dry leaf
All three cakes show tight, silvery-green leaves with visible buds. 2025 lemon zest, 2024 dried apricot, 2023 a quiet leather and honey note.
wet leaf
Rinsed leaves open generously. 2025 still sharp and grassy; 2024 turning dewy with a hint of steamed milk; 2023 revealing old barnwood and ripe melon.
liquor
Pale gold for 2025, deepening to bright amber in 2023. Clarity is high across all three, with a slight chill haze in the youngest.
aroma
2025: fresh-cut fennel and white grape. 2024: honeycomb and sweet hay. 2023: toasted rice, vanilla husk, and a distant floral rear.
taste
2025 strikes with lively astringency and green apple, then shifts to sugar cane. 2024 is rounder — honey, a trace of almond, mild bitterness. 2023 carries the weight: wet stone, dried longan, a soft, mouth-coating sweetness that crests into gentle cooling.
finish
Huigan builds from the throat: quick and crisp for 2025, slower and deeper for 2023. The oldest leaves a pleasant, lingering mineral coolness that returns with each breath.