Upfront and penetrating aromas (osmanthus!!) and tastes. Bright and deep, fruity and sweet, fluid and full, smooth, almost sticky but leaning more soft and oily. I don’t know how to say this without turning people away, but it has a strong cat pee character. Reframe that as black currant, ginseng and hops and you’ll be in love. Throw in strawberry, grapes, mango, apricot, banana and dates and I guarantee you won’t turn your nose up at it. There’s probably some tropical fruit out there that embodies this melange. Turns more honeyed plum and passion fruit with forgotten steeps. Long, cooling finish and savory-fruity osmanthus aftertaste with spice notes. Also, it’s very easy to brew and long-lasting. I know a lot of people brew leaf only once but if you do that with this tea, I will weep at your folly. This is what it sounds like when a derk cries.
Now a word about the energy. This is powerful stuff. It knocked my socks off, unscrewed my head, screwed it back on straight and had me FLYING. Intensely uplifting, beautifully intimidating. I’m scared to try this gongfu with more leaf.
Highly recommended for anybody that can appreciate the, um, black currant character.
Album pairing: AIR — Moon Safari
Flavors: Allspice, Apricot, Banana, Black Currant, Bread, Chocolate, Dates, Fruity, Ginseng, Grapes, Herbal, Hops, Licorice Root, Mango, Mineral, Mint, Nutmeg, Oily, Orange Zest, Osmanthus, Passion Fruit, Plum, Soft, Sweet, Tropical, Winter Honey
That may make me chuckle all day!
I need to try this one. I have a sample tucked away. Maybe anniversary week in the mountains of NC near Traphill.
Oh yum!,
Absolutely, I must get my paws on some of this cat pee tea! Pardon my litterbox humor, ha!
I would be happy to send you some, TeaEarleGreyHot. Send me a PM if you’d like. Essence of Tea has so many good teas that I do suggest an order, especially for you as a lover of pu’er.
Today I brewed a cup for a coworker who drinks coffee but not tea. He said the tea was ‘doing things inside of me, hitting many systems at once. It’s filling my whole body. It is sticking with me." He’s sensitive to these feelings. I could sense the energy moving within him, and while he seemed overwhelmed by it, he kept commenting on how good it made him feel.
That’s impressive!