I was a little bit dubious because this is a very expensive tea especially being so young and from such young trees, I was also not convinced they hadn't recently clear felled rainforest to make the growing area nevertheless it is not always easy to get good clean Oriental Beauty so tried some.
The tea is very fine. There is a nice mix of young leaves with many young buds. Flavours are pleasant but not like other things I have tasted so do not have words to compare, starting with savoury fruit notes which fall away to more subtle flavours with a bittersweet hint in the background lasting throughout. Some milkiness later on. Aroma is 'mineraly' and for some reason riveresque.
The tea penetrates deeply and floats to the top of the mouth like helium dissolving into the ether on swallowing becoming more upward moving, brightening the eyes with a smile and then penetrating all extremities.
Most teas are better shared and this is definitely true here, though perhaps not with just anyone. Qi is powerful and light, clear and breezy, noticeably yang, making this tea good for summertime though a bright and sunny autumn or spring day would likely be good too, perhaps in some sunny glade of a young wood or amongst the reeds and flowers of a riverbank. The autumn picking with young buds and leaves perhaps helps create this unusual mix of qualities.
If the Wind in the Willows was a tea this could be it - youthful, social and lazy but with an energy, strength and seriousness.
Ideally I'd have a big bag of this and drink it along beautiful riversides all summer long though the cost is a little prohibitive as is often the case with high quality or rare teas.
