I am enjoying this tea more having prepared it in a gaiwan. The higher ratio of leaves to water and the shorter steeping times allow the flavors to express themselves more succinctly. In my tea explorations I have tried several highly oxidized oolongs, but this the first strip-style Wu Yi Shan Da Hong Pao I have tried. This definitely qualifies as highly oxidized, being about 80%. The neat thing about tea is the you can have teas fairly close on the oxidation spectrum, but their flavors and characteristics can differ so much.
The tea’s aroma is that of an earthy broth; whereas the flavor is all peatiness and scotchiness. The after taste is distinctively reminiscent of the slightly smoky bite of scotch. I assuredly enjoy this tea.
