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Organic Quilan Oolong – White Lion Teas
Dry: Soft fruity-berry note that quickly fades into a yuzu-pineapple, woodsy-toasty, ‘Wuyi’ mountain aroma
Wet: Citrus rind-pith, grapefruit, soft berry, brazil nuts, slight hints of sugar cane
Leaf: Dark sepia, umber hue when dried and picks up a deep wood, peat green when wet. Leaves are long and chopped, twisted and moderately oxidized.
Cup: Gorgeous luminous yellow-orange hued liquor with caramel edges. Medium bodied, juicy and rich with layers of flavor. Hints of cocoa nib, milk chocolate, citrus, and exotic fruit (even a touch of durian creaminess), come in waves on the sip; first striking the sides and front tongue and then settle and eddy with sweet flavors and a citrus pith aftertaste that is finished with a cocoa nib lingering. Clean and smooth with many blushing transitions.
Directions: Used 3.2g of tea in 8oz of 190 degree water steeped for 3-4minutes in a glass pot and aerated and decanted into porcelain cup.
Notes: I have never been much of a fan of teas from Wuyi and the usual flavors that arise from the processing style and the area are usually very typically toasted, sour, edgy, and generally not my cup of tea. Those teas also often carry a signature aroma as well, that I can spot immediately, and if the leaves cut doesn’t give it away, then the oxidation hue will. This tea resembles that in every way, but the distinct cocoa note is very clear and naturalistic and the citrus is subdued and balanced. There is a sublime sweetness that is left by the cup afterwards and is surprisingly present and distinct. I would rate this very well against other teas from Wuyi and say this is a wonderful surprise.
I also did a bit of searching to fully flesh out the origins of the tea as the term Quilan seemed phonetic and somewhat referencing an old ‘English’ term (much like Quimun to Keemun) and stumbled upon a secondary meaning and translation as Qu Lan and its translated name of Rare Orchid oolong and online reviews place this tea indeed in the Wuyi mountains in the Fujian province in Anxi County. Where is commonly reviewed as : dark in color with a nutty aroma, while less oxidized are green in color with an orchid aroma and a liquor of bright gold, and a lasting sweet aftertaste.