Yum. Found this in the bottom of my ‘big box’. I had been saving some, and I’m really glad I did. I bought it a couple of years ago when I had no experience with Taiwanese Oolong. And now I do. And I like this stuff.
This one is special because its essentially an Anxi, that has obviously been grown so well and is so tasty that Mr Jassid and his band of merry men just cant keep their hands off. So not only is Guan Yin tough and compassionate, shes also beautiful as well – (and probably annoyed with all the leafhoppers on her)
It actually comes fully branched & with red-leaf-edge intact, not Lime green like lots of the TGY, but olive green with brown and red.
But it packs a punch. Seriously a lot going on here. I will try to remember the train of thought after drinking some grandpa style – which I realised after is akin to glugging down a complex cocktail.
‘Tie Guan Yin Smell?, Floral, Caramel, Dongfang Meiren?, Honey, really thick honey on my tongue, wow its sour like Dongfanf Meiren woody taste, oh its Tie Guan Yin again, now its grapes, muscatel, darjeeling? No, raisins.. flowers… leaf.. vegetal.. cream, milk.. [Brain Melts]’
I literally had to scrabble to write down shorthand to contain what happened. And now ive spilt some on my picture that im colouring in. Damn. It needs gongfu to space out all this craziness.
Early steeps are sweet, sour, fragrant, deep & woody, and later steeps it turns into Jin Xuan/Milky with fragrance of TGY & the depth of OB & Muscat Grape Huiguan… even orange gets itself in there somehow.
Its a very nice interesting tea & I’m so glad I saved some. I will have to make another review when I Gong Fu some because Its a bit crazy when left to its own devices.
Flavors: Caramel, Cream, Floral, Flowers, Honey, Milk, Muscatel, Orange, Orange Blossom, Pleasantly Sour, White Grapes, Wood
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I would just like to add, I am drinking it gongfu now, and I was wrong to suggest it would be better.
The wow factor of having the leaves in the actual cup you are drinking via grandpa style isnt there, as all the crazy aromas are now sitting in the gaiwan. Every steep you can smell the change but you have to stick your nose into the gaiwan, I got TGY, OB & Milk Oolong aroma from the gaiwan, but the liquor stayed pretty similar, as a TGY/OB blend. nice aftertastes though.
Grandpa-style it feels like you are actually getting a different drink every sip, and I preferred the experience a lot more, inhaling while drinking.
I would just like to add, I am drinking it gongfu now, and I was wrong to suggest it would be better.
The wow factor of having the leaves in the actual cup you are drinking via grandpa style isnt there, as all the crazy aromas are now sitting in the gaiwan. Every steep you can smell the change but you have to stick your nose into the gaiwan, I got TGY, OB & Milk Oolong aroma from the gaiwan, but the liquor stayed pretty similar, as a TGY/OB blend. nice aftertastes though.
Grandpa-style it feels like you are actually getting a different drink every sip, and I preferred the experience a lot more, inhaling while drinking.