Infusions
- This first infusion has a surprising bitterness to it, which I don't typically find with Yiwu teas. It's very smooth and has a solid thickness in the mouth. A bit bubbly. There's nearly no astringency. I'm also noticing a retro-olfactory note of candied fruits and fresh, deep-green herbs. The finish is very lengthy + cooling with wintergreen and some mint.
As it cools, or as I've gotten used to it, that bitterness has faded into more of a rockiness, smooth and silky. This definitely has the Yiwu mouthfeel and character of being delicate, thick, and brightly aromatic. -
Jasmine flowers with a bit more bitterness; could dial back the infusion time a bit to avoid that bitterness but I don't mind it. A bit of dryness is coming out now, still strong on that strong retro-olfactory aroma. Also noticing more of a cream in the flavor. It's similar to a really nice soy milk.
For me, this tea has an abundance of aromas that feel as if they're lifting and elusive - a lot playing together in a beautiful harmonic arrangement. The spices and nuttiness intertwine with the cream, floral, and stone notes in a fantastic way. Hitting this tea with a fine-toothed comb is worth it, it's real interesting.
- Now there's a bit of a smoky mineral character peaking its head. I have no complaints about this tea honestly. It's good. The minty finish is more apparent than before with a nice huigan to it.
- The bitterness seems to have toned down. I'm getting peach, fruit tree flowers, cherry blossoms, and apricots kind of muddled together. More drying so the perceived thickness has gone down a bit but the mouthfeel is still quite thick.
The cha qi is hittin and it fit in exactly where I needed it today. Was feelin pissed about stuff going on at work, where I'm at in my career, etc., and this tea completely flipped my mood. It had an effect like the pleasant side of weed that can function as a shift of your perspective of concern to contextualize things from a different point of view, leaving you feelin comforted and reassured. So I'm feelin pretty damn good even if it should be a shitty kinda day. - A bit brothy with more umami than the start. Oily with a spicy floral, fruity sweetness.
- Went a little lighter and got a brighter slice of the recent aromatics in the past few infusions, but not a notable difference other than it kind of centering around a full-bodied kind of complexity that's hard to describe. Definitely describable as soupy or brothy but on the floral end if you can imagine a soup like that. Some more pronounced woodiness as well.
- Chinese herbal medicines. Oily, brightly fragrant soup. Loooooooooong lingering finish. I'm really impressed with the strength of the finish - it seriously goes for over an hour of that refreshing wintergreen and herbal kinda retro-olfactory deal.
- Still herbal and got all that stuff goin on above. A bit of vanilla ice cream kinda vibes though to be honest.
- Oat milk/soy milk, verbena
- I kept drinkin from here on out, probably to 15-20 infusions til it fizzled out. It was milky, light, and real enjoyable.