I haven’t had many Liu An teas thus far. This one is the oldest and it may be the most interesting among them too. Besides being almost 20 years old, its aged character is influenced by the somewhat hot & humid Taiwanese environment it has been stored in. I would say the storage on this one is just right. It is really a well-balanced tea.
Dry leaves smell of dry earth, ant mounds, nuts, hazelnuts and, most prominently, poppy seeds. After the rinse, I can detect aromas of autumn leaf pile, fireplace/ash, limestone, and mushrooms.
First infusion is sweet and smooth with a woody bitterness and a lot of nutty notes. Second one is very mineral and has a very pronounced beetroot flavour. Later I also noted a flavour of fried/browned butter. The aftertaste is mostly marine and savoury. However, there is also a rock sugar (or sugar beet) sweetness. Additionally, I get a lasting menthol-like cooling sensation after drinking.
The tea is medium bodied with a creamy texture and somewhat numbing mouthfeel. I find it quite mouth-watering at first then drying after swallowing.
If you like beetroots and nutty, mineral profiles, this is one for you. Unfortunately, it is not available on TheTea.pl anymore.
Flavors: Ash, Autumn Leaf Pile, Bitter, Burnt Food, Butter, Dry Grass, Earth, Fireplace, Limestone, Mineral, Mushrooms, Nuts, Nutty, Root Beer, Smooth, Sugar, Sweet, Wood
