Anxi "Hairy Crab" Mao Xie Fujian Oolong Tea * Autumn 2017

After trying this tea in a gaiwan I decided to do the western brewing and steeped the heck out of it. I used out 3 grams and let it sit in the amount of water equivalent to a large coffee mug for 3-4 minutes. It produced a very lightly-colored yellow-green brew with a pleasant strong taste: grass, tulips, peaches, and a lot of naphtalene mothballs – but in a good way.
By the way, “but in a good way” became my perennial copout for an usual but pleasant taste… although my wife keeps making fun of me every time I use it after I described one of the raw puers to her as “It tastes like throw up – but in a good way”.

In any case, this tea is very forgiving to a long Western-type brewing, and while not as complex as doing it gong fu style it produces a lot of tea with intense pleasant smell and taste ( I got three steepings out of it for 3-4 large coffee mugs). A keeper for sure.

Even though the tea is lightly oxidized, the liquor remains very light green and medium bodied.

The green grassy notes are also present in the taste, but overall it’s a more floral affair than what is the case with most green teas. There is also a noticeable sweetness reminiscent of cantaloupe and edamame.

The aftertaste is mostly sweet with a hint of spiciness and induces a drying sensation. For the price, this is an awesome deal!