91

I have been dead on my feet today. So far, the usual up-and-down Appalachian winter weather has exacerbated my sinus issues. I have a feeling that it isn’t helping my thyroiditis either. My whole body just feels stressed. After an extremely boring day at the office (I loathe my new job), I was having trouble unwinding, so I decided to spend my evening with this oolong. I have no clue which harvest it came from-Floating Leaves sent it my way I suppose because it contrasted the greener oolongs that comprised the bulk of that particular order and to get rid of it. It even came with a note basically stating that they only had a little of it left and were sending it out as samples.

Not surprisingly, I opted to prepare this tea gongfu style. After the rinse, I steeped 6 grams of loose tea leaves in 4 ounces of 195 F water for 10 seconds. This infusion was followed by 12 additional infusions. Steep times for these infusions were as follows: 12 seconds, 15 seconds, 20 seconds, 25 seconds, 30 seconds, 40 seconds, 50 seconds, 1 minute, 1 minute 15 seconds, 1 minute 30 seconds, 2 minutes, and 3 minutes.

Prior to the rinse, the dry tea leaves emitted mild aromas of honey, stone fruits, and roasted grain. After the rinse, a woody aroma began to emerge. The first infusion produced a bouquet that was slightly fruitier and more honeyed. I picked up a subtle osmanthus scent as well. In the mouth, I detected mild notes of wood, roasted grain, honey, and osmanthus balanced by subtle cream and butter flavors and a hint of largely indistinct fruity character. Subsequent infusions were more robust, offering clearer aromas and flavors of papaya, peach, nectarine, and apricot. There was also a hint of prune in the mix, as well as an interesting note of rose. Later infusions were creamier, more buttery, and grainier overall. The woody aromas and flavors remained, as did traces of prune, osmanthus, rose, roasted grain, honey, and apricot that were more notable on the finish, imparting a lingering perfumey quality that was quite pleasant.

I’m a big fan of Gui Fei, so it should come as no surprise that I enjoyed this one. It managed to combine intense floral and fruity characteristics with buttery, grainy, and woody qualities. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a unique oolong.

Flavors: Apricot, Butter, Cream, Dried Fruit, Fruity, Grain, Honey, Osmanthus, Peach, Rose, Wood

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 6 g 4 OZ / 118 ML
Indigobloom

Ugh. Long boring days at work are the worst!!! gamify everything haha

Evol Ving Ness

Sorry that your job does not spark whatever needs sparking within you. Soul-destroying stuff. Hope something better is coming your way.

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Indigobloom

Ugh. Long boring days at work are the worst!!! gamify everything haha

Evol Ving Ness

Sorry that your job does not spark whatever needs sparking within you. Soul-destroying stuff. Hope something better is coming your way.

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Bio

My grading criteria for tea is as follows:

90-100: Exceptional. I love this stuff. If I can get it, I will drink it pretty much every day.

80-89: Very good. I really like this stuff and wouldn’t mind keeping it around for regular consumption.

70-79: Good. I like this stuff, but may or may not reach for it regularly.

60-69: Solid. I rather like this stuff and think it’s a little bit better-than-average. I’ll drink it with no complaints, but am more likely to reach for something I find more enjoyable than revisit it with regularity.

50-59: Average. I find this stuff to be more or less okay, but it is highly doubtful that I will revisit it in the near future if at all.

40-49: A little below average. I don’t really care for this tea and likely won’t have it again.

39 and lower: Varying degrees of yucky.

Don’t be surprised if my average scores are a bit on the high side because I tend to know what I like and what I dislike and will steer clear of teas I am likely to find unappealing.

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KY

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