Heritage Golden Buddha

Yum. This one is delicious. I only had about 14g left, so I used 6g of it for a gong fu session so I could finally log this tea, and the rest I will send off to thegreenteafairy. I will have to order more of this someday, but I am trying to work on not hoarding tea…

After a few weeks of obsessing over the 2014 I tried at a restaurant, I finally caved and bought the 2015 Heritage Golden Buddha from Red Blossom without even tasting it first. Brewed 3.5g in my 150ml gaiwan at 200˚F.

Dry leaves smell so creamy and dark roasted. The wet leaves look gorgeous, such a dark rich green with almost a metallic lustre. I may be in lust with this tea.

Rinsed for 1 second.

1st infusion: (1:00)
The lid smells like flourless dark chocolate cake––not sweet like confectionery but rich and substantial. Just heavenly. Liquor tastes balanced and round, with a slight nutty, toasted bread and caramel flavour. I’m not tasting anything as doughy or buttery as pie crust or graham cracker but it’s still lovely.

2nd infusion: (1:30)
Leaves beginning to smell a bit plummy and more vegetal. Liquor has dark chocolate notes on top of that smooth base of toast, and the finish is really sweet on the tongue this time. This cultivar seems to have extracted all the best parts of Wuyi yancha without the hard, minerally taste. I need to keep buying this.

3rd infusion: (2:00)
Mellower flavour but still has subtle chocolate and nutty notes and good body.

4th infusion: (2:40)
Even mellower, a little thin now. Would love to try this tea in an Yixing teapot.

5th: (3:45)
Yeah this did not work. It’s basically hot water.

This is another sample from CharlotteZero. Like the other oolongs she sent, I’m finding this one really pleasant. It’s on the darker side, with lots of sweet notes and hints of caramel. I’ve enjoyed the chance to try some teas from Red Blossom, and this one’s no exception.