Aged Baozhong, Mi Xiang, 1973 Tea by Red Blossom Tea Company

Aged Baozhong, Mi Xiang, 1973

Our Aged Wenshan Baozhong is nearing its fourth decade. Hand-picked in 1973 from the township of Wenshan, north of Taipei, it has been stored by the original tea makers until we acquired it in 2011.

The tea itself is distinct from our other Aged Oolongs because it consists of both regular leaves and “mi xiang” (honey fragrance) leaves. The latter’s sweet honey aroma comes from the leaves’ natural reaction to leaf hopper bites. Unlike most aged oolongs on the market, this tea has also never received a re-roasting over the course of its storage.

The combination of long uninterrupted aging with the honey “mi xiang” aroma makes this one of the most unusual teas in our collection. Classic notes of plum, mint and raisins one would expect from an aged tea is brightened with the sweet honey notes of the mi xiang leaves.

2 Tasting Notes

Rumpus Parable 2 tasting notes

I bought this and another aged Oolong from Red Blossom because I’d never had as old of ones as they had available and wanted to try them. I’m not a huge Oolong fan so I was curious is these would be different for me.

The smell of this tea is very “basic oolong” to me. It doesn’t have anything special about it. So I was worried it’d be another hum-drum cup for me, as I find most Oolongs tend to end up IMO.

The taste is another matter. It has that mint zing in the tip of the tongue and back of the throat. The raisin they mention is really there in the top of the mouth. The finish is the raisin/honey taste up in the nose. It’s a short finish, but pleasant.

It definitely not a standard oolong.

2012-06-27 21:14:15 -0400

195 °F / 90 °C

3 min 0 sec

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