I wrote that I don’t drink oolongs
very often but once upon the time is good to try out something new. I made an
order half a year ago from jing tea shop and there are still some small
packages in the fridge. These small 25g samples are suitable for me as they
last for 5-6 session and the chance that the tea goes stale is low. Is Saturday
afternoon and the winter sun is gently warming the room, perfect for a session,
so lets open something.
An xi oolong Mao xie, 5.5g in a
90ml gaiwan, boiling water.
No rinse, 40sec, 30sec, 45sec,
1min, 1:30, 5min, long
The dry leaves in the hot gaiwan
give sweet aroma with dry fruits, its round, not to flowery. The wet leaves
releases rich sweet fragrance very similar to the dry ones but more intense. The
liquor is initially thin but later it is getting fuller, this tea seems to be
better when it cools down a bit. In the initial infusion peach and citrus fruits
are present later the grassy-nutty flavour dominates. The sweet base is
constantly there.
This oolong has an interesting cooling effect. I noticed it
in the second infusion as I smelled the warm lid of the gaiwan and the
initially sweet fragrance turned to cooling mint in the throat. During the
following steps this cooling aftertaste (aftersmell?) was present also in the
liquor and aroma cup. After four infusions a mild caffeine rush came and I also
got hungry, so a break was taken and I continued after with longer infusion
giving a bit thinner result but it was still enjoyable. The
leaves are big and whole.
It was a nice session; this tea
is complex having some interesting features. My problem with anxi oolongs is that
they often release a thick sweet fragrance but the liquor is not that full as
you would expect. This tea doesn’t belong that much into this category. Not satisfying as a good sheng but I am looking forward to try it again in the near future.
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