Heritage Aijiao

It seems like the Bailin Gongfu is a super-popular tea around Steepster these days. It warms my little Fujian-loving heart, that does.

And it’s inspiring too. And utterly disappointing when one realises there isn’t a single solitary Fujian black in the house at the moment. GASP! WHAT A HORRIBLE FATE TO BEFALL A PERSON! What is a household with no Fujian black in it? It’s truly poor, that’s what it is. This should not have been able to have happened at all.

I’ve got Lapsang, but that’s really a very different beast.

Fortunately my TeaSpring order is now in transit so I’ll only have to struggle through 7-14 days more before receiving a substantial amount of my beloved Tan Yang Te Ji and I can join you all in the Fujian black lovingness.

In the meantime, though, I have to look for something to substitute, and although this is an oolong it’s a Fujian oolong, so it’s close enough for jazz.

Oh Fujian. You are made from nom.

A nice way to end to a wonderful evening.

A tasty wuyi – a beautiful roasted taste.

Tea had a wood pine scent to it. It was also very pungent with a bittersweet fruitful body. Grateful cup.

Toasty first infusion. Not as dry on the tongue as the darkness of the leaves would have me expect. In fact, I detect some sweetness much like the underlying taste of Feng Huang Dan Cong, but it’s a little rounder and smoother. The second infusion increases the sweetness and refreshing quality of the tea.

Sipdown no. 110 of 2018 (no. 466 total). A sample.

The sample packet contained just enough to both try this and sip it down. Made in the gaiwan at 195F.

I accidentally knocked the gaiwan over and a lot of the leaves spilled out right after the rinse. I got discombobulated and started the steeps at 30 sec. instead of my usual 15.

I’m deeply disappointed to note that Red Blossom no longer has this on their web site because this was awesome!

The aroma of the steeped tea is almost equal parts delicate floral and roasted, sweet depth. The flavor is reminiscent of caramelized sugar and raw, dark honey. The tea is light amber in color and clear.

The second steep, a bit longer (45 sec) , highlighted the roastiness. The tea has a soft mouthfeel and leaves a bit of freshness in the mouth as well. Someone else mentioned pine, and I think it is more that than menthol or camphor — the freshness is like what comes out of a broken pine needle.

Steep 3 (1 minute) is similar to steep 2, and at this point I’ve decided to just savor and enjoy through another steep or two rather than interrupt the enjoyment to take notes.

This tea has a lot of character, and a smoothness and lingering sweetness that makes it extremely easy to drink.

I want more, and alas, it appears that isn’t in the cards.

This is one of the Red Blossom samples CharlotteZero very kindly included in our swap a couple of months back. It’s very roasty and very sweet, with a pronounced honey flavor when hot. There’s that deep woodsiness (or maybe that’s not it, but I’m not sure how else to describe it…) that I love in Wuyis and similar dark oolongs. Thanks very much for letting me try this, CharlotteZero!