Wu Yi Shan Hua Xiang Da Hong Pao Rock Oolong Tea

210 degrees F, Gongfu 25 sec + 5 sec

Started out fairly one dimensional but pleasant. 2nd Infusion was very rich and delicious, but started to fall on its face on 4th infusion. I started extending infusion time on 5th infusion by quite a bit and ended up getting 6 infusions before it was dull.

I would recommend the tea but consider it an average Da Hong Pao. I prefer the Wild Da Hong Pao from Yunnan Sourcing.

SEASON: Spring 2018
CULTIVAR: Wu Yi Shan
ORIGIN: Fujian, China
PICKING: Median
ELEVATION : Unknown

Eyes – Dry Leaf – Medium leaves, Dark Brown with some lighter brown leaves, a few stems, picking a little rough.

Nose – Dry Leaf – Charcoal, Burnt Wood, Leather, Honey, Cherry

Nose – Wet Leaf – Charcoal, Brown Sugar, Honey, Butter, Peach

Eye – Liquor – Auburn, Gold

Mouth – Texture – Medium

Mouth – Taste – Floral, Peach, Charcoal, Rocky Oolong, A little Bitter, Strawberry Candy Finish,

Nose – Empty Cup – Whiskey Barrel, Honey,

Mouth Finish – A little Bitter with dry finish

Eyes – Wet Leaf – Large olive green leaves with very little brown. Many Broken leaves, Picking looks rough

Effect – Quite nice, I started the session in a somewhat foul mood. After about 4 infusions, I felt noticeably more relaxed and positive.

I’m reviewing the Spring 2018 Batch of tea.

The first brew was about 2.5 minutes @ 208F.
The aroma is light smoke with a somewhat earthy undertone (leather? wood). The flavor follows the same genre — it starts off with a light smokey flavor with hints of nuts. There’s a mineral finish. Frankly, the 1st infusion reminds me of a very mild whiskey. It has a very mild mouthfeel.

I checked the Yunnan Sourcing notes on this, and it describes a flower aroma, which I didn’t smell at the 1st infusion. The 2nd infusion brought out more of the floral flavor although the aroma remained the same. I’ll try this again at much longer brew times.

Overall, it’s not a bad tea. I think there are better out there from this region.

Spring 2016 leaves.

end of my bag so a lot of finer leaves in here. using shorter steep times than normal to offset.
wet leaves have rather fruity aromas of expected apricot and unexpected gooseberry underneath. roasted notes are not overwhelming. nicely balanced with marzipan roasted almonds.

This tea unfolds gently starting with a surprising sweet malty medium-dark chocolate component on palate, which is later balanced with roasted notes and slight bitterness at tip of tongue on finish. I don’t recall this bitterness from earlier tastings with this tea, so could be due to the fine leaves.
Later steeps bring out cooked celery and more nuttiness.

Interesting take on da hong pao, which may not be for everyone.
Quite pleasant

Reviewing Spring 2016 version of this tea.

Prep: 60cc gaiwan, full. Boiling water, 10s until the color fades then add time to chase flavor. Also tried heavier and lighter leafing, and tried longer steep times, starting at 30s and extending out to several minutes. Usually get about 6 good steeps out of this.
Sessions with this tea: 10+

Taste: Maybe gentle roast notes, sweeter, softer, and more floral. Not all that much taste here overall, doesn’t change much across steeps. Strong floral aroma, maybe daisy?

Body: Thin mouthfeel, minimal energy. No feeling in my cheeks or throat or chest. Mildly playful across tongue in first 2 steeps, then disappears quickly.

Overall an unfortunately weak yancha of which I blind bought a large bag. Maybe this would be for people who like lighter teas and want to explore wuyi teas.