1985 Aged Tieguanyin

Tea type
Oolong Tea
Ingredients
Oolong Tea Leaves
Flavors
Butter, Mineral, Smoke, Smooth, Vanilla, Wood, Bark, Blueberry, Cedar, Citrus, Floral, Fruity, Orchid, Rice
Sold in
Loose Leaf
Caffeine
Not available
Certification
Not available
Edit tea info Last updated by Cameron B.
Average preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 4 min, 0 sec 5 g 8 oz / 236 ml

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2 Tasting Notes View all

  • “ Samurai TTB #18 I think this might be my first time drinking a tea that is older than I am! I don’t know much about aged oolong, so I don’t really have a standard to judge this by. But to my...” Read full tasting note
    90
  • “Alright, I am in the process of getting rid of some of these aged oolongs. I only had a sample of this one and I ended up drinking it yesterday evening. For me, these aged oolongs from Verdant have...” Read full tasting note
    90

From Verdant Tea

Master Zhang is making some of the finest Tieguanyin in the world. Based in Daping village at the very highest peaks of Gande, Anxi. His terraced fields are overgrown with wildflowers, and fed by naturally sweet and clear mountain spring water. We are very lucky to share a limited release of Master Zhang’s personal reserve of his oldest tea- a thirty year aged Tieguanyin, picked back in 1985. The slow and subtle roasting and aging process adds deep lingering spice to the Tieguanyin florals.

About Verdant Tea View company

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2 Tasting Notes

90
961 tasting notes

Samurai TTB #18

I think this might be my first time drinking a tea that is older than I am! I don’t know much about aged oolong, so I don’t really have a standard to judge this by. But to my untrained palate, it was delicious! It has that smooth, buttery mouthfeel that I associate with oolong, but a more rich, robust flavor that is similar to a black tea. Thank you to whoever added this one to the box…such a cool tea to get to try!

Flavors: Butter, Mineral, Smoke, Smooth, Vanilla, Wood

Preparation
190 °F / 87 °C 4 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 12 OZ / 354 ML
Courtney

That’s fun to try a tea older than you! You’ve inspired me to find one to try older than me too.

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90
1048 tasting notes

Alright, I am in the process of getting rid of some of these aged oolongs. I only had a sample of this one and I ended up drinking it yesterday evening. For me, these aged oolongs from Verdant have been so hit or miss. I thought the aged Mao Xie was pretty much excellent, but the two aged Tieguanyins I had prior to this one I found to be more or less awful. This one turned out to be a pleasant surprise.

I prepared this tea gongfu style. After an approximately 10 second rinse, I steeped the full 5 grams of loose tea leaves in 4 ounces of 212 F water for 10 seconds. This infusion was followed by 14 subsequent infusions. Steep times for these infusions were as follows: 13 seconds, 16 seconds, 20 seconds, 25 seconds, 30 seconds, 40 seconds, 50 seconds, 1 minute, 1 minute 15 seconds, 1 minute 30 seconds, 2 minutes, 3 minutes, 5 minutes, and 7 minutes.

Prior to the rinse, the dry tea leaves gave off pronounced aromas of vanilla and flowers. Verdant describes the floral characteristic as being similar to lilikoi blossoms, and I have to say that I found that description to be eerily accurate. There were also traces of cedar, citrus, and aloeswood incense on the nose. After the rinse, the floral aromas grew stronger, as did the aromas of cedar, citrus, and aloeswood. Aromas of sticky rice and wood began to emerge as well. The first infusion produced a similar bouquet that once again saw the vanilla assert itself. In the mouth, robust notes of vanilla, lilikoi, and sticky rice dominated the entry before giving way to an interesting combination of aloeswood, cedar, wood bark, butter, and citrus notes. The finish was long and smooth, emphasizing vanilla and sticky rice notes underscored by aloeswood, cedar, and lilikoi. Subsequent infusions grew fruitier and somewhat more floral. The indistinct citrus notes morphed into more clearly defined notes of kumquat, while sweeter notes of blueberry and marionberry emerged. I also began to catch a ghostly hint of orchid, while mineral notes began to emerge toward the finish. The later infusions were increasingly dominated by minerals and lingering notes of butter, vanilla, and wood bark, though fleeting impressions of flowers, aloeswood, marionberry, and citrus were still just barely detectable in the background.

Compared to the other two aged Tieguanyins I have tried, this was a totally different experience. Unlike the other two, this one was quite enjoyable. I greatly appreciated its smooth body and its unique aroma and flavor profiles. What ultimately made all the difference for me was that this tea still resembled an oolong, and a quality oolong at that. I could not say that about the other two.

Flavors: Bark, Blueberry, Butter, Cedar, Citrus, Floral, Fruity, Mineral, Orchid, Rice, Vanilla

Preparation
Boiling 5 g 4 OZ / 118 ML
Ken

This one was that different from the 1990? I just had the aged Tieguanyin cake from their monthly club and it was really good.

eastkyteaguy

Ken, I thought so. The 1990 tea was extremely woody, earthy, and fungal, whereas this tea was floral, sweet, fruity, and savory. In comparison, this tea was much more mellow, the components of its aroma and flavor profiles were more appealing, and it was more drinkable. Oddly, this was actually one of two different versions of their 1985 Aged Tieguanyin. Both were very different. The other I found to be very earthy with a somewhat muddled flavor profile.

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