Doing it again semi gong fu. I got the same hoppy malt profile like a medium or nice ale or lighter beer with some red or green grapes and citrus. I’m also adding hay to the mix, and a little bit of sweet potato. There are definite Jin Jun Mei components and occasional orange citrus quality in the finish, but that could be what my brain interprets as hinted-fruity.
I’ve only gotten through three cups so far, 4-5 grams in 5 oz and beginning with 30 sec, 45-50, and now closer to a minute and 5 seconds. It’s not as forward as when I did it last time, but keeps bringing out a gold amber color in each cup. The needles remain a gold brown after brewed, mixing the trichomes in the liquor, and the later longer steeps were a lot softer with some nice malt and little bit of tannin.
I’m not settled on this one for a rating yet. I do like it and thinks it’s a good quality golden needle style tea, but I wouldn’t drink it all the time. The tea is a delicate and flexible, but easily muted. There are more dimensions and layers this time around than when I brewed it western.
I’ve liked it more in Spring and Summer right now than in the colder months for some reason-again, it could have been the brew. Maybe the sunny vibe of the tea goes with a sunny season. I also need a little bit more sweetness for my diabetic American palette. My black teas and pu-erhs are usually the most neglected in my collection, whereas I will always finish the oolongs before expiration. I’m afraid I just might have this one and the Kumari Gold sit around as I finish those.Flavors: Alfalfa, Beer, Citrus, Drying, Floral, Grape Skin, Grapes, Hay, Hops, Malt, Smooth, Sweet Potatoes, Tannin