2020 Zhe Rong Tea Cake (Herb Shop Aroma)

I never thought I'd see the day where I sell a cake, but here we are.  I picked up this cake by pure chance. I was going home to New York and wanted to buy a tea to give as gifts. I went to my favorite tea shop, the wonderful people behind the Red Tie Guan Yin and the Vanilla Aroma silver needle, and ask for a decent cake at a decent price. I ended up only give one of the cakes I bought away so when I got back to Fu Ding I decided to give the others a try. Needles to say I was blown away.  The first note I tasted was Crancery sauce. Soft and juicy with a touch of tannins. There was the woodsiness you get with aged tea, but this woodsy flavor was softer and not drying. The body was very clean and had no bitterness. In later sessions I was get chinese herbal notes, but this herbal note was unlike any other I had tasted.  When people describe a tea as herbally they usually mean its woodsy, dry, a bit bitter and maybe a little dank. The herbal note in this tea though is super clean and clear. Its so clear that if I knew more about chinese herbs I could probably name the exact herb this smells like. This flavor of this tea is more like walking into a Chinese herb shop instead of chugging  a concoction  herbs. Hence the name Herb Shop Aroma