Tie Guan Yin of Anxi

Thank you very much for the samples, ThisTea! I have always been a fan of the Tie Guan Yin.  I have tried this a couple times now, trying to brew it different ways.  I used a bit more leaf than usual for this steep session – 2 1/3 teaspoons for a mug.  Trying to impart a bit more flavor than I was tasting in the previous session.  The leaf does look slightly battered than I would like to see from a quality Tie Guan Yin.  I will say it never gets astringent, no matter how long I steep it.  The flavor notes are a bit muted to me… as oolong seems to be for me lately.  Mostly a drying aspect – with buttery notes.  Maybe some orchids.  Maybe even a cooling minty aspect — and very syrupy mouthfeel on the third steep.   But I usually expect (and love) when a Tie Guan Yin is a full bouquet of flowers in flavor, and when it isn’t that, I’m a bit disappointed.  This flavor has happened before with other Tie Guan Yin harvests, so I know it is not something unachievable that I’m hoping for!
Steep #1 // 2 1/3 teaspoons for full mug // 22 minutes after boiling // rinse // 1 1/2 minute steep
Steep #2 // 8 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #3 // just boiled // 3 1/2 minute steep

I brewed this tea gongfu style at 95 C starting at 45seconds→ 30 seconds → 45 seconds and adding 30 seconds each time until the brews lost their flavor. The tea provided ~6 pleasant infusions
The tea leaves were for the most part whole, with a few cut leaves that brewed up a light-green-yellow color with a sweet and grassy aroma. The mouthfeel of the tea was medium-thick and leaves a lingering vegetal aftertaste in the second infusion, but not much florals. In later steeps, there is a pleasant oily texture that appears on the tongue., while later steeps progress towards light florals and soft vegetal taste with an almost juicy mouthfeel. However, there is sharpness in the throat if brewed up too strong.