Shan Lin Shi

Of the three remaining unflavored high-altitude oolongs from my sampler, the dry leaf on this one had the most butter/cream in the aroma. That’s not to say it was a lot, more like a whisper of those notes among the greenish oolongy scent. Brewed up, there’s a lot more of those buttery/creamy notes in the scent, though they’re not really sweet like a milk oolong. Somewhere in between very vegetal and very sweet, like the aroma of sweet corn. And now I just sneezed a bunch and totally clogged up my nose so I can hardly smell anything! :( Sickness not allowed, go away!

Ok my nose as cleared a bit. The flavor is richly vegetal, like thick, leafy greens. It’s very smooth and a bit buttery. I feel like it’s a bit strong (it seems a little “overcooked”) for me at these steeping parameters, which is surprising since I went with a 2 minute steep (usually I use 3 minutes for green oolongs), but it’s not bitter or unpleasant, really. There’s a hint of florals (osmanthus?) at the end of the sip. Overall a very pleasant oolong, and I do want to try it at 1 minute to see how it turns out then. I also plan on trying all of these in a gaiwan (hopefully I’ll get one soon!) with the steeping instructions Naivetea gives.

Another oolong. Am I in Love? Maybe…

Tightly rolled little emerald balls of joy with the most amazing aroma of flowers and freshly cut vegetation after a light rain. I find myself sticking my nose deep into my sample bag of Shan Lin Shi just to breathe every molecule of scent in. The pale yellow liquor is soft with a flavor that is equal parts steamed spinach and osmanthus, (in the very best way). So buttery, creamy, and delicious with a beautiful sweet lingering finish. SWOON

I’m getting around to slowly finishing off and logging all of my Naivetea samples – I believe this is the last one?

My first steep I think I accidentally steeped this in water that was too hot. I got a very vegetal buttery cup but not quite what I was expecting…

For the second steep I tried to use water that was around 170 or 180 F. Now I am getting some of the more subtle notes I would be expecting from this tea. It is indeed very floral and delicate but I wish it had a bit more… oomph? It’s very relaxing and sweet however.

Third steep, I did let this one go on for about 2 minutes. I was hoping to get a bit more flavor out of this tea although that probably just killed it… lol

This is lovely but I’m not finding a way to make it work for me today. I wish I had more at home to play around with, but alas…

The dry leaves of this tea are very dark curled balls. Their dark green hue matches well with the heavy but smooth aroma. My imagination runs wild at the thought of this tea being cultivated so high up, and near a protected wilderness area. It seems like a truly exciting place!

When brewed the leaves produce a bright yellow liquor that’s completely transparent. The steeped aroma is smooth and easy with overtones of grilled leeks and hints of other vegetal flavors.

On the palate the brew remains smooth. A buttery texture emerges as it coats the entirety of the mouth. There’s no astringency here at all. The liquor is very heavy in the mouth, a byproduct of its creaminess. The flavors remain vegetal, but are seriously subdued. Roasted leeks remain on my mind the most.