Fu Shou Shan

I have steeped this tea a few different ways. But so far, my favorite is gong fu style coming out right off the boil for 45 seconds on the first brew, 20 seconds on the second steep, and 45-60 seconds on later steeps.
I really like this tea. It has some honey/nectar to it. Nice lingering aftertaste.
Very subtle. You have to be relaxed and really put the time into it in order to “get” this tea.
And I really like Red Blossom’s ability to bring us freshly harvested teas.

I purchased the Spring 2016 incarnation of this tea, and have now enjoyed it several times. The scent of the steeped tea is classic high mountain Taiwanese oolong: soothing and slightly milky. On the palate, I got quite a bit of florality, some fresh/vegetal elements, a light brown sugar vibe, and yet little to no milkiness. Very pleasant, but in the same genre, I still prefer Red Blossom’s Mi Xiang Tung Ting.

For a key to my rating scale, check out my bio.

This Formosan oolong, from the highest peak of Taiwan’s Li Mountan (梨山), is a great representation or standard for the Formosan (Taiwanese) Oolong category. There is an incredible complexity and clarity in the layering of flavor notes. It is also more powerful or fragrant than other lower grade Taiwanese oolongs, and as such one could probably get great results with 3-4 grams rather than the standard 5. I’m not wild about the herbaceous eucalyptus notes strongly present in this one, but it is certainly a unique flavor and balanced by incredibly clear notes of sugarcane, mango, and cream. Red Blossom also sells a delicious Lishan Taiwan Oolong (picked from a slightly lower elevation tea garden on the same mountain), but the differences between it and the superior Fu Shou Shan are remarkable.