2015 Orchid Charm

A raw pu’erh for dancong lovers! Initially, I picked up on the obvious Menghai fruitiness, but then you cannot escape the floral characteristics of the tea. It is a very perfumy floral – sort of like when you can taste an old lady’s perfume as she walks by. OK, that doesn’t do this tea justice – the floral notes are terrific – but they are very perfumy and up-front. It reminded me of the floral notes I’ve gotten from a few dancongs.

Overall, it is a great balance of these floral notes with the Menghai fruitiness and an underlying mushroom broth savoriness. All of the flavors are rich and complex.
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Dry leaf – Menghai fruitiness (like Juicy Fruit gum) apparent, some hints of humid storage like pond flora/sweet algae (!!!), floral notes. In preheated vessel – thick fruitiness, strong notes of peaches and cream.

Smell – Menghai fruitiness/fruit gum, peaches and cream, mushroom broth, some floral.

Taste – arrival of some fruit gum with floral perfume. Development has mushroom broth and more floral notes. Finishes with fruit gum. Aftertaste has expansive perfume floral notes.

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Wonderful treat… very straight forward taste with a complex after feeling.
Notes of orchid (of course)… like a complex daffodil smothered in vanilla.
Leaves the mouth with a tingle that is very similar to menthol … but it’s more like the tickling of the tongue that happens when you eat a flower as a kid because someone dared you. The raw puerh taste is there as well but if someone didn’t know what that taste was they would probably thing it’s the stalk or vine from a flower plant.

The whole after taste/feel is what makes this one great. Easy to drink a steep and wait a good 5 to 10 minutes before having the next steep. The tingle also has a cooling effect, but it’s hard to describe… like the first touch of coolwhip in your mouth but just that initial feeling.