Shui Hsien

I accidentally slept fourteen hours today, clearly my body needed it but I was not amused by this. In order to make up for lost time I decided to log a bunch of teas in my notebook, thirteen teas later and I feel accomplished. I am, however, going to review an older tea in my book and one that is a real ‘comfort tea’ for me. I oddly bought it last Christmas at my local favorite Asian Market so I could include it in my annual Tea Advent Calender I give to a few of my friends…and then promptly forgot about it until about a month ago. A grievous sin, I know, but I finally got around to drinking it and giving it the respect it deserves.

This poor ignored tea is none other than Shui Hsien Oolong by Sea Dyke brand. Shui Hsien is an Oolong tea from the famed Wuyi Mountain in Fujian, China, the name translates to Water Sprite or Narcissus, which I find rather beautiful. It is considered a dark Oolong and is usually oxidized 40-60% and is given a good firing (I do love me a roasted Oolong!) The aroma is sweet, rich, and malty…talk about yummy! There are notes of smoke and rich roast, it reminds me of sweet pipe tobacco and gives me a whiff of childhood nostalgia. There are also notes of pine resin and dried fruit.

Once I give it a good brewing the leaves take on an even richer, roasted aroma and is vaguely like coffee. There are still notes of resin and smoke, it does seem to lose its sweetness though. Ah, wait, I found the sweetness, it all transferred to the liquid! The rich, amber, liquid has the aroma of dried dates and roast. The roasted aroma melds really well with the sweetness.

The first steeping is very rich, almost a little too intense but very pleasant. The taste is sweet and a little musky, similar to the way a humidor smells, but not headache inducing like some teas I have found that have this same ‘humidor taste’ are. I suppose it would be a terrible comfort tea if it gave me a headache. It is also smoky and a touch metallic. Very smooth and rich.

The second steeping is where the party is at, yo. It is much sweeter than the first steeping and takes on a more roasted taste rather than smoky. It takes on a nuttiness that blends well with the roasted taste, and also has a chestnut taste. There is a metallic aftertaste that I notice in some Oolongs and I usually really enjoy. As the tea cools it becomes honey sweet and loses any of the tobacco taste. I really like this tea, to me it evokes my childhood and autumn and I have found that if I am feeling unwell it really picks me up. I truly feel bad for ignoring it for so long. I do not know if this tea can be purchased online unless you do it wholesale, but you might find it locally if you are lucky.

Blog and photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2013/10/sea-dyke-shui-hsien-oolong-tea-review.html

The tea has a beautiful light amber color. The aroma is a mixture of hay mixed with a smoked seaweed smell, also a little bit of a pinto bean smell…hehe. The flavor is light and smokey with an after thought of seaweed. I also think of a late summer/early autumn evening in a meadow and the smell of fires in the distance.

an AWESOME tea!

when i smell the leaves dry they have a black tea/chocolate smell.

when i smell the leaves wet, they have a strong Chocolate smell.

when i smell the brewed tea, it smells like chocolate.

when i taste the brewed tea, i taste Chocolate, coffee and some toastyness

i rate this 100 because of the coffee/chocolate smell/taste

i am very grateful to Amanda ‘SoggyEnderman’ Wilson for this amazing tea

This tea is a gem, not because it’s the best tea out there, but because it is amazingly priced and can be found at many Asian grocery stores. It’s a nice little foray into the world of Wuyi oolong for those who may not be able to afford much Wuyi otherwise, and at usually 2-5 bucks for a 4 oz box or tin of it, you have plenty of room to experiment with brewing styles without having to fret that you’ll run out or break the bank.

This is a really comforting tea. It is nicely roasted and mild tasting even when brewed with a large amount of leaf. I used 6g/100ml and flash infusions. The brew is a deep orange-red. The flavor resembles black tea somewhat, but there is a hint of sweetness and a very subtle note of pickle brine, and as the tea cools it definitely has a more bitter aftertaste, like that of coffee.

FYI, I recommend buying the boxed version of this. It comes in a sealed foil pouch whereas the tin only has a plastic cap inside and isn’t very airtight. It goes stale easily and absorbs the smells of Asian market that way. The second infusion of this tea is all roasted and char tasting. There was a subtle hint of floral in the leaves before brewed, but that isn’t coming through so much in the taste. As the tea weakens through infusions it is starting to remind me of Houjicha, albeit darker and bolder in flavor.

I don’t have a lot to say about this tea as far as describing the notes, but I can say this is the cheapest and most easy to find Wuyi oolong out there for beginning tea enthusiasts or anyone who wants to indulge in some heavy roast flavored Wuyi without spending a lot. I usually rate teas only on taste but the value really plays into why this tea is great. If I was going to rate this on taste alone, I’d probably give it around a 75, a solid enjoyable tea for me but nothing to write home about, but because I really want others to know about this great opportunity to try Wuyi oolong affordably, I will rate this much higher, and no I have no affiliation with the company. Haha! XD

EDIT: After eating some lunch and coming back to this tea the dill pickle note I had mentioned before is a lot more prominent. I seem to notice this type of flavor from time to time with heavily roasted oolongs.