I haven’t had an oolong in awhile, but not because I don’t enjoy them. It is just unusual for me to commit to such an extended tea session with the same tea. I usually switch it up and drink several different teas over the course of a day or evening. However, I woke up craving an oolong session today! I picked out this Da Hong Pao from my generous sample box that I received because I was in the mood for a truly roasty, toasty experience. I remembered to do a quick 5-10 second rinse before settling down into my first 3 minute infusion with this tea.
The liquid from the first infusion is very light in color, but holds a sweet aroma that reminds me of good BBQ sauce for some reason. The flavor has a bit of a toasty/woody thing going on but there is a good amount of a natural sweetness hanging out. This infusion is pretty enjoyable, but I’m looking forward to the consecutive ones more. The first infusion from an oolong is never my favorite. I’m leaving this unrated until I progress more through this brewing series.