A coffee-less morning here, as I felt more drawn to my teas and a gentle start. Pulled this one down, weighed it, and promptly dumped it into my fairness cup instead of the pot. Off to a great start.
This is a sweet black that I might assume was a Taiwan red oolong if I didn’t know better — it manages to stay light and juicy, without much in the way of tannin or malt/bread/etc. I see the cultivar is the same as the What-Cha four seasons red oolong I drank a couple days ago; the processing here seems to have fully exposed what is darting and peeking in that one.
I didn’t take notes; getting the leaves in the right vessel was good enough for me, and there are great notes already here. It’s incredibly smooth, with persistent honey sweetness, gentle cinnamon, fruity florals (think honeysuckle and nectar, reminiscent of bug-bitten character), green grape and apricot. Steeps for days, and long steeps only find a hint of tannic ping. Some spring water minerality in later steeps, which may be contributing to how smoothed and nuanced the flavors appear… an invitation to explore, rather than being clunked over the head.
Flavors: Apricot, Bubblegum, Cinnamon, Fruit Tree Flowers, Honey, Honeysuckle, Juicy, Nectar, Spring Water, Sweet, White Grapes
