1980's Miao-Li Oolong

Prep: 100cc gaiwan, 4-8g, boiling water. Have steeped short — like 10s increasing by 10 — or long — starting with 45s and increasing by 30.
Sessions with this tea: 6

Taste: Dates, raisins, sour dark fruit and some mustiness.

Body: Mouth puckering when you let the sour brew out in longer steeps. Pretty thick mouthfeel. Energy sits deep in my chest or upper abdomen and radiates slow waves of soothing.

This is A material. The body is great, the flavor is great. If you haven’t had a rich aged oolong and experienced the dark fruit sensation, then this is a good choice. There is just this tiny unpleasant musty note which transiently wafts into some steeps then disappears again, seeming randomly. If not for this note, would be A+. I’ve sampled this before and decided to buy a larger quantity, and I’m glad I did. This tea is fantastic for winding down a day or opening up a calm morning — the energy is just amazing.

Edit: the sour note is unpleasant if you let the tea cool down. This tempers my opinion somewhat, but needless to say drink this one hot.

Because it was drizzling in New York City, this was a perfect day to taste this new tea that just came today. This is quite a discovery. This tea is like a Christmas pudding in many ways, The deep color of the first infusions. The smell of the wet leaves. The taste of the tea that is packed with intense plum and dates flavors. The bold taste gets smoother and tones of minerals and dried cranberries appear while the tea leaves smell of dried apricots. A real enjoyment.