A very nice roasted oolong with a stewed fruit and citrus like aroma. The roast is a bit stronger than I would normally prefer, but I think it works well for this tea.
The taste is mineral and not as fruity as the smell and definitely more bitter than sweet, although there are some sweet and sour flavours in the background too. The taste profile is actually not too dissimilar from some lighter oxidation Dan Cong teas, with charcoal notes that are usually absent in those. In the aftertaste I get coffee notes as well as astringency that disappears soon enough and gets replaced by slowly increasing sweet sensation at the back of my mouth. The aftertaste is long and actually more like Wu Yi oolongs I reckon, not floral at all, rather quite sweet and roasty.
I like to do slightly longer steeps for this one, as it enhances the body. There is bitterness though, so depending on your preferences, you might not want to go crazy. The texture is bubbly, slightly sticky and milky with long steeps. I also get a cooling sensation in the throat while drinking that actually becomes warming later on.
Another point to note is the body sensation induced – very warming and somewhat rushy. This tea has an incredible price/quality ratio I would say. Overall, if you like roasty and bitter oolongs, I would suggest you pick this up. The tea doesn’t really lack in any way other than the taste. If it was a bit more aligned with my preferences, this would be a ~90 kind of tea for me.
Flavors: Bitter, Char, Citrus, Citrus Zest, Coffee, Mineral, Stewed Fruits, Stonefruit
