My first taste of Jing Xuan which comes off to me as a lighter green buttery oolong with a medium floral taste. While I do not have enough experience with Taiwan oolongs to tell between different varieties this Jing Xuan has been the first time that I have encountered a buttery and floral green oolong combined together into one instead of the either or that I’ve often encountered. This is truly a very good quality oolong with an enjoyable sweet smoothness in the aftertaste, which I am glad that I ordered a 1 oz bag with my last order. Although quite honestly I am not sure what to fully think of it as while it is unique and difference I personally do not find it worth the $100 a pound price tag but then again I generally lean strongly toward the darker oolongs.
Jing Xuan, Winter 2009
Oolong Tea by Red Blossom Tea Company
Jing Xuan, meaning “Golden Lily” in Chinese, is a relatively new Formosa varietal developed by Taiwan’s Tea Research and Extension Station in the early 1980s. The cultivar is the end result of nearly four decades of cross-breeding of several Formosa varietals to yield a tea that is distinct in character from the traditional cultivars of our Alishan, San Lin Xi, Lishan and Tung Ting.
Our Jing Xuan comes from a high elevation garden on Alishan. Hand-gathered in late November, this Winter crop has a bright floral character with an undercurrent of rich buttercream and peaches.
Each tea cluster was hand gathered at 1700 meters above sea level and opens to reveal three leaves attached to a stem. While many in Taiwan prefer mainstream high mountain oolong varieties, we feel that our Jing Xuan is an exceptional and rare find for a tea of this grade.
