Organic Green Oolong

Thanks very much, Meowster, from a while ago!  The bundles here are HUGE.  Probably the biggest bundles of oolong I’ve ever seen.  Maybe the bigger bundles mean a more milder flavor?  Less leaves in the scoop? The flavor is certainly different from a typical oolong, though tough for me to describe why.  Very mineral – very sweet, hint of sweet corn and cream.  Kept the flavor going on the second steep.  Got busy and didn’t do a third steep the next day… so sadly tossed the leaves on the third day.  I won’t use the same leaves for over 72 hours.  Had enough to try again though!  The second steep session about a month later was much the same.  Almost a tangy quality when cooled on the second steep.  The third steep session to finish the leaves off, also not really distinct flavors here… not a helpful tasting note…  All I’m getting flavor-wise is MILD. OOLONG. Should have been all different parameters with all three steep sessions, and really no change in flavor between ANY of the eight mugs.   I’m sure this absolutely tasted much better (and more distinct) when it was fresh, so that is a shame. I love the flavor notes on Leafhopper’s tasting note. I wish I had tasted any of that! But it looks like Leafhopper used many more leaves than I did, so I guess I SHOULD have steeped the second and third steep sessions together. Darn it – should have read Leafhopper’s note sooner.
Steep #1  // 1 teaspoon for full mug // 29 minutes after boiling  // 1 minute steep
Steep #2  // 22 minutes after boiling //  1 min
Second steep session:
Steep #1  // 1 teaspoon for full mug // 32 minutes after boiling  // rinse // 1 minute steep
Steep #2  // 25 minutes after boiling //  1 1/2 min
Steep #3 // ??
Third Steep session:
Steep #1  // 1 teaspoon for full mug // 30 minutes after boiling  // rinse // 1 minute steep
Steep #2  // 20 minutes after boiling //  3 min
Steep #3 // 10 minutes after boiling // 2 min
2020 Sipdowns: 33

I bought this tea as part of a three-oolong sampler in March 2017. There’s no longer any info about it on the website, but I remember that it came from San Jing Farms, that it’s organic, and that it was described as jammy (which made me want to try it). I steeped 6 g of leaf in a 120 ml teapot at 195F for 25, 20, 25, 30, 30, 30, 45, 60, 90, 120, and 240 seconds.

“Jammy” is a good descriptor for this tea. The first steep has tangy notes of blackberries, raspberries, and cranberries, with a base of grass and faint florals. The second gets even more intense, with cream and maybe a bit of vanilla complementing the jammy raspberry profile. In the next couple steeps, a GABA-like funkiness creeps in, though this isn’t a GABA tea; still, it’s very tasty and has no astringency. The jam fades into faint raspberry and grass after the seventh steep.

Though it faded a bit too quickly for my liking, the profusion of berries made this tea very enjoyable. One caveat is that you do have to use a good amount of leaf, as 4-5 g isn’t enough for its jammy character to fully emerge. As someone who loves fruity oolongs, I’ll have no problem finishing the 10 g or so I have left.