Even while the glass sat still on the table, waves of aroma drifted gently through the air—bold yet inviting. Then, around the 15th second after swallowing the first sip, something remarkable happened: the exact same aroma I had smelled earlier returned, now softened and stretched out into a long, tender finish. It reminded me of a fruit from my hometown called longan. We sun-dry it and eat the sweet, smoky flesh inside. That flavor—that comforting, mellow sweetness with a hint of wood smoke—is exactly what I found in this moment.