No brewing directions so I’m just using my general oolong parameters. I know it says this is ideally suited for gaiwan brewing, but honestly? I’m too lazy to do it right now. Western(ish)-style it is! I’ve got almost 8g in this sample so I’m going to split it about in half which means I get to try this heavy on the leaf. Should give me hints of gaiwan possibilities.
This smells so good. The dry leaf is sweet, fruity, buttery, a hint of something spicy. Maybe a dark floral? It makes me think of a milk oolong crossed with a pouchong. Brewed up it smells sweet and light and floral but there is a tickle of a dark, rich scent underneath.
Taste-wise, I was expecting something more like a light floral Tung Ting oolong but it has a slightly darker taste, more like some Ti Kuan Yin I’ve had. But at the same time not. There is a buttery flavor in there that reminds me of a good Ali Shan I had from Red Blossom. This is really hard to describe because there is so much going on – the base flavor is that of a less delicate green oolong. But there is an under-note of a rich, buttery and green thickness. And a top-note of spicy floral sweetness with almost a hint of fruity sharpness that makes me think of the Fuiji apple I had at lunch.
This tea has lots of depth to it, which I find is not always true of lighter oolongs. This is borderline delicate but I think falls ultimately on the rich side, not the delicate side. It’s not quite a sip-it-quietly-and-contemplate-beauty tea for me. More like a mmm-guzzle-it-down-and-wish-I-had-made-a-bigger-cup tea.
Second steep @ 2:00. The lighter note is not really there on this steep but the rich flavor is a bit more present. The tea feel silky as I swallow. Mmm.
3.9g/5oz
