Anxi Oolong Huang Jin Gui Lan Hua Xiang, Spring 2020
Tea Joint
6g, 100 mL gaiwan, 212f
Brita filtered tap
This came as a free sample w/ my order from TJ a few months back, but I just got around to brewing it last night.
Dry leaf is creamy and sweet, in the light oolong sort of way that I associate w/ most Taiwanese oolongs I’ve tried.
3s rinse
wet leaf: A floral, but dry smell. Oddly enough, also reminiscent of egg tart.
7s: Light vegetal, floral sweetness.
12s: A well rounded sweetness. Nothing too interesting to my tastes. but not a bad tea at all.
Edges of mint aftertaste, just a hint.
17s: edges of mint + medicinal bitterness. Slight vegetal and floral sweetness as well. I can’t foresee enjoying continued careful steepings of this, so I’ll be cold-brewing the rest. Not really a fan of light roasted oolongs, but I’ll take the caffeine, and cold brews of just about anything generally turn out quite tolerable.
cold brew overnight: light floral, tiny bit of honey, and a dominating soapy note. Pretty boring as far as cold brewed oolongs go. Not sure how that bodes for the rest of my order from TJ. Had low expectations going in for this tea since the packet suggested a brewing temp. of 85C-90C so I expected bitterness or something, but this fell flat for me. To be fair, one could argue that cold brews don’t generally bring out the most interesting aspects of any teas, so I didn’t technically give it a completely fair shot, but judging from the cold brew, this tea might not have had too much to offer anyway.
