98

This tea is fascinating. An aged oolong, it was harvested in 2008, and was repeatedly roasted and stored. The aroma of the dry leaf is mostly of wood, charcoal, and minerals. I prepared this tea in a gaiwan, using approximately 2g of leaf for this tasting, and beginning with 30ml of water at around 90 degrees Celsius. I rinsed the leaves before infusing. I should note that a Yixing teapot is recommended for this type of tea, however, I don’t own one yet, so gaiwan it is.

For the first infusion, I let it sit for 20 seconds, and then added 10 seconds with each infusion. This oolong really reminds me of rock tea. I also notice the leaves don’t open quite as much as other oolong, but the flavour certainly does come out. The liquor s dark reddish brown, and it’s astringent, most noticed at the back of the mouth and throat. Flavour wise, this tea tastes robustly woody and smokey, a bit of charcoal and minerals with an interesting honey-like note in the aftertaste. The aftertaste is substantial and lingering.

I continued for 10 infusions, noticing that the flavours are quite consistent over time. The wood and smoke notes do mellow and by the final few infusions I tasted more minerals. This was an intriguing taste experience!

Flavors: Char, Mineral, Smoke, Wood

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 0 min, 15 sec 2 g 1 OZ / 30 ML

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