Smoked Cassia Rock Oolong

Nice interesting oolong! Wet leaves smell strongly of woodsmoke but I’m not picking it up that much in the liquid. There’s an interesting almost spicy aftertaste, like the flavor of chili powder without the heat, if that makes sense. More on the savory side and less sweet than some yancha.

Gongfu Sipdown (2185)!

Sipping down the last of this with some soft boiled quails eggs topped with just a pinch of black pepper and hot sauce!! This yancha is so roasty and robust with deep, dark mineral notes of petrified wood, charred chestnuts, cinnamon, stewed plums, oak and just a bit of aromatic vanilla sweetness on the tail end of the sip. The borderline burned notes of chestnut, in particular, stand out with the early steeps – just so heavy and pleasantly bitter. The quail eggs, in contrast, are gamey and unctuous. The thick, golden yolks take the edge off the astringency that crops up as I push for longer and longer steep times, but also don’t drown out the flavour of the tea itself!! As the leaves get closer to being spent and start tasting more plum-y and floral with less of the “back of the chest” roast I did have to pull back on the hot sauce as the pairing was becoming more competitive than complementary. However, all in all this was a great Sunday brunch session!!

Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/Crq7iKBIYu2/

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_leRVDIZ9E