Okay, my nose is stuffy. I’m having trouble smelling pretty much everything. So dry, these leaves smelled like nothing. But after a quick rinse? Kapow! I can smell that! I’m horrible, however, at saying what things smell like when 1) I have a stuffy nose and, especially 2) when it is a dark oolong. I just don’t have much experience with them. But this smelled a lot like Adagio’s Wuyi Ensemble – if pressed I’d say it smells like a pleasant smoke smell plus a dark honey (plum or something) but I feel like I’ve been saying that about everything (either that or ‘bake-y’) so don’t push me to actually say what it smells like other than Adagio’s WE, k?
I’ve overfilled the glass so I’m going to have to wait a bit for it to cool a little so I don’t pour freakishly hot liquid down my front. On the plus side, it gives me the chance to notice the pretty color. Like apple juice. Or clear cider. Very pretty in my Bodum cup.
Okay, it’s cool enough now… Oooh, this is good. Sweeter than Adagio’s Wuyi Ensemble and a little more complex. Not quite as dark. Smoky at the front then a fruity taste (peach? DH mentioned apple… maybe pear? it’s not very strong and mostly comes across as sweet) then the finish gives hints of what this would taste like as a less oxidized oolong. Very sweet. Very smooth.
So yeah, this one kind of flies in the face of my belief that I’m not a fan of smoky or darker oolongs.
