Tea and origin: Green tea from Huangshan, Anhui Province, China. Tea made by tea masters from the Fu Tai Yuan farm. Harvested on 12 April 2014
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Tasting notes
Dry leaf: The dry leaf consists of full leaves that range in colour from light to dark green and have a sweet, tart fruit aroma. Once the leaves hit warmed crockery, the sweet aroma becomes more pronounced, and I also detect some vanilla notes
Infused tea: For the first infusion, the tea cups out a translucent liquor. The liquor is very light-bodied, and has a sweet flavour with some vegetal and vanilla undertones. It has a dry, crisp finish that settles in the throat. The second through fourth infusions cup out a slightly darker liquor: it is still quite clear, but it now has a green tinge. The flavour of the tea is still sweet with vegetal undertones, and I still detect hints of vanilla in infusions two and four. Although it is still a light-bodied tea, the liquor has more substance and the finish isn’t as dry as in the first infusion
Infusion tips: I made this tea gong fu style with five grams of tea and 150ml of water at 85C. I infused the tea four times with the following infusion times: 30 seconds, one minute, one and half minutes and two minutes
Conclusions: The complexity of this tea was a pleasure to experience. From infusion to infusion, the aroma, body and flavour changed, thus making it a difficult tea to describe with great detail. In my opinion, it has many Dragon Well-like characteristics, but I could see how it would appeal to anyone who likes Chinese teas such as Tai Ping Hou Kui or Ding Gu Da Fang
Retail price: 100 grams for £18.00