2016 W2T Last Thoughts
5g/85ml gaiwan, Toronto filtered tap.
This was kept in a sample bag and put into heated storage at 32C *with* added humidity at 72% Boveda, and it developed quite a lot of mold, which looks like Aspergillus. One of the reasons I do not recommend storing with added humidity.
After a triple wash, we begin… the mold has definitely accelerated this tea quite a bit, it is quite dark orange. The taste has this herbal minty aspect, very familiar yeasty sweet taste which many puerh get to some degree.
The storage taste subsides by steep 3, and I can start feeling the underlying tea, quite sweet, medium-high astringency, with a good deep aftertaste. Heating. Thick texture.
The tea stains porcelain somewhat like a traditional storage sheng. It doesn’t have any geosmin, but the sweet minty yeasty note is reminiscent of some traditional storage teas I’ve had.
In earlier sessions, this tea had a big floral pungency, and that has entirely gone. Also, when new it had pretty low astringency, and it certainly hasn’t gained any. Another thing that is quite consistent is the heating aspect of the tea, which is relatively strong. Not so much an effect on the mind as it is on the body.
