Kindly included as a freebie in my latest order — thank you! It’s been so long so I’ve tried a young sheng, so I’m delighted to have a go at this. Prepared in a porcelain pot.
First several pours smell and taste like vanilla sugar in an astringent-sweet broth. It’s deep and clear, pleasant to drink. Buttery and nutty flavors are folded in as if they were made of silky fluff. The tea has a flowery component but it’s light and natural, not reminiscent of perfume. Bitterness is elusive — until it isn’t! Strawberry candy lingers in the aftertaste which later turns a bit acidic. That strawberry flavor is unlike hard candies; it is more oily-tasting? like a Hi-Chew, and later with the acidic aftertaste, it becomes reminiscent of the actual fruit. By the fourth steep, brassy apricot and astringency take over. That metallic taste is one I tend to get from autumn teas like this one.
The ball opens with ease, which is always welcome in this format. Poking through the leaf, I found a fully intact huangpian leaf an inch longer than my middle finger.
Lovely late morning tea.
Flavors: Acidic, Apricot, Astringent, Bitter, Buttery, Clear, Cooling, Drying, Floral, Fruity, Macadamia, Metallic, Nutty, Spring Water, Strawberry, Sugar, Vanilla
