Da Hong Pao Wuyi Mountain Oolong Tea

This is a roasted oolong. To the nose, it is sweet floral and light smokiness. On the tongue, the roasted leaves come through as char and earthiness with a touch of sweetness. I brewed this gongfu style with an initial wash. If brewed longer than 15 seconds, this tea will deliver bitterness and mouth drying astringency, bordering on a chalky dryness, but if the tea is brewed quickly in the 8-10 second range, the result is much smoother and wet mouth feel, but still will finish with a hint of astringency. Even with quick infusions, the resulting liquor is strong and leaning more orange than yellow.

Dark roast coffee lovers would probably enjoy this tea.

This is a really lovely and rather interesting oolong. It’s certainly complex and also somehow milder than most oolongs I’ve had. The tea tastes slightly smokey, but not overwhelmingly so. In fact, overall it seems more light than smokey. It tastes slightly of citrus fruit and, at times, is even a little bit floral. It does kind of have a “kick” to it while retaining its smoothness. It isn’t bitter at all. The taste of this tea lingers but it is pleasant. I wish I had a better vocabulary to explain this one. I’m looking forward to my second steep.