House Blend Oolong

Although the roast isn’t heavy, it’s enough that the bright floral aroma of a green Taiwanese oolong has been deepened slightly, blending well with the nutty note brought out by the roast. Once the leaves open up in my gaiwan, it’s easy to see the two teas that make up this blend. Some of the leaves are a little smaller and more heavily oxidized, while the others are larger, nicer looking, more typically Taiwanese pairs of greener leaves, leaving no ambiguity as to which ones are Gui Fei and which are Jade.

While the mouthfeel is a bit thin at first, it does thicken up later and sticks to the back of my throat, which combined with the floral and honey notes gives the impression of wildflower honey. It’s quite fruity as well, with a pleasantly sour lemony note early on and various stone fruits coming and going throughout the session, peaches and apricots being the most obvious. Cinnamon shows up in the first half of the session, while the second half gets more woody. The last infusion has a wonderful finish of honeyed peaches that doesn’t want to end.

If my description makes this sound like a powerful flavor bomb, don’t get the wrong idea. It’s not. The experience is more in the aroma and the sweet, long lasting aftertaste than the flavor when it’s in your mouth, so I wouldn’t suggest this to someone who can only appreciate a tea with a strong flavor.

Don’t be afraid to pour just boiled water and brew this for a very, very long time. Unlike a lot of oolongs, especially Dancongs, this tastes best with long infusions. The mouthfeel thickens, it gets sweeter, more aromatic, more complex, and the sweet honey, fruity, floral aftertaste lasts longer.