Shui Xian Oolong

Quite interesting, gaiwan-brewed with high leaf ratio, 5g to 175ml. Leaves are broken to bits in my 10g sampler. Initial tongue note of sour powder, like the coating on sour patch kids, rich and malty liquor with lots of body.

I’m getting the burnt hay notes, maybe even chewed pine needles if you’ve ever done that. Malt and astringency cover the entire palate for a long finish which beckons the drinker to pour another cup. Woody too, not quite sawdust but more like cutting through an already charred oak.

I found this pleasant but rather limited in experience, and a little overpowering.

Second steep enjoyed with a tangerine as a snack. Initial power has mellowed but the flavors are still very one-dimensional. The sour and sweet have gone off a bit leaving mostly charred leaves, mineral, and wood. I wonder what this would be like cold brewed?
The tangerine helped offset the astringency and light bitterness present. Probably won’t get much more out of this brew. It’s not bad, just not outstanding as some other variants of Oolong have been for me.

As LetsDrinkTea.com states: “Cheaper varieties [of Shui Xian] have a slightly burnt taste and are commonly found in Chinese restaurants”

Yep, nail on the head with that comment…

Session brewed about 4 times, but flavor fell off steeply on the 4th infusion.

This is a very basic oolong. The dry leaves were broken and smelled of hay and charred wood. I did a three minute steep at 195 degrees. There are notes of mineral, dry hay, and wood. There’s also a strong flavor of toasty leaves. It was pleasant enough that I did a second steep, which was also enjoyable but not memorable.

It has been quite awhile since I’ve had oolong in my cup. It’s something I’ve always enjoyed, but for whatever reason don’t seek out when I’m placing a tea order. This has made me want to do a little research and perhaps add an oolong to my shelf. It won’t be this one, but I’m glad I’ll have the rest of this sample to enjoy while I’m deciding on the next one to try.

#tiffanys2021sipdown Tea #136 overall / Tea #7 for April

Tuesday 04/06/21 — Made of Tea ORGANIC SHUI XIAN OOLONG from December 2019 Sipsby box. Drank a bunch of this 4/4 from cold brew but then re-steeped and finished pitcher 04/06.

#tiffanydrinkstea #tiffanys2021 #tiffanysfaves #tiffanyinthe614 #tiffanysteasipdown #sipdownchallenge

This one was just OK for me. It’s a pretty straightforward oolong (haha, words I never thought I’d say…). But it kind of is. Ticks all the boxes for what you’d expect in an oolong, but in a generic, lackluster kind of way. The leaves are broken up, so it’s not really pretty to look at while it steeps, and I didn’t feel compelled to bother with using spring water and the gaiwan. I just brewed it in my Kati, Western-style, with plain tap water.
The dry leaf smelled good when I opened the packet, like roasted roots. The liquor tastes like standard oolong. Roasted, earthy, mineral-y, with a faint cocoa note, etc., etc.
It’s fine. Just not particularly memorable.

Received this in one of my latest SipsBy boxes. I’m not familiar with this oolong varietal, or this brand, so I was interested to try it. Mostly very broken leaves, so stuck to a pretty short steep time. Overall unimpressed. Very strong roasted note that borders on burnt smelling and tasting. No depth or complexity.