This is a very complex, interesting tea. The leaves are wiry little tendrils that are almost blue-green grey in color. The mouth feel is different than any other Chinese Black or Fujian tea I’ve had before. Its lightly astringent on the edges of the tongue and similar in body to an oolong, but lighter than most Fujian blacks I’ve tried. Its very complex in smell as well and has almost a campfire element with a sweet smokiness on first taste. As the flavor develops in your mouth, you get hints of dried fruit and more deep spices like cardamon, bay and coriander with highlights of bright citrus like lime. I can’t tell if the lingering hint on my tongue is peppery or minty, but definitely an interesting tiny bit of menthol. A very surprising steep and definitely interesting in that you can discern all sort of layers of different flavors hitting different parts of your tongue.
The second time I drank it, I noticed that the scent of the cup and leaves are very much like yeasty, earthy buttered toast. Every time I drink this one, I like it more. It really grows on you. The first time I almost thought it had too many flavors/sensations going on, but I’m really appreciating it now.
