We don't know when or if this item will be available.
“Nice tea with a medium roast on it. I’m usually not a fan of TGY (especially green ones, but sometimes have trouble with roasty ones as well), but I ordered a few nice sounding ones from FLT. The...” Read full tasting note
This tea was grown on Lishan, like our Lishan high mountain, but the farmer grew Tie Guanyin cultivar tea bushes. Then the tea was slightly more oxidized than traditional high mountain, and lightly roasted.
The result is a fascinating and unclassifiable oolong. The first few steeps have a sweetness not unlike Oriental Beauty or Honey Oolong. Then, around the third infusion the Tie Guanyin character starts to show through. The mouthfeel is stimulating and causes pleasant salivation. It has the classic brothy quality and metallic mouthfeel. Every infusion is unique with this tea, and it has an extremely obvious overall shift over the course of a session.
This tea is very clean and the broth takes a clear, uniform path into the body. A truly unique experience.
Company description not available.
Nice tea with a medium roast on it. I’m usually not a fan of TGY (especially green ones, but sometimes have trouble with roasty ones as well), but I ordered a few nice sounding ones from FLT. The metallic taste common in TGY is always where they lose me. Until rather recently, I thought that was the result of a fault somewhere in the processing of the tea, but in talking to teafriends, I have learned this is an intentional, often sought-after flavor in TGY. It was enlightening and helped lead me back to giving TGY another try with a more open mind. Based on this tea, I’m sure glad I did.
The dry leaf had a buttery and salty aroma with a bit of that metallic/sour character. Also maybe some fruit, like lychee. After a rinse, the leaf smelled richly fruity, with notes of raisin and honey, and a light sourness. The roasted aroma was surprisingly subdued.
The flavor started off rather light, with fruitiness and a savory brothiness. The finish reminded me of sweet melon. There was some bit of sourness to it, but not the sharpness in the corners of my mouth that I have experienced from some TGY. The mouthfeel was pretty thick, and could also be described as brothy. This tea’s flavors deepened as the session went on – fewer of the high notes. The melon-y finish yielded to more of a sticky, dark fruitiness. The sour note remained throughout the session, but I found it pleasant rather than overpowering.
I am curious whether my palate has changed from the previous time I tried TGY, or if this tea is simply a much better example of the style, and this lighter sour/metallic note is what my teafriends praised. I have a few more TGY from Floating Leaves to try, so hopefully those will help me find the answer.
Flavors: Broth, Fruity, Honey, Melon, Pleasantly Sour, Raisins, Sweet
I have also had troubles appreciating TGY (and still do), I wonder if the reasons are similar. I haven’t tried too many though, so I will check out a few more. It’s possible that as I learn more about them, I will be able to appreciate them more, or just find the right one for me. Recently, the one I got from Tao Tea Leaf showed me that it should be possible, I quite like that one.
I’d love to get myself some if it weren’t so expensive. I was not a huge fan of the Muzha that I’ve had, but a Lishan terroir with a Tie Guan Yin sounds like a lovely combo. Taiwan Sourcing had one that was greener, but again, just as high in price and now no longer available.