I got some oolong samples at this shop in the Mission District of san Francisco.
The shop itself is really cute, the front part is a tea tasting room with teas and wares for sale and the back of the shop is a futon shop that carries other decorative Japanese items.
So about this tea, I used a gaiwan for my steepings and have gotten through 4 infusions so far. This is a roasted oolong which I wasn’t aware of when I bought it (my fault). It’s a fairly dark roast and I’m getting flavors similar to a Hojicha. Where hoji has a kind of bitter finish, this has a sweet finish. In fact, I would say the sweetish caramel finish is probably the best thing about this tea. I am getting some light fruity peach notes but overall it isn’t too impressive in my book. Will have to try this Western style soon to see if I like it better that way.
