wild cliff/shiya/shiyan herbal tea

I recently bought this shiya herbal tea (Adinandra nitida) out of curiosity and because I was looking for a good caffeine free tea for late night gongfu sessions. There doesn't seem to be a lot of detailed descriptions about it online though (at least in English, probably more so in Mandarin), and the descriptions that do exist seem to focus more on purported health claims than on flavor or aroma, so I thought I'd post my thoughts for anybody else interested.

The aroma is unique for an herbal tea, somewhat similar to a roasted green tea, but my mind immediately went to fresh roasted or baked okra (if you've ever had the okra chips from trader joes, think somewhere in that neighborhood).

I steeped 6 grams in a 120 ml gaiwan at 100C. The first two steeps carried a subtle sweetness and were pleasantly savory, and the okra aroma came through strongly, a little like a very light roasted oolong. The third and fourth steeps were a little more subtle, but the sweet and astringent flavors came through more strongly. The rest (I went to 6 or 7 steeps I think) had a light vegetal flavor a little like a pan fried green tea.

Overall, it held up exceptionally well resteeping for an herbal tea, and the slight astringency gave it a nice body that most herbal teas lack. As it is an herbal tea, there is no caffeine content. If you are a fan of vegetal teas, I would highly recommend giving it a try if you are looking for something good for late night gongfu sessions!