zingy aroma that reminds me of the smell of raw sugar. The flavor seems quite delicate; some slight sugar sweetness, faint young green vegetables. The body is more substantial then I would have thought. This tea coats the mouth, and only dries out a tiny bit on the finish. Very refreshing.
Update: 9 infusions and it’s still tasty
Preparation
Second infusion. 4g/4oz water at a boil. The second infusion is much darker than the initial. The first steeping was a nice clear red liquor. Now it is opaque and reddish brown. Lots of dark malt and hints of chocolate in the aroma. Quite a lot of earth in the nose also. First taste is some stale black coffee and dirt. But not in an unpleasant way if that makes sense. The flavors fade quite quickly to a fleeting chocolate with slight astringency.
Preparation
Steeped a 4g button in ~10oz just boiled water for three minutes in a YiXing teapot. Removed leaf strainer after three minutes. Extremely dark color, reminds me of black coffee, except it’s a deep brown. Very earthy, almost like damp dirt. Slight mushroom notes. Some malt aroma (light black malt, some chocolate malt). Medium bodied, no astringency to speak of, semi-dry finish. Smooth taste, the flavors are well integrated. Mostly earth with a slight roastiness.
