Ahh! It’s been so long since I last logged a tasting note, mostly because I’ve been away lately. I have written several physical notes of some teas which I’ll be uploading in the coming days.
>Dry Leaf Appearance/Aroma
Large long twisted leaves, mostly unbroken, light brown in color with some leaves tinted with a yellowish green hue. Faint tangy citrusy aroma.
>Brewing Method
Small gaiwan, gong-fu style, boiling water, two rinses.
>Liquid Appearance
When viewed in large quantities, such as a glass server, the tea has a clear honey-like amber color. In smaller cups, it’s a beautiful golden color.
>Taste/Aroma
The first cup had a sweet tangy aroma. The tea was sweet and very accurately described by verdant tea, sparkling. I did not find this “sparklingness” similar to that of a wuyi rock oolong, but more of a feeling after drinking it. It’s hard to explain but it gives me a feeling of “brightening” up my body, if that even makes sense. I also found it to be a bit silky and with hints of citrus.
The second cup became thicker and notes of apricot began to surface. Third cup retained the basic flavor profile, but that thickness of the liquid became almost “juicy.” In the 4th cup, I noticed a strong apricot taste that started sweet and juicy, then finished with a slight dryness in the mouth.
The apricot hint and dryness were mostly gone in the 5th cup. Now the tea has a very pleasant thickness to it that fills your mouth with every sip and after a while, the taste lingers in your mouth well after you have put down the cup.
The 6th and 7th cup lost most of the thickness of the previous infusions and lost most of its aroma, but still very flavorful. While I ended my session there, this tea can very well take more rinses. I re-infused the leaves 2-3 more times but I did not write any notes about the taste, but I do remember the basic flavor profile remained there.
>Wet Leaf Appearance
Yellowish brown leaves, other than that, nothing out of the ordinary.
>Overall
If I had to summarize the taste/feeling of this tea, these words would be the perfect description: Sunny, Sparkling, Refreshing, Summer. I don’t know why, but this tea reminds me so much of summer. Maybe its the citrusy tangy taste, the juiciness and subtle apricot notes, who knows, but it’s definitely a very different experience from other oolongs.
