1. Mei Zhan 2013. Has cocoa beans written all over it. Dry leaves, we leaves, soup and aftertaste all have plenty of cocoa. Wet leaves have a wooden cask soaked in burnt malt base and if you keep at it - dried apples and plums with moss coming through in the end. Malty, slightly sweet, but not fruity, well built soup. With occasional splashes of tingling acid. Empty cup full of incense and burnt malt. 5g/60ml. Brings forth astringency if over brewed. Hence first 4 steeps where flash actions, starting to up a bit afterwards with 40s by 8th step, 1m next and completely lost count of time by the last infusion. Properly stimulating treat that i like after dark with muted lights.
2. Jin Mao Hou from last year. Intoxicating smell of rocks, bark, a whiff of char and distant sweetness. Couple infusions in i get a smell of linden honey off of the broth and lingering in the aftertaste. Malty broth turns into creamy sandal wood halfway into the session. Glimmer of sweet berries in there too. Sweet and pungent incense in the empty cup. Nothing complicated, but a solid midday of afternoon tea. Had 12 infusions at 5g/60ml. Started with flash steeps trying not to bring forth any astringency, but there was none present anywhere. 5th - 15s, 20s, 30s (that's where linden honey became apparent), 1m and then a bunch more till there where no more juice left.
Ps. just realized that i should've shot leaves, but was the clay obsession get better part of me i guess
