I liked this one. I didn’t love it…though at the same time, I deeply enjoyed it every time I brew it. It’s a little bit fruitier than the different leaf rolling I’m used to for a Qi Lan, but it’s somehow earthier/less woody. So peach, vanilla, earth, roast, petrichor, nut shell…in an nut shell. I plowed through the last of my sample in bulk…maybe 9 ish grams? I don’t know, the leaves were small and I brewed it in flash 15 second steeps. Quite good and smooth, but enough caffeine giving me a burn.
Second brew is giving me sweeter qualities, dare I say it? Chocolate, florals, minerals, PEACH, earth, dirt, brown sugar. The earth/sweet combo in how it hits the back of my tongue and the roof of my mouth remind me of some Hojicha. I probably could have avoided that flavor with less leaf. I still get plenty of sweetness and fullness that makes the tea so typically oolong.
I really like this tea, yet the dirt/earth qualities is what prevents me from being something I’d drink every day. I still like the other style of Qilan more because I prefer more florals…nevermind that’s a different kind of earthy note…if that makes even a lick of a sense. I’d be curious to see if anyone else has had a tea like this one. I know Teaforme wrote about one on a vlog, which was what inspired me to finish it off today. Between 78-80 for me personally.
Flavors: Autumn Leaf Pile, Brown Sugar, Chocolate, Dirt, Earth, Hazelnut, Mineral, Nuts, Orchid, Peach, Petrichor, Roasted, Sweet, Thick, Vanilla, Violet, Wood