2016 Winter "Traditional Roast Shui Xian" Wu Yi Rock Oolong Tea

Tea: 2016 Winter “Trad Roast” Shui Xian from YS
Reviewing in 2018.

This will not be a very formal review as I usually do, I just wanted to make a note so I can remember in the future. I have tried dozens of YS oolongs over the years and found a very small handful that I enjoy. This tea is in that ‘drinkable’ handful. Normally my complaint with YS oolongs is that they’re roasted inappropriately to compliment the tea, either too much or too little. This oolong has a very good roast: it is enough that the texture of the tea is smooth and the flavors can pop but are not “green veggie stew” as some of these underroasted yanchas can be, and it is not ash as some of the overroasted yanchas can be. The flavor is rich but dry with subtle “dark” flavors (chocolate, toasted nuts, whatever), and the texture is smooth, as it should be. This is a very drinkable shui xian, and it steeps out long enough to get good sessions with.

This is an excellent Wu Yi, particularly for the price. It is bursting with flavor – chocolate, nutty, fruity, creamy – it’s all there. The roast is present, but it is mild and pleasant, and marries very well with the other flavors. There is also a very subtle dryness that helps balance the chocolate and creaminess. It is sort of like the expected minerality of Wu Yi, but just a mild sensation of it, and less of the actual flavor.

I should also note that I was brewing this in seasoned clay (jian shui), which I have found to improve the flavor of my Wu Yi oolongs across the board. I forgot to do a comparison with porcelain.

This is no longer available on YS, which is a real shame. It would easily have become a tea that I would have bought in bulk. I hope it comes back at some point so I stash a bunch away.
*
Dry leaf – chocolate, roasted peanut, roasted barley (thanks, TPerez! – excellent observation!) notes of tart raspberry. In preheated vessel – fruit and mineral notes much stronger.

Smell – roasted peanut, charcoal roast, mineral, notes of slightly burnt chocolate

Taste – arrival of chocolate, roast peanut, roasted barley. Creaminess develops in-mouth, balanced by mineral-like dryness. Creamy chocolate and tart raspberry finish. Tart berry and citrus notes increase in aftertaste. Hints of yeast roll and cinnamon butter present in finish and aftertaste

A mild roast with slight bitterness. There is a lingering taste and aroma I don’t recognize, perhaps it is that of longan.

I have two packets of this tea and will keep one for further aging. I may have a different experience next time, the first pack has been an enjoyable daily drinker.

Edit
Out of stock but not forgotten.

Brews a medium orange, not quite as dark roasted as I expected from the name, it’s actually pretty similar to the Fo Shou that I had the other day.

Tastes of roasted barley, though not at all burnt or coffee-like. There’s a moderate herbal medicine note and moderate fruityness, though I struggle to identify any particular fruit. There’s a little bit of the same dried seafood note that I found in the Fo Shou, a little bit stronger, and just a hint of floral character. Moderate honey-like sweetness.

Overall it’s pretty nice! Not as clean in the mouth or fruity and mineral as the more expensive Fo Shou, but pretty nice none the less and a good daily drinking Wuyi oolong. I’ve heard that roasted oolongs often improve with a little age, so I’ll try to keep an eye out for any changes in this one.