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Last week end was Canada’s Thanksgiving. I had a lot to be thankful for at the end of the day and this aged oolong was just another reason.

I’m a fan of roasted aged oolongs, and to me it is no surprise that my two favourites are from Butiki!

This tea is very dear to me, it makes me feel special. Taiwan seems to be the cradle of what I call my Gem tea collection, little treasures I just can’t live without!

The liquor is reminiscent of a citrine gemstone, a glowing sunny amber colour. I strongly recommend pouring in glass teaware to fully admire.

I love the fact that each time I drink this, it feels different from the time before, and I can detect new subtleties. That’s what this tea is all about, nuances. It has a very distinct texture, like a roundness in the mouth. Interesting cause I don’t think many teas have an actual texture. I wrote about Butiki’s 2003 Reserve Four Season Oolong that it felt like a silk ribbon in my mouth. It’s even truer for this aged oolong because of its buttery and creamy attributes.

Unlike other similar teas I have tried, the roasted aspect doesn’t overpower with a strong burnt aftertaste. Instead, it adds just the right amount of complexity. This tea offers so many different layers, I think it has a multiple personality disorder! But they all come together to create the perfect cup…many perfect cups that is, if you choose to brew it gongfu style.

It would be a shame to see Stacy’s info become reality… I sure hope the craft of aging oolong will continue for many years to come.

Warning: Please skip this part if you’re not interested in the «story». (I’ve been away for awhile, but for those who know me, you already know there’s often a story!)

Family came over on Sunday for Thanksgiving, and it was such a beautiful autumn day, we all decided to go to this wonderful hiking river park I’m so lucky to have very nearby. Fall in the Laurentians is breathtaking. We call this time a year «Le Festival des Couleurs» (colour festival), and people come from all over to feast their eyes on nature’s beauty.

My nephew and godchild Gabriel is only 3 years old. He can’t get enough of the outdoors. He’s going through a «fish» phase. When we go visit a new place, he always asks if there’s going to be fishes in the water.

He visited the park we were going to many times this summer. Knowing there are no fishes to be seen in that river, he never asks for them. But for some reason, this time he kept telling me we were going to see fishes. In order to avoid a big disappointment later on, I gently reminded him with all the adult wisdom I could give him that unfortunately, there were no fishes where we were going. His reply to that: «We’re going to see the fishes». Ah! That cute little dimpled smiley face of his!

As we were walking on the riverside, we saw a narrow path heading to the woods. We had never noticed it before and decided to go explore a little. It led us to a small pond with a footbridge built over to cross to the other side. Gabriel was so excited, he said even before we started crossing,
«Come auntie, let’s go find the fishes!» Well what do you know… I was dumbfounded to find swimming on the surface the largest trouts I have ever seen! From the bridge, we could see dozens of them, almost jumping out of the water, probably hoping to get food from us. There are no words to describe the glow I saw in my godchild’s eyes. Lesson learned, I thought. Even when the odds are not on your side, good things can happen if you truly believe they can.

Being sick all summer, I’ve been looking for answers I couldn’t find cause I kept digging at the same spot…it took a 3 year old to teach me otherwise.

It was Einstein who said that insanity is doing something over and over again and expecting different results. Gabriel reminded me that in order to find my own fish pond, I just had to take a different path. Best thanksgiving ever I’d say.