Medium Roast Fancy Grade Ben Shan Oolong of Anxi

The smell upon the water first meeting the tea elicits the smell of roast and char but not in a smokey way, as unlikely as that may seem.

First steep in the gaiwan, 15 seconds, produces a surprisingly sweet, almost tart, fruit with only a faint hint of roast. Second steep, 20 seconds, is more of the same with maybe a little more roast flavor. It feels simultaneously juicy and drying in the mouth.

The subsequent steeps were taking down while caring for a 4 month old but what I will say is that it stays fairly consistent in terms of quality with slightly varying levels of that fruity and char flavor until it fades near the 7th steep.

Man, it was a struggle getting through this tea. I don’t do well with darker oolongs in general but this one was rougher than most. It has a thick, oily mouthfeel and a taste that can best be described as drinking tar. Can’t taste much beyond the roast other than a little licorice and an odd medicinal note that reminds me of Tylenol. After about 4 steeps, the oiliness fades and you get a nice toasted nut flavor. No sweetness or discernable fruity flavors.

I steeped this for 5 times, starting at 185 F for steep times of 2, 3, 5, 7, and 10 minutes.