Nose:
Dry: Earthy, reminiscent of rain in forest. Some sort of berry. I can almost feel the humidity in the air on a cool, rainy spring day in the forest.
After 1st wash: Almost a sweetness, like dried clover hay. No wet piling scent, though I tend to like a little bit of that funkiness.
Tasting notes
1st steep: 5 seconds. Dar
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Dry: Earthy, reminiscent ofk brew, though that could be due to the leaf dust from initially breaking into the cake. Very smooth, coffee like astringency on the finish. There is a richer fruity flavor trying to come through, I imagine it will present itself of the subsequent brews
2nd steep: 5 seconds. Leaves greatly increased in size. Brick opens up very quickly after brewing. Beginning to take on that oily property where tea almost wicks up the gaiwan after pouring. Smell is more reminiscent of berry now. It gives me the image of being near a blueberry bush while hay is made in a nearby field. Taste is hard to describe. It is thick like your typical Shou but there is a space where you almost expect an acidity to be, but there is none, only a richness. I think this is the fruity flavor I was describing.
3rd steep: 10 seconds. Nose is very similar with maybe a hint of molasses coming through. There is an “oily” mineral layer on top of the glass, similar to coffee. Very ripe blueberries on the palate, bordering on overripe. This is probably a mixture of the tea’s natural character and the fermentation process. Lingering sweetness on the tongue.
4th steep: 10-15 seconds. Little bit of leather on the nose. Tea is a thick red, almost black. Heavy minerality on this steep. I also notice a warming sensation in the body at this point. Aftertaste reminiscent of cinnamon with a hint of white pepper.
5th steep: 10-15 seconds. Leather and minerality still strong. That cinnamon note is more prevalent now, while still maintaining that clover sweetness that was noted in the beginning. The coffee-like astringency from the 1st through 3rd steeps has dissipated, leaving a warm finish that slowly fades over the next 2-3 minutes.
6th steep: 20 seconds. Leather notes on the nose have evolved to a woody note. Another commenter got notes of “boozy bourbon barrel”. While I don’t notice the booze aspect, I do notice the oak-like note of an unused bourbon barrel. This note is also present in a sawmill cutting fresh White Oak.
7th steep: 30 seconds. Woody and hay notes on the nose persist. The tea is beginning to lighten at this point, roughly 15 oz of tea has been brewed. That cinnamon aftertaste is very prevalent.
8th steep: 60 seconds. Still very little astringency even after a minute of brew time at ~200 °F. This could be a very suitable tea for thermos brewing if that is your style. There is a lingering minerality on the finish
9th steep: 90 seconds. The clover/hay scent is largely dissipated at this point, leaving behind only the woody notes. Maybe a hint of leather.
10th steep: 3 minutes. Nose is getting lighter, leaving only the faint smell of wet tea leaves. We have exited the forest.
Number of steeps: 10
Buy again: Yes
Overall score: 4 out of 5
Overall this was a great cake at a bargain price point. It takes you on a complex walk through a rainy forest, with a quick stop at the hay fields and blueberry patch. It is very resistant to overbrewing or becoming astringent. The dry cake is fairly difficult to break apart. I found the process of breaking off a brewable chunk to be an exercise in patience, which maybe we can all benefit from. You could continue brewing past the 10th steep, but from my experience the tea has largely given you what it has to give at this point. This is a very approachable Shou experience. Read LessRead less about Nose:
Dry: Earthy, reminiscent of
