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“The TTB has arrived! So big, so many teas… no chance to try them all! Tea #21 I followed gongfu instructions written on the pouch of this tea, apparently not an original one. It says “4 grams, 100...” Read full tasting note
“Nice fruity aroma on this one. Stone fruits and gardenia and a hint of Rainbow Stripe gum. Also slight minerality but mainly florals and fruitiness. The wet-infusing aroma brings me straight back...” Read full tasting note
大庵宋种
Harvest
April 2020
Origin
Chaozhou, Guangdong
We are excited to offer this beautiful Songzhong from Da’an Village of Wudong Mountain. This tea is personally curated by our much respected tea mentor, and it is an outstanding showcase of the song cultivar where the unique terrior, the age of the trees and the craftsmanship all come together.
The trees are around 50 years old and they were planted in the 1970’s by monks who lived in Da’an village. Da’an village, at 950m above sea level, is one of the most sought after core producing villages of Phoenix Oolongs. One of the mother trees of Songzhong, “Songzhong No. 2”, is more than 400 years old and is located in the village.
This tea is intensely aromatic – floral and fruity, slightly smoky. It brews incredibly smooth and thick, coating your whole mouth and throat with a lingering sweetness. Tasting notes of minerals, wild mountain flowers, and pomelo. The taste is layered and complex, well balanced between sweet, floral, and savoury – the sensation is almost impossible to describe.
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The TTB has arrived! So big, so many teas… no chance to try them all!
Tea #21
I followed gongfu instructions written on the pouch of this tea, apparently not an original one. It says “4 grams, 100 mL, 100°C; 5-45 seconds, 8 steeps”
Actually I never heard about Song Zhong teas, haven’t done any research what it supposed to be like, what is intended flavor profile and so on.
So, as I have slightly bigger vessel, I have used 5 grams for my 125 mL gaiwan, 5 seconds first steep with following steeps with 5 seconds increments; but the rest I have blindly followed.
I preheated the gaiwan first, that brought aromas of red currants, wood, cherries, sweet (maybe a pollen) and sweets. A wonderful aroma indeed. Quick rinse to flush away the dust and 5 minutes rest of the leaves in humid environment under the lid.
This make previous aroma notes even stronger, except for woody notes. That was exciting for me.
First steeps were indeed fruity. Red currants and cherries, I don’t noticed any minerality so far and it was delightful also in the mouth, smooth and mouth-coating qualities is something I really enjoy. There are mountain flowers in the aromas, also with red fruits including a bit unripe strawberries.
From steep 4 I have started to notice a little change in pace of this tea. The red fruits started to fade and mineral notes and stonefruits came stronger. The floral notes started to be strong in taste too, once it was even too much and a bit heavy for tummy.
Steeps 7-8 were slightly floral, but they weren’t giving me much of impressions and I found out I am finishing this tea with happiness and lots of experience with another oolong I never had before. I found out that I like those fruity oolongs a bit more than their green counterparts, while sometimes I crave the latter and it is a virtue to have both examples in a cupboard.
Nice fruity aroma on this one. Stone fruits and gardenia and a hint of Rainbow Stripe gum. Also slight minerality but mainly florals and fruitiness. The wet-infusing aroma brings me straight back to Kaua’i. A sunny day right after it rains at the farmers market. The flavor is less floral and fruity and much more mineral. Wet rocks, granite, and something mineral I can’t quite put my finger on. IF you enjoy minerality definitely give this one a try.
Sounds like an excellent tea!
Apparently so! I would like to explore these Chinese oolongs more. But first, sipping down.