Taiwan "Shui Xian" Oolong Tea

Eureka! Huzzah! I let my husband take a whiff of my first cup from derk, promised him I would not force him to sample it, but he did anyway. First sip: “Well, it doesn’t taste like flowers.” Follow-up sip: “I approve.” High praise indeed!

Other reviews capture this a lot more eloquently, but if you want the quick Midwest farmer version—it’s a very stemmy oolong that tips the needle toward woody and twiggy rather than fruity and floral, especially as it cools. I saw comparisons to houjicha; I get that, and I’d add a similarity to kukicha—in my cup, anyway.

Hoping you are thankful today, even you friends who don’t get the day off! Tea friends are definitely on the list of blessings I’m counting!

I broke into a new tea I have stored for a year or so… as it was ordered to my address by White Antlers, but I had other oolongs to drink and opened. Ass the packages are non-resealable, I was finishing opened ones first.

It seems I got pretty much same package as derk have. May 2020 harvest.

Prepared western today, which is kind of heresy for oolong, but whatever.

It has got a very nice aromas, I noticed mostly woody cinnamon, roasted pears, roasted generally. I liked it and just for aroma it is a winner. However…

taste was nice. But something was lacking, maybe some depth. It was really subtle in flavours, though it was complex. I have noticed again some woodiness, lightly fruity, autumn leaves (thanks derk, I know the flavour, but couldn’t point on it) and some sweet, like maple syrup aftertaste.

A mystery oolong pick from a joint buy with Leafhopper, May 2020 harvest.

Aroma in bag is fruity with dried cherries and has the Si Ji Chun cultivar-specific florality which I can’t describe. Dry in hand smells roasted. Warm brings chicory coffee, molasses and brown toast and the rinsed leaf displays a sour roast note with woodiness.

The aroma is of roasted pears, dried peaches, chicory and cinnamon. Happy and comforting. The taste is weak at first but does build. It starts slightly nutty and mineral with a background roast and floral character. Clean tulip and little bit sweet aftertaste. Next cups begin with a mellow burst of woody spice which transitions smoothly to an impression of a damp, overcast fall day — autumn leaf, muted petrichor, pine resin, a whisper of smoke, unripened peach still clinging to the branch, twiggy sweetness, all rather subtle. A touch of camphor lingers, like taking a cold breath. Later steeps are nutty sweet maybe with a bit of honey, roastier.

This tea could be perceived as flavorless; I’d say it has subtle depth. Even with a rinse, it does need a long first steep in a gaiwan, maybe 45 seconds, back off a little bit with the next and increase from there. I like the character of this tea. It’s comforting like a Chinese Wuyi shui xian oolong but much more unassuming, giving a clue to its Taiwanese origin.

Interesting look: large curly leaves, prominent stalks.
Intriguing aroma: both dry – stone fruits, fallen leaves, smoke – and wet – mineral, resin, pine smoke.
Enjoyable taste: mineral, spice, smoke, camphor, tobacco, dark honeyed sweetness.
Also, it resteeps well and leaves a pleasant lingering aftertaste.
This is a very smooth roasted oolong that is cheerful, dependable, and lacks any obvious flaws or imbalances. Taiwan oolongs are rarely leave me excited due to their subtlety but I really liked this one.

Alright, I’m finally back. Not only have I been swamped at work for the last week, but I have had very limited internet access at home, so posting reviews ended up falling by the wayside for me. I finally managed to regain consistent internet access this morning, so now I am taking a break to get some stuff posted here. My lack of activity would not allow anyone to know it, but I have been on a huge Shui Xian kick for the last little bit and have taken to comparing teas from different terroirs. This tea went head to head with an old bush Zhengyan Shui Xian, and surprisingly enough, it came out the winner in my eyes.

I prepared this tea gongfu style. After a rinse, I steeped 6 grams of loose tea leaves in 4 ounces of 203 F water for 6 seconds. This infusion was followed by 15 additional infusions. Steep times for these infusions were as follows: 9 seconds, 12 seconds, 16 seconds, 20 seconds, 25 seconds, 30 seconds, 40 seconds, 50 seconds, 1 minute, 1 minute 15 seconds, 1 minute 30 seconds, 2 minutes, 3 minutes, 5 minutes, and 7 minutes.

Prior to the rinse, the dry leaves emitted aromas of char, pine, honey, and raisin underscored by a hint of cinnamon. After the rinse, I noted the emergence of stronger char and pine aromas as well as a hint of baked bread. The first infusion then introduced a hint of rock sugar to the nose. In the mouth, the tea liquor offered up notes of char, pine, honey, raisin, cinnamon, and rock sugar backed by hints of baked bread. Subsequent infusions saw the nose turn creamier and a bit spicier. New notes of minerals, cream, spruce, and juniper showed up in the mouth. The final infusions offered notes of minerals, char, and pine that quickly gave way to subtler notes of cream, raisin, and rock sugar.

At first, I did not know what to make of this tea. I am very used to Wuyi Shui Xian, so this seemed very soft and subtle in comparison. Taking my time with each infusion, however, yielded tremendous rewards. Once I adjusted to the tea’s softer, smoother, simpler character, I found an easy-drinking tea with admirable longevity and great texture in the mouth. Should What-Cha ever restock this tea, I will most definitely be buying more. It made for a great break from the heavier traditional Wuyi Shui Xian oolongs to which I am so accustomed.

Interesting tea. It has a complex and strong scent to it, but the taste itself is somewhat bland to me. I can’t quite articulate what the scent is, except that I’ve smelled it before…I almost want to say mineral chocolate without there actually being any chocolate smell. Would that maybe be malt instead? It’s not earthy, it’s not nutty, it’s “not” many things…

I don’t know. It’s not a terrible tea, I just struggle in explaining what it IS, instead of what it ISN’T.

You know…I think the scent is similar to a cinnamon-tasting tea I had, except there’s not really a cinnamon taste to the tea. It’s has a similarity to the scent of a cinnamony tea I had, minus the cinnamon. But I suppose that’s another round of saying what this tea isn’t, instead of what it IS.

This’ll be my new puzzle as I try to figure it out in future steeps. I’m pretty sure it’s just because I haven’t had enough organoleptic training…

This tea has a velvety texture and hits with an immediate burst of charcoal, spicy and ever so slightly sweet, and the smooth roasted aftertaste has a unique peat smokiness to it. Highly suggestive of houjicha, but with more depth of flavor. Wonderful.