Decided to go in a light roast/oxidation Oolong adventure and ordered a sampler of Phoenix Mountain Oolongs. Not disappointed.
Gong Fu in Yixing Gaiwan 6oz/5-6g
Dry Leaf – Honey sweet, fruity and peach/plum scent.
Wet Leaf – Extremely sweet and fruity, sweet potato, peach/plum with citrus hints.
Liquor – Pale yellow and green color that still lively.
1st – 4secs Lid smells incredibly sweet and fruity like peach or plum and somewhat citrus. Sweet and fruity but with an apparent floral note that then turns bittersweet floral that is reminiscent of a very fruity and extremely floral Tie Guan Yin. The aftertaste has a hint of vanilla sweetness and floral.
2nd – 4secs Lid smells sweet and fruity with citrus notes and a apparent peach/plum. Extremely floral and fruity that wear some bitterness but very pleasant. As the bitterness diminishes the sweetness becomes apparent and balanced once again reminiscent of a TGY with added fruitiness. The aftertaste is sweet and very floral and long lasting.
3rd – 5secs Lid smells sweet and fruity with citrus notes, peach/plum notes and more floral. Bittersweet floral taste that is very apparent and pleasant, as it washes down it balances and again resembles a TGY. The liquor remains very fruity and floral and the aftertaste is lasting in the palate and the back of the throat.
4th – 6secs Lid is still very sweet and fruity in scent; the citrus notes is still very apparent and so is the plummy/peach but the floral notes are slightly less apparent. Floral bitterness and fruity at the start and once again balances out with it’s sweetness that is honey like. The aftertaste is very sweet and floral and seems to last forever.
5th – 10secs Lid smells sweet and fruity with apparent citrus and peach/plum notes. Sweet and floral with some bitterness (not as strong as previous) that turns sweeter as it washes down. The sweetness lasts through the aftertaste with floral notes that are very pleasant.
6th – 20secs Lid still wears apparent sweetness and fruitiness, this time the peach scent is more defined and the floral is Orchid like. The liquor is very floral and again slightly bitter but slowly turns sweeter, once again reaching that bittersweet balance that is very pleasant and that lingers through the aftertaste.
Final Notes
A very very pleasant Oolong! That is also very complex is taste and scents. I feel like I would continue to buy this tea but not make it an every day tea. I feel its complexity requires you to slurp the liquor to truly enjoy it as its fragrance is surely part of the whole experience. I might start getting more into lighter Oolongs after all. I made several other steeps, if I felt the floral notes were weak I just cranked up the time, it never really turned astringent and its bitterness was very pleasant.
