I'll only post the first 4 steeps for now. Prepared as per Tim's instructions:
Flash rinse | 10s | 15s | 15s | 10s
Wet leaves had the aroma of musty old wooden furniture, and the forest after a light summer rain.
1st Steep:
Glossy orange/brown color liquor. Flavor was delicate, sweet (which surprised me after the earthy smell of the leaves!) and slightly musty.
2nd Steep:
I can smell sweet hay and woody notes, reminiscent of an old dusty barn (in a good way). Darker amber color liquor. Sweeter now with strong camphor flavor.
3rd Steep:
Took on a taste similar to the smell of the paper in a very old book. Astringent now; leaving a lasting dryness on the tongue and cheeks. Camphor is still there with a stronger umami.
4th Steep:
Dark brown liquor. Astringent with a sharper more complex taste and a lasting umami. 5 minutes after the last sip the flavor was still in the back of my throat and started becoming sweet again to my surprise!
I really liked this tea- but maybe for more nostalgic reasons that others might have liked it for. As you may know I have a horse and I've always been around horses growing up, the taste of the tea really reminded me of the mix of sweet and dusty smells of a barn (again... in a good way), it constantly reminded me of "old things", i.e. old books, antique furniture, etc... I think I could really enjoy this WITH an old book on a cold winter night.
