I haven’t had time to type up all my tasting notes lately so I’ve been writing them and keeping them scattered around my dorm for when I have time to upload (which is why notes are sometimes uploaded in large groups; no I don’t actually drink upwards of ten teas a day) since I’m a slow typer. Surprise, surprise, I lost the detailed notes for some, including this one. Luckily, I found the email draft I wrote up in an email I’ve been meaning to send the vendor though, so I’ll just paste that here. Sorry folks!
“I put all 8 grams into a 100 mL gaiwan (a bit more than usual, but usually I end up not knowing when to use the remaining ~1.5 grams from these loose leaf packets if I adhere to the standard 1:15 ratio) with brewing temps of water right off the boil and short steeping times. I usually do a 5s rinse step, but I happened to be lazy the other day and didn’t—and I’m glad I didn’t. This first steep drew out the sweetest aftertaste of any I noted vs. later steeps, and the dragonfruit-like note you noted is right on target for it. The roast on this oolong is excellent, and definitely on the more medium side compared to others I’ve tried. The wet leaf off the initial steep did hint at a darker roast perhaps than seems to come through in the tea, which I appreciated. Overall, definitely one of the most enjoyable oolongs I’ve tried, with shifting notes of a slight cooling mint and sweetness in the aftertaste, brown sugar/dark chocolate, some woodiness, and some light florals and fruitiness along with heavier aromatics.”
In case it wasn’t obvious from the email, this is definitely an oolong worth trying at least once, pricey as it is. I don’t know if the heavier roast faded based on storage or if the roast was not as heavy as described to begin with, but it’s a far more pleasant and palatable roast than some of the overroasted ones I’ve tried in the past.
