dylanj

Delicious. Rich, dark, earthy, complex and full. It smells great and tastes great. I have very limited experience with aged oolongs but this was was very pleasing.

However, I do have to add that I’m a little disappointed that the tea doesn’t have very good “legs”- you really only get a couple good infusions out of it- which are satisfying, but it quickly dies. I am on the lookout for an aged oolong that lasts longer, I have a feeling a really good one will go many, many infusions.

How is the processing different for Alishan vs. a Chinese lightly oxidized oolong, like TGY?

For me it’s a standard Chinese green. Dry leaf smells great- light, vegetal and the brew is delicious. Great everyday green tea for the green tea fanatics out there.

This is a quality Dan Cong by my estimation. I do not have a wealth of experience with dan congs but they are beginning to become my new tea category to explore. Xing Ren Xiang (Almond fragrance) has been really enjoyable. The leaves are twisted style and dark when dry.

My favorite part of brewing a phoenix oolong is getting my gaiwan nice and hot, emptying it and filling it with a heavy volume of dry leaf, replacing the top on the gaiwan and letting the aroma accumulate before I remove the top and stick my nose right into the warm gaiwan. Phoenix oolongs have an awesome stone-fruit aroma on the dry leaf that gets me excited. This one from Red Blossom is no exception.

This tea does have a tendency to go bitter if brewed too long, or with boiling water. I’ve been using water that’s around 190/195 I’ve found that to be ideal. Does it go bitter because that’s simply a characteristic of this tea? Or do I need to find a higher quality Dan Cong that won’t get bitter?

Any Dan Cong (Phoenix oolong) fans out there I can learn from?

This is one of the best TGY I can find in the states. Fabulous. Lasts many infusions and has a pleasant floral and smooth TGY flavor. Highly recommended for any TGY fan.

I love this tea when it’s raining. I haven’t quite developed a taste for aged oolongs yet- they’re quite new to me. But I would say this tea is pleasant- it has some of the character of a roasted Taiwan oolong, but masked with a layer of aged depth to it. Interesting, not an everyday kind of tea for me but definitely satisfying and something about a rainy day makes me love brewing this tea.

This tea has a nice smooth, delicate sweetness to it and a rich history dating back to the Mt. Lu Buddhist monasteries- the exclusive cultivators of Yun Wu during the Tang dynasty. The poets and writers would travel up the mountain, gather at these monasteries and drink Yun Wu tea with the monks to become enlightened. Maybe we too, can become enlightened when we drink it.

Does anyone find themselves enlightened after drinking Lu Shan Yun Wu?