Had my yearly review at work the day I had this. I left work in a good mood and this tea made my day even better.
Dry leaf is beautiful. Smells of apricot and honey-powdered sugar. Warmed leaf reminded me of freshly made honey-sesame candies. The rinse was bright, softly pungent, fruity with apricot and also possessed aged florals.
The first steep was light but left a spicy and fruity finish, something like red fresno chili peppers and peaches, straw. I sat with that for a minute and realized I was also tasting sichuan peppercorns — floral and citrusy — which I’ve only tasted once before in a yellow tea. The aftertaste was already cooling and prominent with cream, peaches and powdered sugar. Delicate strength came to mind with the first steep.
Second infusion, a thin bitterness spread across my tongue on the sip, while herbs, gentle forest floor and something similar to tannic redwood bark fleeted through. A light, rapsy throat astrigency developed, leaving my throat feeling very warm and full. This was followed by a vegetal, unripe peach skin aftertaste. Then the throaty astringency crept up to the back of my tongue and morphed into the feeling of eating a green banana or a peach that hasn’t had its fuzz removed. It felt like everything happened on the swallow.
The third steep was intensely cooling throughout my body but also warming — an impression of peppermint mixed with eucalyptus and Saigon cinnamon. Metallic, mouth-watering. Light milkiness to the body and aftertaste.
With the fourth infusion, I found myself paying most attention to the tea’s floral-mushroom aroma. Bright straw taste with mellow meadow florals, somewhat savory, umami. Tingling, ringing tongue. The aftertaste was more metallic; my active imagination noted it as drinking liquid aluminum. How could that be enjoyable? I don’t know but it was! Still that intense spicy warming and cooling sensation that I’m becoming addicted to. It’s a quality in sheng that I just find so damn pleasant and intriguing.
The energy of the tea fit so well with me. I can’t describe it beyond invigorating and smooth with my head above the clouds and a desire to have my hands working the earth. After a few weeks of procrastinating, I finally planted the remaining native shrubs that had been sitting in pots for far too long. I came back inside many more times between planting and watering the entire garden to continue with this tea.
Beautiful. For the current $0.31/g, this is a tea worth trying. Added to my cake list for sure.
Flavors: Apricot, Banana, Bark, Bitter, Cinnamon, Citrus, Cream, Eucalyptus, Flowers, Forest Floor, Herbs, Honey, Metallic, Milk, Mushrooms, Nuts, Peach, Peppercorn, Peppermint, Powdered Sugar, Spicy, Straw, Tannin, Umami, Vegetal
