Qing Mei Shan is the only tea I have three different harvests of, so I may do a vertical comparison at some point. This note is just about the oldest of the three, one from 2014. At this stage in its development, I find the mouthfeel and cha qi to be the highlights. The flavour seem to suffer a little bit from it being in a sort of transition stage.
Dry leaves smell of honey, orange peel, animal fur and garlic, but neither of those particularly stands out. During the session, I get mostly herbaceous aromas with notes of moss and plant roots.
The first infusion is very mineral with a light and airy mouthfeel and yet a very thick texture. It is a bit sweet and nutty with light forest and mushrooms notes. Second steep is woody, more bitter, and has a slightly sour finish. It is followed by a sweet, floral and cooling aftertaste that lasts for a very long time. Some of flavours that emerge include cabbage, potato pancakes, kumquat, apple, kiwi, brown sugar, and sunflower seeds.
The profile is very well balanced and even though none of the flavours are too memorable at present, I have little doubt that the tea has a bright future ahead. This is especially apparent from the very pleasant and defocusing cha qi and a great mouthfeel.
Song pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAqof9xXa_k
Flavors: Apple, Bitter, Brown Sugar, Citrus, Forest Floor, Fur, Herbaceous, Honey, Moss, Mushrooms, Nutty, Orange Zest, Plants, Potato, Sour, Sweet, Thick, Vegetables, Wood
