Himalayan Shilla 2016 No.517

I am backlogging backwards, and divided this one up in 2.5 grams increments. Gong fu would totally work well for this one, but I am not sure if I would get too much of a difference. I brewed this in a strainer in my mug for three minutes, four, and five each time.

Cocoa was definitely in the aroma with the usual autumn leaf pile warmth, but chestnut and bread were dominant in smell and taste dryleaf and after brewing it. Again, the company’s description represents it well: “Its Bouquet-like character combined with the freshness of a green tea makes a lovely tea-experience. The usual taste of bread and chestnut is now supplemented with a smild citrus flavour.” And man, was it buttery and bready in flavor, and thick in texture. Malt were one of my notes since I brewed it so long. It was very similar to a Darjeeling black, but since I’ve had a few of these oolongs before, it tastes like any Nepal oolong-i.e. excellent.

I don’t have much more to say than that, and I wish I could have gotten a little bit more to experiment with it Gong Fu. I was still very pleased and I definitely recommend this tea. It is a little bit more of a snobs tea (looking at you Darjeeling and Nepal Lovers), but I do think it is approachable for a new drinker.