Interesting. This has a very nice color, very large leaves. Upon drinking, it has a very strange, tight mouthfeel: not smooth; astringent, but also there is something else, a brightness under the soft palate which wanes with later steepings. It has a warm flavor, very unique, which occurs nearly entirely in the back of the mouth: nutty, not sweet, not black, not green; I would almost say sour. That’s not bad though; it’s only the typical complexity of oolongs; it’s a flavor not to be simply taken, but explored. (The flavor cools and dims with later steepings, picking up more sweetness and a floral note.) It certainly has me thinking of a rainy day in the mountains.
Preparation: I’ve done it a few ways but I think I like this most recent way the best: A tablespoon and a pinch of tea per four to six ounces of water, just under boiling, for 1, 1, 2, 4, and 8 minutes.
