Oh man, I have plowed through so much tea today. I went out of my way to squeeze in a gongfu session with this oolong earlier in the evening. I had been meaning to try this one for some time. I wish I had not put it off for so long because I found this to be a very nice tea.
I prepared this tea gongfu style. After a quick rinse, I steeped 6 grams of loose tea leaves in 4 ounces of 195 F water for 10 seconds. This infusion was chased by 11 additional infusions. Steep times for these infusions were as follows: 15 seconds, 20 seconds, 25 seconds, 30 seconds, 40 seconds, 50 seconds, 1 minute, 1 minute 15 seconds, 1 minute 30 seconds, 2 minutes, and 3 minutes.
Prior to the rinse, I detected mild aromas of cream, butter, vanilla, sweetgrass, and fresh flowers on the nose. After the rinse, I detected stronger vanilla, cream, and butter scents coupled with custard and considerably more defined aromas of orchid, lilac, violet, and honeysuckle. The first infusion produced a similar aroma that also began to reveal hints of cucumber and citrus. In the mouth, I mostly detected vanilla, cream, butter, custard, and sweetgrass balanced by touches of flowers and cucumber. Subsequent infusions brought out notes of cinnamon, pear, tangerine, green apple, and pineapple, as well as what struck me briefly as a mix of coconut, cantaloupe, and honeydew. Minerals also began to emerge on several of these infusions. The later infusions displayed a stronger mineral presence, but remained mostly savory, somewhat vegetal, and smooth. Hints of fruit and flowers were still detectable in the background at points.
This was a nice oolong. It had a ton of character and depth. The fruitiness and the strong savory notes, in particular, were impossible for me to dislike. If you are a fan of Taiwanese oolongs, this one is definitely worth trying.
Flavors: Butter, Cantaloupe, Cinnamon, Citrus, Coconut, Cream, Cucumber, Custard, Floral, Grass, Green Apple, Honeydew, Honeysuckle, Mineral, Orchid, Pear, Pineapple, Vanilla, Violet
