Shan Lin Xi “Tropical” Gui Fei Oolong

This was a gift from my dear derk.

I love oolongs but I have had some disappointments choosing them myself, especially with some TGY that gave me high hopes, and then were just…okay. But every now and then I have a tea that makes me wonder why I ever drink anything but oolongs. This is one of those.

This is a bug-bitten oolong, and as smooth as the day is long in midsummer. A swirl of layered aromas arrested my attention when I poured this up. Baby powder! One of my favorite tea scents – prominent in my fave Wen Shan Bao Zhong and a few other teas, and I suppose it is more accurate to call it magnolia and light jasmine. That was the first scent that rose up and I was able to tease out and identify. A little mineral, and just brisk enough to have with food where the briskness is undetectable but simply clears the palate for the tea, but after snacking is done, there it is, the tingle on the tongue. Not astringent, not sour or bitter. Perhaps this is the grapefruit and pomelo the seller mentions, but it isn’t as bitter as some grapefruit can be and I have never had a pomelo.

There are some floral notes that I would liken to incense, and I was unsure if it was the tea or was indeed my incense or oils, because I was cleaning today and have had lavender, sandalwood, and jasmine scents out and about. The scents in the tea are more of the bitter-floral that I love, such as you find in neroli, but far, far more gentle and subtle.

This is brilliant, and if I wasn’t full to busting I would have more right now, but since I can’t, I am saving these leaves on a plate to dry and enjoy again tomorrow.

Having some western cups before heading out for the evening. Really nice mix of sandalwood, nuttiness, passionfruit, pomelo, honey and plumeria. Second steep expresses a lot of pear rather than passionfruit. Best Gui Fei style oolong I’ve had and it comes from my favorite high mountain, Shan Lin Xi. The Gui Fei oolong I’ve had before have been too much for me, whether it be nutty-roasty, honeysweet, citrusy or tannic. This one is simply delicious. It is very fragrant and has a lingering aftertaste.

Perfect for late summer late afternoon.