Feng Qing Ye Sheng Hong Cha Wild Tree Purple Black tea * Spring 2017

dry leaf: passison fruit
wet leaf: burnt currant, slight smokieness
silky, spicy, slight astringency, ghost of caramel

Delicate and fragrant with a slight astringency. There are notes of exotic fruits and flowers. This is definitely a buy again tea.

I received a bag of this tea from Yunnan Sourcing a few days ago. Yesterday afternoon I had a chance to enjoy it.

Used 4 grams of leaves, ca. 150 ml. water, 205°F. Brewed in Giawan. Didn’t wash. First steep was ca. 10 seconds. The second steep was ca. 15 seconds.

To start I warmed the giawan and tea cup with the almost boiling water. Put the tea in the giawan and put the lid on, let it rest for 10-15 seconds.

Dry leaf gave off a somewhat blueberry aroma.

First steep of ca. 10 seconds. I got a quite pleasant kudzu blossom smell from the tea and from the leaves remaining in the giawan after pouring the tea. If you don’t live in an area where kudzu grows you can substitute a rich grapey smell, but to me that’s no quite right. There was a light astringency in the front of my mouth that hung on, not offensive at all. Mouth feel was a little light but for the first brief steep I don’t think that out of the ordinary.

Second steep is always the one I look forward to eagerly, ca. 15 sec. long. The kudzu blossoms came right to the front with this steep. Quite pleasant. But now had a green leaf undertone as well. Like if you waded into a kudzu hell, breaking vines and crushing leaves as you went, getting to a blossom to smell. As the liquor cooled slightly a caramel note joined the kudzu. Then I noticed a light sweetness in the liquor that faded to a light astringency moving further back in the mouth. The liquor now had a thick mouth feel and I noticed a watermelon after taste once the liquor started to shift from hot to pleasantly warm.

I didn’t go beyond 2 steeps but look forward to see what happens when I do.