4 Tasting Notes
After dunking my teabag in a cup of tepid water in the Kissmyass Cafe, my punk friend said, ‘Listen Dude, have you never drunk any real China tea?’ ‘What the Hell’ I said. So we went to the Dragon Well Tea House and we drank Long Jing tea: what we had was roasted Shi Feng. ‘Listen, punk,’ (my friend said) ‘there may be there other variations of this Long Jinn tea: but what you are drinking is the best tea you will ever drink in your life.’ I tasted it, and at first was … something I couldn’t quite make out at first. This tea said ‘Who the Hell are you, do you know what you are drinking? Do you really appreciate good tea? Don’t you know I am the best you will ever drink? Or are you just a tea-bag hag?’ It tasted like something green and somehow good on the taste-buds . . . with a subtle promise that there was something better to come … and what developed wasn’t just fruitiness or floweriness, it was just leafiness! Gentle, smooth, good on the taste buds, a general greenness of taste, delicious, pleasant and satisfying, with a long lasting mouth-feel and aftertaste. A tea to philosophize with. Or just enjoy because you like being who you are. Now I like being who I am. Thanks to Long Jinn Tea. (Shi Feng)
This is something over the top for an oolong – immediate peachy taste, with just a tiny hint of astringency. The fruitiness wells up – it’s tutte frutte, with a strong dash of honey! Subsequent infusions keep up the taste, leaving a wonderful gum-lickable aftertaste. Altogether too heady, with a taste satisfaction that endures. Maybe too fruity, but keep some to entice your girl friends!
I was expecting some delicate green taste, so I was surprised to get an immediate impression of oolong. It’s honey-grassy, quite nice, and the taste develops and follows through. It stands up to subsequent infusions, and keeps its moreishness. Well worth buying, you can get it at Whittards without having to go to snobby expensive tea specialists. All the same, it tastes to me like a reasonably agreeable oolong.
