Nose: Skipping grades just wasn’t worth it. I was awkward and immature, smart and desperate for approval, making me an outcast. As a result, Eddie and I had an odd friendship through late elementary school. He and I had a blast solo and often hung out, but in public he wouldn’t acknowledge me. Not sure if I blame him, school dynamics are tough. His parents had a range of snacks that were from another playbook. Dried, candied and spiced mandarin peels. Crystalized ginger. Snacks only found in Chinatown, until they started showing up in trader joes in college. The tangerine vibe really holds. Nutmeg, then a serving of rooibos and hints of dill towards the end.
Palate: Nuanced spice box, quite lovely. Cinnamon honey on shortbread; a high class graham cracker. It’s like nibbling on a pomander ball, with that deep juicy orange infused in cloves. I often struggle on when to use rancio, but this is a good case. That deep funky sweet vibe teetering on rotten tropic fruit. On the finish it goes a touch tannic and back to those vestigial hints of herbal, but never quite all the way there.
Rating: 7 / 10 – Got to like the tangerine vibe. It’s a temple you can build a great evening around.
