Mountain Stream Teas was kind to include this as a freebie in my order last month. Thank you :)
Looking back, the first 5 grams I wasted on shorter steepings. I went that way because of the roast; I didn’t want to be overwhelmed by it since me and roasted Taiwanese oolong aren’t the best of friends. It was very light and watered down tasting, spring water sweet, tingly minerality, hints of umeboshi and caramel.
Because I was underwhelmed, I followed the suggested steeping parameters on the bag for the remaining leaf. What a transformation! The jinxuan character became pretty pronounced. It was very smooth and light- to medium-bodied with a deep, mellow pear-like sweetness, creamy caramel, still hints of umeboshi, tender sweet grass, roasted flavor but well integrated (this is a 2019 electric roast tea so it has had time to settle). Thick aftertaste of creamy dried peaches. The longer the tea was left to cool, the more the flavors of the tea developed. It seems to be very low in caffeine.
This friendly tea is pretty reserved but not challenging in taste. If you do buy this, you’ll be rewarded by following the suggested preparation in the description/on the bag.
Flavors: Caramel, Coffee, Cream, Creamy, Dried Fruit, Mineral, Peach, Pear, Plum, Roasted, Smooth, Spring Water, Sweet, Sweet, Warm Grass
