This is yet another fine sample gifted by Hobbes in his rather large care package that arrived a few weeks ago. It comes from a trip Scott of Yunnan Sourcing took to the remote village of Bang Ma in Mengku county. The autumn cakes are said to have come from a mix of wild and semi-wild trees. Shall we see what these leaves deliver?
The dry leaves are nice and sweet smelling tobacco florals. The smell dances about in the nose, there is even a sweet-spicy finish to them.
The first infusion pours a pale yellow. Very juicy and sweet berries rush to the taste buds then vanish under slight vanilla into a very thin somewhat sticky mouthfeel. The taste returns in the aftertaste as high notes of berries and florals. The qi is felt immediately dispersing in the upper chest, lightening the heart, one's head feels light and a fuzzy warmth coats the arms, head, and chest.
The second infusion welcomes a sweet very-berry banana floral taste now dispersing into a faint sweet leathery taste. The mouthfeel creeps into the mid throat gripping it softly as it coats the whole mouth- making itself known. The aftertaste has a slight coolness to it, it also has a grainy, chalky, spelt-wood taste that somewhat grounds the sweet notes that are also faintly present in the aftertaste. A slight rubbery taste is left in the mouth. Qi is pretty strong pushing on the stomach slightly.
In the third infusion the sweet initial berry taste has lost some of its sweetness, its banana tastes, and its juiciness. It finishes as sweet soft leathery wood. The aftertaste has bland notes in its base. The qi is quite nice, coating the body in a very soft calm. Mouthfeel remains satisfying.
The fouth and fifth infusions share similar tastes. They both start with sweet berry which has a certain clarity here before falling into leathery tastes. Soon the flavour fades to a rubbery, woody, chalky taste. The aftertaste is a chalky almost bland rubbery, berry, woody taste which is on the whole sweet and fills the last part of the flavour profile nicely.
The sixth infusion shows not that much change from the previous few. This time it has more of a sandy grainy taste and feel. A light, bland, woody taste also fills in the base flavour over which the high notes arc.
The seventh infusion is interesting as creamy, almost tobacco, leathery notes present in the initial taste. These tastes now seem more prominent than the higher notes that once dominated the initial flavour burst. These flavours fade to dry wood with faint underpinnings of fruit. The mouthfeel now is barely in the throat.
The following infusions don't change much at all but are enough to enjoy for a good twelve infusions or so with lighter berry notes still making brief appearances in a fairly leathery wood base. The fairly broad mouthfeel holds out enough for this tea to be enjoyed.
Peace
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