4 Tasting Notes
I bought this tea last year, and just recently received this year’s harvest too; and i have to say this tea never fails to impress me. It is mellow, sweet, smooth, and the flavor lasts through many infusions, 10+. You can tell it is definitely a white tea that has been used, not a pouchong, and it doesnt taste like any artificial perfumes or flavors have been used.
I brewed this in a 4 oz ceramic houhin and used about 10 balls filling the houhin only halfway with water. I started out with water that was 175 and did a 1 minute steep rinse…then a one minute first steep, upping the time in 30-45 second increments each subsequent steep, only upping the temp in 5 degree increments when the brew starts tasting lighter than the last.
It’s just a beautiful tea with a very noticeable, yet not overpowering jasmine scent and flavor…after about the 7th steep for me the jasmine flavor starts to dissipate and whats left is just the smooth, sweet brew of the leaves themselves. If brewed right the tea soup never develops a color…it stays clear and colorless.
I enjoyed this year’s harvest more so than last year’s. It’s sweeter and less astringent.
Preparation
I started in on this oolong after 2 rinses for 10 seconds each with 190 degree f and let it sit for 2 minutes in my yixing. My first steep was at 190 for 50 seconds. Incredibly floral, very long tea echo, very slight earthy…the beauty of this tea is in the aftertaste…its not very strong tasting while in my mouth but after it goes down, theres this explosion of sweet, perfumey flowers with a hint of citrus that reminds me of the same citrusy note i get from a yutaka midori fukamushi sencha. All in all a very enjoyable oolong that doesnt let your mouth forget its flavor after its long gone.
Love love love this tea! Smooth, sweet, fruity with a long flowery finish and aftertaste, beautiful medium amber liquor…absolutely no bitterness or astringency. Very complex. This is a great tea for sipping on its own…if milk or sweetener were added it would just ruin this tea. This tea loves to shine on its own.
I LOVE this tea. It is my ultimate favorite white. It’s flavorful, juicy, malty, fruity and lasts many many steeps. It is an Assam version of a bai mu dan (pai mutan, white peony) but with oodles more of a peachy, nectar, melon type flavor that just persists throughout steeps (ive gone up to 7 infusions and its still got flavor to spare!). Ive tried other assam whites from other estates, but none of them even get close to the quality and flavor of the one sold by S & V. I bought a pound of it last year and have kept it in a tin in my cupboard and even after a year of sitting there, it still tastes and brews like it did when i first purchased it. Im very impressed with this tea.
