Pros: fullness in first few steeps, and interesting sheng-like traits start to appear: fruitiness (apricot?) in both aroma (loved that, intriguing) of steeped leaves and somewhat in aftertaste while still presenting some nice shu sweetness: vanilla pudding, pastry dough (no earthiness or fermentation flavor). Deep coffee-color.
However: First few steeps present a sharp edge to the above: burnt and bitter. While that mellowed out in steep 5, the fifth steep also saw the whole flavor profile and body collapse suddenly. I let steep 7 go for 5 minutes, and was still flat. Finished there.
Conclusion for now: at $11 for 100-gram cake, a 5-gram session will cost 55 cents, so I am happy to have it on hand for those days when I am preoccupied with work and can’t give my full attention to tasting. But for those dedicated tasting sessions, I would definitely save my money to get something with more endurance and a richer flavor and texture profile.
Flavors: Apricot, Bitter, Burnt, Pastries, Roasted Barley, Vanilla
