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I prepared this tea at work in a porcelain gaiwan.

Steeping #1 (1m @ 175F/79C)
Very light, greenish-gold with a mild aroma. It’s very nutty, particularly in the back of the palate. Tastes almost like a very light charcoal-fired gaoshan oolong.

Steeping #2 (45s @ 175F/79C)
Straw shade of gold this time. Much nuttier, very pleasant and a stronger flavor than the first steeping. Tastes surprisingly like a light Da Hong Pao. The nuttiness really lingers in the back of the nostrils and soft palate after sipping. It’s a not a particularly deep or complicated flavor, but very pleasant. I find this tea superior to that I’ve purchased from TeaVivre, which is also pleasant.

Steeping #3 (45s @ 175F/79C)
Slightly darker than steeping #2. The nuttiness is a little more astringent in odor, but also slightly fainter. The flavor is still there, with no real development, but is much lighter than #2, and not worth steeping a fourth time.

The second steeping was, by far, the best.

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 1 min, 0 sec

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Bio

I live with my paternal family on a small, family-owned alpaca farm in the Pacific Northwest. I’ve been drinking tea, not considering tisanes, since I was relatively small and first allowed caffeine. Here, we are lucky enough to have two lovely, non-chlorinated wells, so I have relatively unlimited access to nice water that doesn’t influence the taste of my tea, and it certainly feels like a privilege. I prepare tea gong fu style, sometimes with an Yixing pot, and sometimes with a small porcelain pot or gaiwan, as that works best for many of my greener oolongs. I love learning, talking about and making tea.
One of my favorite things about making gaoshan oolongs is the focus and care that takes to make them truly shine. If I’m having a rough day, I can sit down and just focus on the time, temperature of the teaware, etc, and it is completely distracting from whatever is upsetting me.
I think that, however, the most fun is in trying new teas (particularly oolongs; they’re just too wonderful) and working with them to learn how to make them taste their best.
I had a job at the island’s tea shop for a while, and enjoyed the opportunity to learn and teach about teas, and to taste anything I wanted of the stock.

Location

Washington State

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