It is pretty much known at this point that Tieguanyin is one of the most popular and historically revered oolongs on the market. I don’t really need to tell anyone that. What some people may not realize, however, is that the methods used to produce Tieguanyin have varied considerably over the years. Today, many of the Tieguanyins on the market are produced in the so-called contemporary or green style. These teas are not heavily roasted and are often designed to showcase the aromas and flavors produced during a particular year or growing season. From these teas, one can expect lots of rich, creamy aromas and flavors as well as delicate, sweet floral tones. This tea, on the other hand, is produced in the traditional style, meaning that the tea is more heavily roasted. Obviously, this is going to taste very little like many contemporary Tieguanyins.
I prepared this tea more or less according to the gongfu method recommended on the Verdant Tea website. I steeped 6 grams of loose tea leaves in 4 ounces of 208 F water for 10 seconds following a quick rinse. I performed nine additional infusions with an increase of 2 seconds per infusion (10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28 seconds). I would have kept going for at least a couple more infusions, but was pressed for time. It is important to note that I did rotate the leaves after the fifth infusion in order to reinvigorate the tea and keep it from settling in on itself.
The initial infusions produced an extremely aromatic liquor. I picked up really deep, complex aromas of butter, hay, wood, cinnamon, vanilla bean, graham cracker, cream, orchid, violet, caramel, coffee, ripe banana, and minerals. In the mouth, the early infusions were bursting with flavor. I easily detected notes of butter, hay, grass, wood, coffee, minerals, smoke, kettle corn, vanilla bean, cinnamon, caramelized banana, orchid, violet, cream, and roasted nuts. I know that I sometimes chuckle at Verdant’s tasting notes, but honestly, I found the descriptions of caramelized banana, graham cracker, cinnamon, and violet in the flavor of this tea to be amazingly accurate. The middle infusions packed robust aromas and flavors, but were smoother and more balanced. I began to notice the floral and cinnamon notes recede somewhat, though the other flavors described above remained distinct. I did, however, note that the hay, grass, butter, and mineral notes grew steadily more pronounced on these infusions. The last couple of infusions saw the mineral, grass, hay, kettle corn, and butter notes remain, though they were underscored by persistent hints of cinnamon, vanilla bean, wood, coffee, and caramelized banana.
For me, this tea was a lot to take in, but I really enjoyed it. I have at least a little bit of familiarity with the more traditional roasted Tieguanyins, and I can honestly say that I do not have much of a problem with this one. I will say that this is not a tea I could drink every day, or even on a regular basis. There is just so much going on with it that it can be a little daunting to try to analyze all of the sensations I get from it. I can’t help but grade it highly and recommend it, however, because it is very complex, very unique, and very tasty in its own slightly peculiar way. If you are a fan of roasted oolongs, definitely try this one, but if you are a fan of the sweeter, more floral contemporary oolongs, you should still not pass on this one. It may not convert you, but you at least may be able to gain an appreciation and understanding of the traditional preparation.
Flavors: Butter, Caramel, Cinnamon, Coffee, Cream, Graham, Grass, Hay, Kettle Corn, Mineral, Orchid, Roast Nuts, Smoke, Vanilla, Violet, Wood
