August 2017 harvest.
I’ve tried brewing this tea both western and gongfu so far. I also have a a liter cold brewing in the fridge and am planning on doing a grandpa test in my thermos to judge the tea’s viability as a ‘school brew.’ I’ll update the review and rating after trying the other 2 methods, but for now:
Western: 3g, 8oz, 205F, 3/4/5min. Light-bodied and a little viscous, tastes of honey and light roast. Some light astringency and a ruby red grapefruit aftertaste. Pretty average tea. Third steep wasn’t worth it as the astringency became overbearing.
Gongfu: 2.5g, 60mL, 195F. 10s rinse followed by 7 steeps at 10/15/20/25/30/45/60s.
In an attempt to reduce the astringency present when brewed western style, I dialed the temp back 10 degrees. Dry leaf smelled of mostly roast and honey, warmed had the addition of wheat toast. A 10s rinse allowed citrus to come forward in the leaf. The tea started off very light and citrusy in flavor with some astringency. It thickened up quickly. Ruby red grapefruit and some salivation came out and there was a short-lived honeyed grapefruit aftertaste. The astringency was a mainstay even with a lower temperature. Drinking it while having a snack did keep the astringency at bay and allowed the flavors to pop out more.
The tea does have a nice, light taste that would make this a good beginner’s oolong but I hesitate to recommend it as as such due to the astringency. I’d point somebody to What-Cha’s Vietnam Gui Fei over this tea especially since the Vietnamese version is at the time negligibly more expensive.
