2011 Spring "Shui Xian" AA+ Wuyi Mount Chinese Oolong Tea

Kinda in a meh mood, so this is probably not the greatest time to be reviewing a tea, cept the fact that I feel this tea fit my mood quite well. This tea is like the friend that tries to please everyone and becomes what they think other people want them to be. Pretty soon they lose who they really are and just become a collection of fake personalities none of which are real. In the end no one really dislikes this person perse but they also fail to develop any kind of a meaningful relationship because they are not real.

That is what this tea is to me, it hints at being smoky, with a rich toasty robust flavor, while trying to also appeal to those who favor the more delicate lighter roasts. In the end it just kinda fails at life, you can’t really hate this tea, but just something about it bothers you.

Kinda a meh tea for a meh mood.

I was really wanting an oolong session, but I grabbed this one and unfortunately it just isn’t doing it for me. There is a toasty, honey-like flavor, but it feels like something is missing from the flavor. Mmm.. maybe just a shower and then to bed.

I feel like I’m running around like a madwoman trying to get ready for my next trip… a month in Argentina, starting this Sunday! So find myself having to stop a moment and remind myself to brew a cup of tea! Next up on the dark oolong road, this one.

Obviously I’m comparing these teas strongly to each other, and have thus far tried the 2011 “Golden Key” and the 2011 “Qi Lan”. The brewed aroma of this tea is more similar to the Qi Lan than the Golden Key, in that it is roasty but not overwhelmingly so. I can detect a few honey-floral notes in the background of this tea.

The flavor of this tea is much brighter than the previous two, surprisingly so. It’s got a slight mouth-tingling brightness that I usually associate with darjeelings. There are some honeyish notes here, but I’m not getting any real sweetness from this cup, if that makes any sense… like the honey flavor without the sweet. The toastiness is there but very definitely in the background, and I’m having trouble sussing out other flavors over the sheer brightness of the cup. This one’s not my favorite of the ones I’ve tried so far, but still definitely a drinkable tea.

Merry (belated) Christmas! I just got back from my relative’s house, where I suffered from both caffeine AND internet withdrawal, and this is the first tea I’ve had since Friday.

I prepared this tea Grandpa style, using the normal amount of tea and water that was just off boiling. The first infusion was a nice dark amber color, with a typical “roasted” aroma. The taste of the first cup was a nice honey flavor and fairly typical for a Shui Xian. The second and third infusions were pretty much the same, except that the color started to lighten, and the tea became a bit sweeter.

The fourth infusion was noted by a more significant decrease in aroma and flavor, and becoming a bit sweeter. Other than that, nothing important happened. This was my last infusion of the day.

This is GOOD! It’s a little smoky, but also sweet and the two mix together wonderfully.
So far I’ve tried 3 of the 6 samples and found them to be very good.
The prices in this tea shop are reasonable and I have this suspicion that in spite of an overflowing tea cupboard, I will ultimately convince myself that I just have to have some more of these Wuyi Oolongs.

Very light scent. Has a honey note to it, light roasted tones.

Wow, the flavor of this has a lot of honey to it. It has a light toasted flavor through the back of the mouth and throat, with the honey through the middle of the tongue and mouth.

As it cools, the toasty/roasted flavor comes out stronger but the honey stays through the finish.

The finish has a lot of burnt taste to it as it gets cooler. The honey is still in the foreground during the sip, though. I wouldn’t think this to make a good iced tea.

Nice tea.

I am trying to place what I like about this oolong. It has as subtle smoky and chocolate notes. But it also has an earthiness that lingers on the tongue after the sip. It is an interesting oolong for sure.

This is my third review in a series of six samples of Wuyi Oolongs from China Cha Dao

Updated 10/12/12 after doing the third and forth steepings

Experience buying from China Cha Dao: I responded to an offer on Steepster for free samples. Received exactly what was stated in the offer: fresh tea and very generous sample sizes. On their website on eBay they have a good variety of tea for reasonable prices.

Age of leaf: Stated as harvested in 2011. Received in mid-summer, brewed in very early fall 2011.

Packaging: small, clear bags with small label printed with the full name of the tea.

Dry leaf: slight roasted aroma, otherwise the same at the other Wuyi oolongs: long, slender, dark brown leaves. There were very few small broken pieces.

Brewing guidelines: four 8-oz cups of water used, leaves loose in glass Bodum pot. Stevia added. (I tried to keep the following guidelines as consistent as I could throughout the series)
…………….1st : 190, 2’
…………….2nd: 198, 3’ (Over a week later, tea sitting, sealed, in fridge)
…………….3rd 195, 5’ (Same day as 2nd steeping)
…………….4th: 200, 7’ (Two days after 2nd and 3rd steepings)

Aroma: mildly roasted, with possibly a hint of caramel.

Color of liquor: pretty much the same as the other Wuyi oolongs: medium brown—like a lightly roasted coffee.

Wet leaf: aroma is slightly different than the others, milder, and slightly more pleasant. Half of the leaves were on top, half on the bottom of the pot during the first steeping. All were on the bottom for all of the remaining steepings. Most of the leaves/buds are whole, many are large, and they are a dark green color, where some have roasted edges on them, and there are a few brown leaves.

Flavor: sweet and mild, with a slightly roasted flavor.

Value: Free 10-gram sample (Thank you Jerry Ma @ China Cha Dao tea on Ebay!). His regular tea is very reasonably priced, I judge ($7/125grams).

Overall I consider myself a newbie when it comes to oolongs. Based off of the first two steepings I didn’t see anything really notable about this tea other than the fact that there are very few broken pieces in the leaf—-leaves and buds are almost all whole—-and that it was a little sweeter tasting than the other two Wuyi oolongs I have tried. But the third steeping changed everything. I honestly don’t know what happened, but something did, and it tastes different, carmal-ly, like a Yunnan black. It’s good! It’s sweet, good, amazing. Since the flavor was so good on the third steeping, I decided to do a forth. Amazing, there is still good flavor in my cup! It’s good, mellowed from what it was on the 1st and 2nd steepings. Even the color is now mellowed to a clear rosy hue. I already composted the leaves, but I bet this could have easily stood up to at least a one more steeping! This is a tea I would definitely brew up and drink.