2023 Shan Lin Xi Bug Bitten Charcoal Roasted High Mountain Oolong

Huge thanks to Martin Bednář for sharing some of this with me! This is a great tea for transitional fall weather, when it’s getting a bit chilly but not freezing cold out. My impression of this tea was that it has a fairly light roast and is sweeter than most roasted oolongs I’ve had. I didn’t realize why that is until I came here to write a tasting note, though – it literally is those things. The roast is definitely noticeable, but it tends to land with some minerality at the front of the sip and fade pretty quickly into a crisp sweetness. I’m going to steep the last of this overnight and that’ll be a sipdown!

I told you I have a mood for gongfu!

So, picked up this oolong which I picked up during tea festival in June. It was sitting there mostly because I was a bit afraid I will ruin a perfect tea somehow.

I have used 6 grams for my 125 ml gaiwan that I won’t fill completely. No rinse. Preheated gaiwan as well as the bowl I am drinking it from.

First steep was 30 seconds long. Wet leaves smell after honey, nuts and wild (and fruit tree) flowers, sometimes some roasty notes prevail, but they are nice.
The flavour notes are slightly mineral, sweet and creamy, but absolutely no astringency, instead very long smooth mouthfeel, throat coated with honey feeling

Second steep, as suggested, was shorter by 10 seconds.
Wet leaves are smelling even stronger after honey and flowers, there aren’t any nuts this time, neither the roasty notes.
Mouthfeel is very same, but longer and stronger, amazing sweetness and creaminess, stronger floral notes instead of mineral; like drinking meadow when I took bigger sip. Can’t describe it in other words, heh.

Third steep, again 30 seconds, again as suggested by vendor.
It went slightly into “oolong” flavours, very floral, not so sweet when sipping but in the aftertaste, very same with creaminess, honey-ish, bug-bitten notes, definitely. No signs of roasted/charcoal notes, maybe even almost soapy and a bit drying. In aftertaste there is something with refreshing notes though.

Fourth, 40 seconds.
Smooth, honey-ish, floral, bug-bitten flavours, refreshing aftertaste, again less sweet, more towards herbal-vegetal notes.

Fifth, 50 seconds.
Yummy bug-bitten oolong. Exactly as expected. A bit vegetal, that translates fast into herbaceous notes. Long mouthfeel is the key characteristics of this tea. Long and smooth.

6th, 60 seconds.
I won’t repeat myself, okay? A treat!

Following steeps:
90 seconds, 120 seconds, 150 seconds.