'09 Anxi TGY (Mandarin's Tea Room)
Posted: Nov 19th, '10, 15:14
So I finally got around to tasting this tea, here are my notes.
The steepings went as follows:
175*f | flash rinse | breath for 60s | steep 5s | 10s | 10s | 30s
(as per Tim's instructions).
Dry leaf aroma was similar to many tie guan yins: sweet & floral.
First steep: aroma reminded me of spinach with butter, marigolds & dandelion blossoms.
The tea soup was a bright crystal clear yellowish green color.
The flavor was light, sweet & vegetal, very smooth with no astringency or bitterness.
Second steep: aroma was much sharper and sweeter, it's scent somewhat reminded me of wet autumn leaves and possibly dogwood blossoms.
Slightly less sweet tasting now, more vegetal with a tiny bit of dryness on the tongue.
Third steep: rich & buttery scent, very sharp in the nose but hard to describe. It's getting more complex now.
Taste was similar to the last infusion but with more dryness and a mild umami starting to come out.
Fourth steep: a very familiar scent that is hard to place, like the rind of some citrus fruit, maybe bergamot. Less vegetal now, still a sharp sweet & thick aroma.
A bit sweeter with less dryness in the aftertaste.
This is a very good tie guan yin, with a subtle sweetness and enough underlying flavors to keep it interesting. It still has quite a bit of life to it, there are more steeps to be had!
The steepings went as follows:
175*f | flash rinse | breath for 60s | steep 5s | 10s | 10s | 30s
(as per Tim's instructions).
Dry leaf aroma was similar to many tie guan yins: sweet & floral.
First steep: aroma reminded me of spinach with butter, marigolds & dandelion blossoms.
The tea soup was a bright crystal clear yellowish green color.
The flavor was light, sweet & vegetal, very smooth with no astringency or bitterness.
Second steep: aroma was much sharper and sweeter, it's scent somewhat reminded me of wet autumn leaves and possibly dogwood blossoms.
Slightly less sweet tasting now, more vegetal with a tiny bit of dryness on the tongue.
Third steep: rich & buttery scent, very sharp in the nose but hard to describe. It's getting more complex now.
Taste was similar to the last infusion but with more dryness and a mild umami starting to come out.
Fourth steep: a very familiar scent that is hard to place, like the rind of some citrus fruit, maybe bergamot. Less vegetal now, still a sharp sweet & thick aroma.
A bit sweeter with less dryness in the aftertaste.
This is a very good tie guan yin, with a subtle sweetness and enough underlying flavors to keep it interesting. It still has quite a bit of life to it, there are more steeps to be had!
