1991 Da Ye Aged Oolong

I’m a big fan of aged oolongs and this tea in particular is a really special tea. 22 years ago seems like such a long time. I looked through some of my old photo books to see what I was like 22 years ago and I couldn’t find anything from 1991. There are an explosion of photos from 1993, when I started high school, but I can’t find anything from after I was a baby up until 1993.

This tea was stored for 22 years, every few years the tea is roasted. It is because of this process that aged oolongs are rare. They don’t command a price worth storing the tea that long and re-roasting it occasionally. I’ve heard some speculation that aging oolongs in Taiwan could die out.

This tea makes me happy. It is so delicious and buttery. I definitely recommend gongfu brewing but even western style, it is still very rich and creamy. Roasted chestnuts and tree bark are the first notes that hit my tongue followed instantly by creamy butter notes that linger long after the sip. I’m almost getting a very very light minty end note. There are also some pleasant mineral notes. After about 2 decades, mineral notes start to appear in aged oolongs. This is a tea that I end up drinking so fast because I am enjoying it so much. Yum, what a nice treat!

Last week end was Canada’s Thanksgiving. I had a lot to be thankful for at the end of the day and this aged oolong was just another reason.

I’m a fan of roasted aged oolongs, and to me it is no surprise that my two favourites are from Butiki!

This tea is very dear to me, it makes me feel special. Taiwan seems to be the cradle of what I call my Gem tea collection, little treasures I just can’t live without!

The liquor is reminiscent of a citrine gemstone, a glowing sunny amber colour. I strongly recommend pouring in glass teaware to fully admire.

I love the fact that each time I drink this, it feels different from the time before, and I can detect new subtleties. That’s what this tea is all about, nuances. It has a very distinct texture, like a roundness in the mouth. Interesting cause I don’t think many teas have an actual texture. I wrote about Butiki’s 2003 Reserve Four Season Oolong that it felt like a silk ribbon in my mouth. It’s even truer for this aged oolong because of its buttery and creamy attributes.

Unlike other similar teas I have tried, the roasted aspect doesn’t overpower with a strong burnt aftertaste. Instead, it adds just the right amount of complexity. This tea offers so many different layers, I think it has a multiple personality disorder! But they all come together to create the perfect cup…many perfect cups that is, if you choose to brew it gongfu style.

It would be a shame to see Stacy’s info become reality… I sure hope the craft of aging oolong will continue for many years to come.

Warning: Please skip this part if you’re not interested in the «story». (I’ve been away for awhile, but for those who know me, you already know there’s often a story!)

Family came over on Sunday for Thanksgiving, and it was such a beautiful autumn day, we all decided to go to this wonderful hiking river park I’m so lucky to have very nearby. Fall in the Laurentians is breathtaking. We call this time a year «Le Festival des Couleurs» (colour festival), and people come from all over to feast their eyes on nature’s beauty.

My nephew and godchild Gabriel is only 3 years old. He can’t get enough of the outdoors. He’s going through a «fish» phase. When we go visit a new place, he always asks if there’s going to be fishes in the water.

He visited the park we were going to many times this summer. Knowing there are no fishes to be seen in that river, he never asks for them. But for some reason, this time he kept telling me we were going to see fishes. In order to avoid a big disappointment later on, I gently reminded him with all the adult wisdom I could give him that unfortunately, there were no fishes where we were going. His reply to that: «We’re going to see the fishes». Ah! That cute little dimpled smiley face of his!

As we were walking on the riverside, we saw a narrow path heading to the woods. We had never noticed it before and decided to go explore a little. It led us to a small pond with a footbridge built over to cross to the other side. Gabriel was so excited, he said even before we started crossing,
«Come auntie, let’s go find the fishes!» Well what do you know… I was dumbfounded to find swimming on the surface the largest trouts I have ever seen! From the bridge, we could see dozens of them, almost jumping out of the water, probably hoping to get food from us. There are no words to describe the glow I saw in my godchild’s eyes. Lesson learned, I thought. Even when the odds are not on your side, good things can happen if you truly believe they can.

Being sick all summer, I’ve been looking for answers I couldn’t find cause I kept digging at the same spot…it took a 3 year old to teach me otherwise.

It was Einstein who said that insanity is doing something over and over again and expecting different results. Gabriel reminded me that in order to find my own fish pond, I just had to take a different path. Best thanksgiving ever I’d say.

This is another tea from the awesome box that TheTeaFairy sent me.

What do I think of this one? I normally like aged oolongs. I normally like dark roasted oolongs – I should like this one. And I do…. it’s good, it dark, it roasted, it’s not IN YOUR FACE smoky like some of them are. I think it’s a nice balance between “oolong” and toasty roasted goodness. But then there is something… not sure – this might be a little too “aged” for me. I can’t even really explain why I think that. It’s too strong, that’s the best I can do to describe it. The first steep was really strong, second not so much, the third is more like just a regular dark oolong. I think I liked the second steep the best.

I’m honored to get to try such a rare and unusual tea. In 1991 I was 10 years old, heh. It’s funny to think that this tea has been around that long!

This tastes unlike any other oolong I’ve experienced. It is creamy, dark/toasty and almost nutty, yet still sweet! Luckily though this is delicious, I doubt it is something I’ll be craving and wishing I could afford to buy again real soon. (Unlike the other expensive Butiki I splurged on, Japanese Puerh! SUPER TASTY! WILL BE RESTOCKING!)

The creaminess is so distinctive and hard to describe! I really can’t think of anything to compare it to…but it has a very well rounded flavor overall.

I am LOVIN’ this oolong today! On my second steep right now, and YUM YUM YUM! I love how well this oolong comes out brewed western style, and because of my new variable temperature kettle, I was able to brew it at exactly the parameters Stacy recommends. At this point in my tea journey, I don’t feel like I can be bothered with gong fu style brewing, but I’m sure this tea wold be delicious brewed that way.

I got some caramel sweetness today, and it’s deliciously roasty, but still smooth. Like an oolong hug!

I definitely need more of this tea! On the shopping list it goes!!

soooo even though i’ve found that there are some green oolongs that i really and some dark oolongs that i love…as an over all type of tea, they just aren’t my favourite. This one, while it’s certainly a delicious roasty, sweet, chestnut cup of yum…there’s something in there that makes me wish it was a black tea :) I’ve gone through a few steepings of this and while it’s certainly up there on my list of oolongs, i think it’s largely time to come to grips with the fact that i’ll never love them as much as my black teas. :)

Thanks to Stacy for sending along a sample of this with a recent order!
This is a very nice, very tasty oolong. The flavor is of the more earthly kind, woodsy, roasty, chestnut, & with a lovely sweetness. I’d like to add peaches to this, somehow. I drank it western style, but I’m sure I’ll have to get more & try it out in my Gaiwan.
Sample Sipdown…that puts me at 234.

1 tablespoon for 248 ml

Charred note in the aroma. Leafy herb note- reminiscent of cilantro. Sourness.

The charred note carries into the flavour but isn’t as intense as in the aroma- it is very well balanced in the flavour profile, maybe only slight overpowering. The leafy herb note takes more of a vegetal flavour in the background. There is a mineral sweet note near the end of the sip with a slight floral hint. Mouthfeel is slightly brothy. I’m also detecting a custard-like note. I’m also noticing the peach that was mentioned in some other tasting notes. Only slight astringency which mixes well with the rest of the flavours.

This tea reminds me of walking through crunchy leaves in the fall.

Second infusion at 5 minutes. Buttery quality. There is still the charred flavour present but it isn’t as prevalent as in the first infusion. There is an undertone of classic oolong flavour; the grapefruit note that I find with a lot of oolongs.

Third infusion at 6 minutes. The charcoal flavour is subdued and the mineral flavour really pops.

Backlog:

I haven’t had a lot of experience with aged Oolongs but what I’ve tried, I’ve enjoyed and that’s what led me to want to try this one from Butiki.

My first cup was raw tasting … earthy. Notes of wood and chestnut along with a hint of buttery taste. The first cup was lighter in flavor than the subsequent cups.

My second cup was my favorite. It was delightful. The roasted chestnut flavor really emerged nicely here. A slight caramel-y undertone. Silky. Still a little earthy, but these flavors have subsided a bit to allow for the nutty, caramel-y, sweeter notes to come forward.

Subsequent cups became lighter but were still quite delicious. It’s definitely worth the effort to put this Oolong through its paces.

Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2013/10/27/1991-da-ye-aged-oolong-tea-butiki-teas/

Roasty, barky with a silky mouth feel. Smokey, earthy. Amazing to think I am drinking something aged for so long. I don’t even drink alcohol that old! :)

That said, this probably isn’t going to be something I seek out to keep around. If anyone would like to try it, I’d be happy to share some.