This is a tea I keep putting off writing a note for. I’ve got a whole cake to enjoy, but I’ve never been able to get a session where this tea gives me much complexity to write about. However, because of that this tea is absolutely perfect in the right moment.
The dry leaves for this tea are incredibly sweet and fruity smelling, once wet they give off fairly typical shu aromas: earth, petrichor, apple. This tea demands a bit heavier leaf than some — 5g in a 4oz gaiwan yields a weak and unsatisfying brew, but bumping up to 6 or 7 does the trick. Right from the outset this tea brews up thick and syrupy. For the first two infusions it leads with some earthy bitterness, but that washes off and for the rest of the session it’s purely smooth and sweet, with notes of blueberry and vanilla. Late in the session some light notes of clove and dough sneak in beside the sweetness. There is a gentle qi present. It slowly washes over you with calm and happy energy.
I’ve never found enough depth from this tea to enjoy a thoughtful gongfu session, but last night when I was a bit grumpy and I had some heartburn this was exactly what I wanted and needed. The calm, contented energy soothed my mood and the smooth liquor quieted my stomach. It’s a great tea to have in the back of the cabinet for those times when you’re not in the mood to give your all to the experience of tea and you just need an easy tea that will give back to you.
Flavors: Apple, Blueberry, Bread, Clove, Earth, Petrichor, Smooth, Sweet, Vanilla
