Starts off silky sweet, after 2 steeps herbal/bitter.
Fruity, floral, honey, mineral, later more herbal
Starts with a silky sweetness, and a good silvery mouthfeel, the second steep reveals some stonefruit bitterness, returning fruityness, later remains more on the bitter side, with nutty mineral taste covering other aromas, leaving a scratchyness in the throat. feeling on the one hand quite pure, but also aggressive on the stomach. has a cooling freshness.
2025-02-10
The remaining sample has been resting in the cupboard since my initial tastings, which were marred by bitterness and an overall lack of enjoyment.
Surprisingly, now there's a pleasant sweetness accompanying the mineral notes upfront—perhaps influenced by brewing with the Zini pot? The bitter edge I recall from previous sessions (1-2 years ago) is absent here. However, it does emerge in later steeps (3rd/4th onwards), becoming quite pronounced, leaving a scratchy throat. This herbal-mineral bitterness again proves challenging for my stomach, even though the tea’s quality feels pure.
Short steeps help a bit to mitigate.
When I find quite interesting, is this rapid transformation from a silky sweet tea to a bitter bomb within just 3 steeps.