Well, as seems to happen so often, my impressions are very different from yours! Why? ... who knows, but don't take my experience in this one session too seriously ... I don't! Maybe the difference has to do with being stored in a plastic bag for almost a year.Consilium wrote: I'd love to hear your personal opinion.
I brewed 5.50 g in 120 ml pot, no rinse, infusions: 15 s, 25 s, 30 s, 45 s, 45 s, 20 s, 30 s, 20 s, 30 s, 40 s, 50 s, 60 s where I am now.
The first infusion seemed to promise nice things ... although it was so light a straw color as to have almost no color. Infusions 2 to 7, however, were so rough, drying, and astringent that I couldn't get much from the very light flavor profile. I almost dumped it, but in the eighth infusion it let up on the rough stuff and revealed a light, fruity profile ... maybe hay and straw types of tastes ... but still awfully subtle for my barbaric tasting skills, and as you say, elusive. I like your melon analogy, certainly zesty, I didn't find it sweet, but the straw and floral are consistent with my experience. Now, in the 12th infusion, I am starting to notice a nice oily feel on the lips. I have had this experience with other CNNP cakes at Puerhshop too: that the early infusions can be iffy at best, but the later ones become quite nice. Unfortunately, I have already dumped the leaves and cleaned out the pot!
I would suggest looking into three other CNNP productions at Puerhshop, all of which I found much easier to live with and all of which cost dramatically less. In order of my current sense of preference:
- 2004 CNNP 7548 Green Pu-erh Tea, $18.59
2005 CNNP Yellow Label Pu-erh Tea, $17.59
2004 CNNP Old Tree Green Pu-erh Tea, $18.59.
