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261 tasting notes

The rinse alone smells so divine––fragrant charcoal-roast, intensely fruity, and a nice blend of floral notes in there. This is like a Tieguanyin crossed with a Dancong oolong.

First infusion, 195˚F:
Beautiful sweet fruity flavour grounded in the minerally flavour that’s unique to Tieguanyins. The liquor is a similar colour to my Mi Lan Xiang Dancong oolong, a pale gold-fawn.

Second infusion, 198˚F:
Tastes stronger, and the richer, cacao and coffee roasted flavour is coming out now amid the fruitiness. The liquor has turned darker, like raw umber.

Third infusion, 203˚F:
Now there is a rich, sweet, malty “pie crust” aroma like something delicious baking in an oven. This tea is amazing. Reminds me of the “Buddha’s Hand” from Song Tea & Ceramics.

This was the standout best of the six wonderful teas I tried at the Zhang Xie Xing store in Taipei, and probably one of the top 3 teas in my collection. Please, more Steepsterites go hunt down this store in Taipei so I’m not the only one reviewing them!

Flavors: Coffee, Dark Chocolate, Floral, Mineral, Pastries, Stonefruit

Preparation

195 °F / 90 °C

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Amateur tea enthusiast here. I told myself I would start with studying Chinese teas when I first encountered good tea at Song Tea in San Francisco in 2016, and it’s now 2023 and I feel like I’m still just beginning to scratch the surface of Chinese teas.

Maybe someday I will move on to Indian, Japanese, Korean, etc. teas…

For my day job I work in tech as well as write some fiction on the side.

The next step in my tea journey is to start training my nose with an aroma kit to get a more precise handle on floral notes.

My Tea Rating Scale: (adapted from @benmw)
100 : Unforgettable, life-changing tea experience.
95–99: Extraordinary – Beyond impressive.
90–94: Impressive – Deep complexity, extreme clarity, or unexpected discovery of wonderful flavor. Made me reconsider the category. Would always want to drink this if I had the chance.
80–89: Delicious – Nuanced, balanced, clear, and complex layering of flavors. Would probably buy this tea again.
70–79: Very Good – Nuanced flavors, perhaps not as balanced or complex as the next step up, but clear and very enjoyable. Would consider buying again if the price was right.
60–69: Good – Clear flavors, representative of the category, but doesn’t set a standard. Good as an everyday tea. Would not buy unless desperate (e.g. when travelling without access to better tea).
50–59: Average. Would not pay money for this, but would drink if it was provided FOC.
30–49: Below Average. Would not drink this again even if it were free.
0–29: Undrinkable. Could not even finish the cup.

Location

Singapore

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