Kuwapani Makalu KP1 "clonal" SFTGFOP1, Nepal

Here is a fine black tea from Nepal that I enjoy very much. It is a first flush 2009, made of long voluminous tealeafs: first leaf and bud mainly.

I prepared it in an porcelain teapot, infusing approximately 8 g of tea in 40 cl of filtered water at 80° C and infusing tealeafs twice at 4 minutes. I didn't want to constraint the leafs during the infusion so I just filtered them when pouring tea, making sure I had emptied the teapot completely before tasting.

I appreciate this Kuwapani for its fullness, its smooth flowing texture, and its well balanced profile. Some of its notes are extremely long in mouth (golden grape, caramelized sugar). Here is the range of notes I recognized.

Dryed leafs: especially nougatine and caramelized sugar, more slightly waxed wood and sandalwood.

Infused leafs: especially caramelized sugar, more slightly wood.

First infusion: especially fresh flowers (freesia, peony), then caramelized sugar and golden grape, and slightly sandalwood.

Second infusion: especially wood and caramelized sugar, slightly floral (freesia) and sandalwood, a final note more planty very slightly bitter (leaf).

First infusion was light golden while the second one was a bit deeper.

I did the second infusion 10 or 15 minutes after the first one.

As always, those 80 cl of Kuwapani made me feel very good: both dynamic and relaxed... sweet paradox.