85

Here is another review from the seemingly endless backlog. I finished a 50g pouch of this tea a couple weeks ago, but I am only now getting around to reviewing it here. Prior to trying this tea, I did not have much experience with Chun Lan at all. It is not one of the more popular or common Wuyi oolong cultivars and it does not seem to attract the most favorable reviews from teaheads whose opinions regarding Wuyi teas I trust. In essence, this tea was uncharted territory for me, and I went into my review session for it with no expectations whatsoever. What happened? I ended up liking it.

Naturally, I gongfued this tea. After a quick rinse, I steeped 6 grams of loose tea leaves in 4 ounces of 205 F water for 5 seconds. This infusion was chased by 15 additional infusions. Steep times for these infusions were as follows: 7 seconds, 9 seconds, 12 seconds, 16 seconds, 20 seconds, 25 seconds, 30 seconds, 40 seconds, 50 seconds, 1 minute, 1 minute 15 seconds, 1 minute 30 seconds, 2 minutes, 3 minutes, and 5 minutes.

Prior to the rinse, the dry tea leaves emitted aromas of mushroom, char, longan, black cherry, black raspberry, and cannabis. After the rinse, I found new aromas of roasted peanut and orchid. The first infusion then brought out some stronger roasted peanut and orchid aromas, but I otherwise noted nothing new. In the mouth, I found notes of char and roasted peanut on the entry that gave way to mellow notes of longan and rock sugar chased by hints of orchid. Subsequent infusions saw the nose turn fruitier and simultaneously vegetal. Cannabis, black raspberry, and black cherry notes emerged in the mouth alongside new impressions of minerals, earth, blueberry, peach, candied orange peel, roasted zucchini, and some odd hints of strawberry. The final infusions emphasized lingering notes of rock sugar, minerals, blueberry, strawberry, and orchid balanced by subtler notes of roasted peanut, black raspberry, cannabis, and char.

This was kind of an odd oolong, but a very rewarding one nonetheless. I would now like to try a more recent harvest of this tea just to get an idea of how it can change from year to year. I’m not sure people just getting into Wuyi oolongs would be pleased with this one since it presents such an odd, powerful mix of aromas and flavors, but those who are more experienced with these teas should find quite a bit to like. I will therefore recommend this tea with the caveat that it probably should not be one of the first Wuyi oolongs those new to such teas should try.

Flavors: Blueberry, Cannabis, Char, Cherry, Earth, Fruity, Mineral, Mushrooms, Orange, Orchid, Peach, Peanut, Raspberry, Roasted, Strawberry, Sugar, Zucchini

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 6 g 4 OZ / 118 ML
Bluegreen

Thank you for a thorough and helpful review, eastkyteaguy. Can I ask how do you manage to discern and identify so many different taste notes? Do you just sip tea next to a notebook and periodically exclaim “A-ha!”, scribble the next component down and then return to your meditation? Because I want to be like you but usually I am just overwhelmed by complex flavors and kinda give up. Is there a secret I could learn?

eastkyteaguy

Bluegreen, with my regard to my process, that’s exactly what I do. I keep a notebook that I write and scribble in while I drink tea. Every time something comes to mind, I note it. Then when I post here, I whittle down my notes into something (hopefully) coherent. I don’t sit and meditate or do anything special. Usually I’ll time an infusion, sniff the gaiwan, let the poured tea cool slightly, and then wander around the house sipping it until it’s time to go back for another. As far as identifying aromas and flavors goes, it just comes down to practice and exposing oneself to new things. As you go, you just try to make as many connections as you can in order to describe what you experience with each tea you try. They don’t necessarily have to be super exotic or even entirely consistent from session to session. As long as they make sense to you and accurately reflect your personal experience, that’s fine. Another thing you can do is look to how sellers and other reviewers describe sensations and then go from there. The power of suggestion comes into play at that point, but you can begin to get an idea of what others purport to experience and then compare your own experiences to theirs. Sometimes you’ll agree on some things and other times you won’t, but that’s okay because it’s really about documenting your own experience in a way that is satisfying to you at the time. You don’t know how many times I’ve posted something and then read what someone else had to say and thought to myself, “Damn, I wish I had noticed that!” So, to finally bring my rambling to a definite conclusion, there is no real secret to any of this as far as I’m concerned. It’s just patience, practice, and careful consideration. That’s all there is to it.

Bluegreen

Thank you eastkyteguy! I always looked at the previous reviews while drinking the tea in the first time and producing my own – and it felt like cheating. So now after learning that even such thorough and discerning people like you find other reviews a helpful aid to their own perception it makes me feel much better.

Mastress Alita

I am still quite new to a lot of tastes/ingredients and often look up what many herbs/ingredients have been commonly reported to taste like. My experiences don’t always line up, but often I’ll then go, “Ooooh, so that’s what that flavor is!” Sometimes you just can’t learn without a little “cheating.” :-)

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Bluegreen

Thank you for a thorough and helpful review, eastkyteaguy. Can I ask how do you manage to discern and identify so many different taste notes? Do you just sip tea next to a notebook and periodically exclaim “A-ha!”, scribble the next component down and then return to your meditation? Because I want to be like you but usually I am just overwhelmed by complex flavors and kinda give up. Is there a secret I could learn?

eastkyteaguy

Bluegreen, with my regard to my process, that’s exactly what I do. I keep a notebook that I write and scribble in while I drink tea. Every time something comes to mind, I note it. Then when I post here, I whittle down my notes into something (hopefully) coherent. I don’t sit and meditate or do anything special. Usually I’ll time an infusion, sniff the gaiwan, let the poured tea cool slightly, and then wander around the house sipping it until it’s time to go back for another. As far as identifying aromas and flavors goes, it just comes down to practice and exposing oneself to new things. As you go, you just try to make as many connections as you can in order to describe what you experience with each tea you try. They don’t necessarily have to be super exotic or even entirely consistent from session to session. As long as they make sense to you and accurately reflect your personal experience, that’s fine. Another thing you can do is look to how sellers and other reviewers describe sensations and then go from there. The power of suggestion comes into play at that point, but you can begin to get an idea of what others purport to experience and then compare your own experiences to theirs. Sometimes you’ll agree on some things and other times you won’t, but that’s okay because it’s really about documenting your own experience in a way that is satisfying to you at the time. You don’t know how many times I’ve posted something and then read what someone else had to say and thought to myself, “Damn, I wish I had noticed that!” So, to finally bring my rambling to a definite conclusion, there is no real secret to any of this as far as I’m concerned. It’s just patience, practice, and careful consideration. That’s all there is to it.

Bluegreen

Thank you eastkyteguy! I always looked at the previous reviews while drinking the tea in the first time and producing my own – and it felt like cheating. So now after learning that even such thorough and discerning people like you find other reviews a helpful aid to their own perception it makes me feel much better.

Mastress Alita

I am still quite new to a lot of tastes/ingredients and often look up what many herbs/ingredients have been commonly reported to taste like. My experiences don’t always line up, but often I’ll then go, “Ooooh, so that’s what that flavor is!” Sometimes you just can’t learn without a little “cheating.” :-)

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My grading criteria for tea is as follows:

90-100: Exceptional. I love this stuff. If I can get it, I will drink it pretty much every day.

80-89: Very good. I really like this stuff and wouldn’t mind keeping it around for regular consumption.

70-79: Good. I like this stuff, but may or may not reach for it regularly.

60-69: Solid. I rather like this stuff and think it’s a little bit better-than-average. I’ll drink it with no complaints, but am more likely to reach for something I find more enjoyable than revisit it with regularity.

50-59: Average. I find this stuff to be more or less okay, but it is highly doubtful that I will revisit it in the near future if at all.

40-49: A little below average. I don’t really care for this tea and likely won’t have it again.

39 and lower: Varying degrees of yucky.

Don’t be surprised if my average scores are a bit on the high side because I tend to know what I like and what I dislike and will steer clear of teas I am likely to find unappealing.

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