this smells like smoked cedar or red wood or something. this is most prevalent in the smell. then there is sweetness that comes in after. i brewed this western style for about 5min right after a rolling boil. the color of the brew is not really dark and not really light.. i would call it golden. It is slightly bitter and slightly sweet (apricot is probably the best description of the sweetness,) and the two mix. astringent mouth feel on the sides of my tongue.
its another hot day and it is completely crazy to be drinking boiled water- but you know, im in a tea coma if not high on coffee and vice versa. I knew this tea from the past and fully expected for it to light me up and make me sweat like a fish (is that a saying?) im taking my shirt off to wipe tea off my computer screen, plus its bloody hot.. funny how things work out.
im on my second cup (100ml maybe) and its much more astringent (even though the basket is out.) this is actually a very tiring tea for me, since my limit for bitter is lower than this, though i could see this tea working well with a “heavy” type of meal, in which it can cut straight through and add dimension to a meal.
i never particularly liked this tea, but i thought id sipdown on some of this and contribute a lazy afternoon review.
-nycoma
