2014/2009 Jingmai Shu

Five grams from Martin in the pot, a few completely empty resteeps and even more grandpa-ish refills. This tea is really smooth and gives the impression of being full-bodied but it manages to water down quickly beyond the sip. The flavor and the body d i s a p p e a r

Tastewise, for some reason it reminds me of game meat spiced with herbs like wintergreen. It’s not gamey but it has a rich, meaty quality to the taste (at least what’s there at the beginning of the sip), so maybe like venison? Other mild associations include sauerbraten, gravy, dense whole rye bread. Strange brew! If only it weren’t so thin and watery!

Decided to brew pu-erh in gaiwan again, I need to calm down and this somehow works well to me. Not just tea, but sitting and enjoying the cuppa.

I prepared 5 grams in 85 ml gaiwan, boiling water in thermos. Quick rinse (10 seconds), letting humidity for 5 minutes to entry the chunk of tea.

First steep was ten seconds long and it brewed so dark… bit oily brew. The taste was quite boring, typical shu flavour, woody, no notes of chocolate I noticed last time.
Second one was with 5 seconds extra, brewed even darker, the taste is nice and mellow, but again that typical shu, without any complexity. I haven’t reached that soup is ultra thick and will coat your mouth throughout the session, just like a good old Irish stout! yet too. But it looks like that for sure. Some sweet notes bit reminding vanilla appears.

Third one, 25 seconds. It’s not that dark! Dark mahogany colour right now, clear.
Indeed some sweet notes are there. Not sure about the vanilla, but sweet. What is sweet, but somehow mild? Not sugary sweet? Is it that notes of chocolates I noticed other day?

Another. 30 seconds.
Smooth shu. There are no rough notes. Decent.

45 seconds. I am drinking it somehow fast. Do I hurry? Noo! Why then? Anyway, it’s so nice, mellow, easydrinking.

Another 45 seconds long steep. Did I bite dark chocolate? No, it is just a tea.

Praying for justice and calm heads in US, I hope that methods of police will change too. I don’t consider normal kneeing on someone’s neck. Moreover when he was trying to breath. I don’t say that riots will solve anything, but honestly I am not surprised. What else they can do? Should they remain silent? I am afraid that is what they want.