So I didn’t take tasting notes because I used this tea to fuel me through finishing a university application due tonight. But dang is this a well-balanced yancha. Deep red liquor, aromas, flavors, mouthfeel, returning sweetness, energy all kind of made for the perfect beverage to calm myself down and tell a bunch of strangers why they should accept me into their program. If you want a good idea of the flavors, check out eastkyteaguy’s and oceanica’s reviews for the 2016 harvest, though this 2017 is a bit different. I remember noticing a pronounced thickness, too, which I’ve never experienced in yancha.
Oh, I even talked about tea on my application because the school I applied to tonight, UC Davis, has a program called the Global Tea Initiative that I’m interested in contributing to. Check it out: https://globaltea.ucdavis.edu/
I really dug this Reserve Fo Shou and want more. It’s definitely the smoothest wuyi oolong sample I ordered from Verdant and it’s definitely out of my price range :( but I’ll be on the lookout for this cultivar in the future. (I also enjoyed Verdant’s regular Fo Shou.)
Good luck with the application!