Big Red Mark Jia Ji

The first time I had this many months back, I really wasn't a fan because I tried it hot off the mail. It tasted straight up like cigarette ash. Now I've let it rest for a real long time lookin for an opportunity to give it another spin. Trying Arby's Truth Serum water recipe seemed like the best time for another go at it.

Infusions

1. The first infusion smelled super aromatic. Definitely different from the first time I tried this one. Super floral, sweet, and fruity. The taste is creamy, sweet, and solidly woody. Has a little bit of a bitter tang towards the back top of my mouth on the finish. Not getting any ashy smoke notes this time. Has a bit of a varnished wood taste to it. The flavor spectrum is pretty tame and balanced with predominance in the nutty, woody, and spicy area. Has more of an adult-like fall feel to it.
2. A bit more bitterness on the top of the tongue followed by a cream note which leads into a taste like the smell of wood shavings or wood cabinets. The bitterness is oddly tangy in a way I haven't experienced bitterness. It's also tied to a pretty strong astringency which wasn't nearly as present in the first round. There's a bit of a smoke note but very gentle and pleasantly matched to the woodiness. Kind of like sittin' outside on a cooler summer night next to a fire that isn't producing much smoke at all. The more it cools, the stronger that bitter note and astringent feeling become.
3. The lid of the gaiwan smells wonderful. There's a floral, ambrosial sweetness with just a touch of wood to it. The flavor is definitely woodier with a dark mulchy note that raises into an Angostura bitters. Getting some OId Fashioned-type spicy notes. Almost a bit hoppy too.
4. Each round, the liquor reddens more than the last, and the lid of the gaiwan gets a sweeter, more ambrosial smell to it. Honestly, the tea's a bit hollow here which I wasn't expecting. There are definitely interesting spicy woodsy notes to it plus an awakened floral nature in the background, but it's all a bit watery. I'm gonna try brewing longer for the next infusion to try to counter that. There's a doughy, flour-like smell to the empty cup too.
5. Yeah, still pretty watery. That tangy bitter has moved more into a clearly spicy bitter note with a lifting motion to it. Getting some fall leaves, roasted pumpkin seeds, and hay tastes.
6. Brewing real hard brought out a peanut brittle/cookie dough note that I really like. It also filled a bit of that hollowness back up into something that feels really engaging again. Going to up the water to just shy of boiling now.
7. These real long infusions at near-boiling are the move for sure at this point. Very floury and dough-like which is quite a departure from where I thought this was headed at the start. Some earthiness is present too. A bit of mossy earth but not super 'dirt'-like.
8. Had a few more infusions with that nuttier dough aroma 'til it started to really thin out overall.