Opened up a sealed can of this tea this morning. I love opening a fresh tea for the first time from its vacuum sealed package: the smell out of the bag is so fresh and green and floral. The leaves brewed up to a luminescent yellow-green, the aroma was sweet and honeylike, and the flavour had a hint of astringency but was mostly clean and clear. It left that really smooth feeling in the mouth and a returning hui gan on the breath.
Ok. So I went back to the Fall 2009 version of this tea: awesome. The aroma wafted between honeycomb and crocuses and the flavour was similarly sweet and nectarlike. Energy is light and uplifting: effervescent. This is a sublime tea. It reminds me, each time that I drink it, of my first truly fresh oolong experiences when I was living in Taiwan.
I have to say though, that although the Spring 2010 version is tasty, it doesn’t quite live up to the standard of Fall 2009. Can’t wait till Fall 2010 arrives!
I tried the Spring ‘09 harvest of this tea today and I have to say that although it is not as fresh or crisp tasting as the Spring ’10 harvest, it is still packed with energy. Still crisp and floral tasting, it leaves that clean feeling in the mouth like after you’ve been to the dentist. It also has incredible scents of a warm sunny summer day in the apple orchard. Again, aromas are not as pronounced as the Spring ’10, but an excellent tea none-the-less.