Shui Xian Wuyi Oolong

Do you ever wonder what makes you tick? Or, another way of putting it, what makes you, YOU? Is it just a random collection of atoms, cells, etc arranged in just the right way to make you have a certain preference or is it because of years of exposure that has helped you refine your preferences?

As I sit here and drink this tea, I have to wonder: Why am I so drawn to not only the roasted flavors of tea but also just to stronger flavors in general (hot sauce, ginger, horseradish, pungent cheese, etc)?

Either way, whether nurture, nature or some combination of both, I am a big fan of this tea. It has a slight vegetal note but that is underhanded and mostly covered by a smooth and not too bold roasted profile. I am getting flavors of toasted grains with a creamy texture. Maybe a certain woodsy quality here. I can certainly imagine enjoying this among the trees. And while I wouldn’t have zeroed in on it myself, Verdant’s website mentions dandelion and I can totally see that as the vegetal flavor. Something green and just slightly bitter (but not, if that makes sense).

This is a nice daily, or maybe weekly, drinker.

I always forget how good straight oolong can be. This cup was smoky and a little earthy, dry in the mouth. I will def be resteeping this today.

For such an affordable tea, I wasn’t expecting much, but it’s very nice. To me, it smelled a bit milky, and there was a cinnamon quality to it, too. Definite minerality and a little bit of a woody note. Not quite to the heights of the “old tree” variant of the same tea from Verdant, but it’s good stuff.

Sipdown. I don’t know if this is the tea I have. The envelope says Sui xian. Not much to say. I got sweetness and slightly roasted. I had better luck with this tea westren style.

First, let me just say I was handed a free 5 Guys burger today… Really random.
Anyways, drinking this tea at work and wow. The bruising is quite well showing that someone skillfully worked in this tea. Brew is medium just as the lead; dark olive with bruising around the putter lead. Taste wise this is strong and quite smooth. Texture is toward a the middle level but I did use a bit of leaf. Ovwrall, I am impressed with this. That makes three out of the 6 Verdant oolongs as something I would and will rebuy. So 50% success on getting me to come back, I’d say that’s pretty good for the amount of stuff I drink

Taking a closer look. This lead is around 78% intact which is nice because most oolong I drink is around 50% with all the breakage. Nice veins, but the leaf is very thin so I would suggest not reroaeting this especially with the taste it is producing now.

Oh, I bought some of this after a sample. Yay! Thank you, past me, for delicious tea! :D

I love every bit of this tea. :D

I was home for over two hours before I started shivering. I took my temperature. 95.6. Hypothermia starts at 95. I ordered an extended range thermometer off of an EMS site. I have a suspicion my regular OTC thermometer is just a wimp and gets confused below 98 degrees. Haha! Oh, I certainly hope so. In any case, threw on another sweater, and turned my kettle on. :)

I’ve searched far and wide for a Wuyi oolong that doesn’t taste like burnt toast and after trying many teas, I found what I was looking for in this light roasted Wuyi from Verdant which has gone on to become my favorite dark oolong. It is an incredibly rich and complex tea – roasty and woodsy but without any hint of bitterness or ashy charcoal taste. The mouthfeel is smooth and coats the tongue with a lingering honey and dried fruit sweetness.

I brew it gongfu style per Verdant Tea’s instructions and then chill it to make a fantastic iced tea. For hot tea, I use a little less about 2 grams. It gives about 3-4 good steepings before the flavor runs out. This definitely goes on my short list of teas that I want to keep on hand at all times.

GCTTB
This is confusing me. It’s really floral. It’s dark and it’s floral, really floral. Not nutty, not woody….sweet and floral. Interesting but not really to my tastes.

I guess I saved the best for last! Of the three Wuyi oolongs I ordered from Verdant, this is my favorite. It’s roasty, brown sugar sweet, and it has the complexity I’m looking for, in that it evolves as you steep it out into more fruity notes like grape or berries. It has a dry mouthfeel though, so it’s not perfect, but still the best of the three! ;)

Dark oolong with a gold amber color and a pleasing slightly floral aroma. This tea is sweet and mellow with a floral vanilla flavor. It is a little reminiscent of a Taiwan Oriental Beauty oolong I drank recently.