Pear Mountain Oolong

I had no intention of buying a Taiwanese oolong when I went to this teashop on Monday but the owner and I started discussing teas we enjoy and she wanted to show me this one. Once I smelled it I was sold. It smelled like candy; a slightly floral, fruity candy with hints of melon and stone fruit and spice.

The dry leaf is a tightly rolled glossy blue spruce green with bits of yellowish olive.

I used enough leaf to cover the bottom of 150 ml gaiwan and gave the leaves a rinse. I used water @96°C.

I hoped for a resilient tea as the seller suggested this tea could be steeped 6-8 times even using western style brewing and so far it’s delivered. I am still enjoying this tea after the 11 th steep and it is still imparting a well balanced sweet fruity spicy floral tea that has a creamy body and produces a tingling in my mouth. I started with short steeps because of the intensity of fragrance. My times so far have been 5,7,10,12,15,20,25,30,40,60,80s.

Flavour notes I have noted are: cream, tart peach, melon, papaya, pineapple stewed pears, and apricot which appears more towards the end; honey, candied rose petals, gardenia, a bit of lilac, and magnolia, with the floral notes heading towards a nutmeg spice later on mixed with a creamy cool magnolia and orchid; corn, sweet vegetal notes with a bit of artichoke later on, and occasional hints of sandalwood and citrus notes. The sweetness and floral spice mix often intensifies in the aftertaste. Overall this tea is leaving me feeling balanced and cleansed and I look forward to continuing this session. What I have noticed is this tea appreciates a rest between steeps. Once I have allowed it to rest this tea tends to have a more balanced flavour profile. This tea is also very well balanced between it’s floral and fruity elements with both being well present but with neither overpowering the other. I’m looking forward to continuing this session and am enjoying my impulse purchase.

http://instagram.com/p/yyWANFmKzD/
http://instagram.com/p/y0OIfSmK_N/

I’m finishing off this session after 19 steeps. (The final ones being 130, 180, 240, 300, 300, 360, 600 and 600s). The tea still retained a fruity honeyed sweetness with spice and still produced a tingling in my mouth.