Shanlinxi, Sun-Link-Sea High Mountain Oolong Tea

I am loving this Oolong. I don’t think I’ve tried a “sun-link-sea” Oolong before, so I really didn’t know what to expect, but, based upon my previous experience with Fong Mong’s tea I was pretty sure I’d like it. And I do.

This reminds me a little bit of a magnolia scented Oolong, it has that delightful floral note to it, but there is more to it too. There is a fruit note to this … Tea Pantheon describes is as an apple-like flavor, and I can see that comparison, it makes me think of a dry, sweet-and-sour apple wine … if there is such a thing.

Where this tea differs from the typical magnolia scented Oolong is that it doesn’t have that very buttery-creamy kind of taste to it. It has a light softness to it, but, it isn’t overwhelmingly creamy. It has more of a spring flower taste to me: light, crisp and fragrant, with hints of greener vegetation in the background.

Very nice.

This is WONDERFUL! Sunshine in a cup! Delicious and hydrating! Sweet and slightly creamy. Underneath reminiscent of sugar snap peas! Lovely! I will be doing a full length review over at Sororitea Sisters on July 7th :)

Thank you Fong Mong tea for this sample!

This was a very nice oolong tonight – I had no idea what to expect but it was quite a unique experience! The first thing that hit me was that it did not have a creamy aspect to this oolong. Liberteas also picked up on this! It was definitely a drastic change to the Alishan I had the night before.

There are some very light floral notes and something almost fruity to the taste. I couldn’t place the flavour, but it was quite pleasant and calming.

This was not my favourite offering from Fong Mong, but I appreciated the uniqueness and the chance to compare!

I was so impressed with this tea that I ordered a whole bag. This tea never stops to surprise me. The sweet apple taste stays to the very end and the tea can be brewed at least 6 times. It quickly became my favorite. What I have found out though is that depending on water temperature the tea taste changes like a chameleon. To get the linden taste the best is to use water right after the little bubbles start moving around. But even if water is a hotter, it won’t make the tea bitter, only gives more character. The same goes for many other green teas, particularly teas from China. Taiwanese teas seem to be more resistant to leaf burn. I am very pleased with this seller. The quality consistency of their teas is just remarkable.

Nice Floral tea, sweet aroma. Got 7 infusions out of it. Check out my full review http://exm.nr/MnTWux

This is the second sample I’ve been given by Fong Mong Teas

I really like watching oolongs steep, that’s why I made it in a transparent glass :) A really meditative experience

The leaves had a very usual generic smell, so I thought it won’t be really good. But the taste has a heavy floral side, with a creamy aftertaste, which I find pretty unusual in greens/oolongs. I added a little bit of sugar too, to help that flower-y thing develop a little bit more.

I won’t be drinking this one much I suppose, but it is surely a decent tea, maybe just not strong enough for me.

Still amazing, even when over-steeped. Nice and smooth finish with a very golden, almost Kona coffee-ish undertone. The flavor lasts, too, even after two re-soaks.

I prepared this tea using a gaiwan with 2g of leaves. I used water at approximately 90 degrees Celcius, beginning with 30mls for the first couple of infusions, increasing the amount in 15ml increments as the leaves opened up. After a quick rinse, my first infusion was 15 seconds. The liquor was quite pale on this first infusion, but the flavour was there and abundant.

There is a creamy texture to this tea’s mouthfeel, but it’s not all that thick. More smooth and somewhat light, and very refreshing. The flavours are of course vegetal, floral, and fruity like apples and spring blossoms. My main impression however, is of honey, and that sweet honey note lingers in the aftertaste. I added 5 seconds with each subsequent infusion, once again finding that common thread of quality and consistency that I’ve found in the past with Fong Mong Tea. I continued on until the 8th infusion, by which the leaves seemed pretty spent. This is a delightful oolong!

Shan Lin Xi is my favourite tea region, so thanks to Fong Mong for providing this sample. According to the attached brewing instructions, this tea is from Zhushan, which I didn’t know was part of the Shan Lin Xi region. This tea seems to be high quality, with uniform, loosely rolled green nuggets; it even has an oxidizer packet to ensure freshness. I steeped about 6 g of leaf in a 120 ml teapot at 190F for 25, 20, 25, 30, 30, 30, 45, 60, 90, 120, and 240 seconds.

The smell of the dry leaves in the teapot is of honey, flowers, and the balsam note associated with SLX. The first steep has notes of flowers, honey, apple, grass, and cream. In a previous review, Ken pointed out a nutmeg component, and while my palate isn’t that refined, there’s definitely a bit of spice. There’s no astringency and the body is slick. The second steep is even more intense and has the piney balsam taste I could detect in the aroma. This combo lasts into the sixth steep, after which the tea loses its fruity and balsam components and becomes mostly honey and florals, with vegetal notes slowly sneaking in at the end of the session.

This tea is fantastic, especially for its price. I got lots of honey, balsam, fruit, and florals, and very few of the off notes that plague high-mountain oolongs, such as seaweed, spinach, veggies, and excessive astringency, and then only near the end of the session. I’ve had much more expensive oolongs that I’ve liked considerably less than this one, and I’ll probably order an entire package when I can justify buying more tea.

Thanks to Fong Mong for this sample. Up today we have Shanlinxi sunlink sea high mountain. I started by heating the yixing with 190 degree water and putting the dry tea leaves in and giving a little shake. I got a strong peach, stonefruit, and buttery aroma. Then filling the pot and letting it steep for about 40 seconds on the first steep. I decided to just give it a longer steep instead of rinsing.

First steep produced a fairly pale yellow liqour, and had aroma’s of honey, peach, and flowers. The peach flavor is the strongest with other stonefruit also making an appearance. A bit of maybe apple as well. This is a very subtle tea , though it is quite thick and sweet. Very nice for relaxing with when you really just want to sit down and explore subtle flavors.

Second steep is a bit stronger, now butter, nutmeg enter the mix as well, but peach is still the most prominent flavor. I think there is a bit of other spice as well, maybe allspice. Its still quite subtle but very complex. I really like the way all the flavors are blending together in this brew.

Third brew is more citrus, apricots, apple and nutmeg. Also there is still a bit of honey but its not quite as strong now. Its still soft, smooth and buttery. The tea broth is now slightly darker and more golden as well. This is a wonderfully complex tea, and very light, subtle and floral. Perfect for that moment when you need to just sit down and think about the tea and nothing else.

Recommended.