This a great example of a heavy roasted oolong. The leaves are tightly curled black pebbles. They carry a lot of weight in a small amount, so you don’t need too many embers. They give off a deep charcoal and roast scent, yet there is some lingering sweetness in the background. I placed them inside my warmed gaiwan and let these little guys relax. I opened the lid and inhaled a warm roasted aroma. I was picking up fresh espresso, burnt sugar, and a brief background of dark bitter chocolate. I washed these a few times;because of how tightly wound they were. Finally, the liquor began to darken, and I took in a hearty sip. The flavor is smooth and light bodied. The characteristic I love about this tea is that it’s not poorly roasted. I’ve experienced numerous heavy roasted oolongs that taste like licking a burnt out campfire. This a nice crisp roast with plenty of curbing flavors such as; caramel, burnt sugar, and underlying oak. This tea has the nice roast to warm you up, but it also carries the oolong sweetness that keeps you steeping. Personally, I like to brew this heavy and with longer steeping times, for I want a drink that packs a punch. This was really good; however it took awhile to full open up. Don’t give up on this tea; it just needs to be pushed a little. In my experience the rough brews need to be treated rough; boiling water, longer steeps. This is a nice experience, and the brew lasts for a long time. The tea offers tons of flavor and complexity for a heavy roasted TGY. I’m planning on trying the treat version of this with some heavy brewing and coconut milk. I’m pretty excited to try it!
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Comparison Shot
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Flavors: Burnt Sugar, Caramel, Char, Coffee, Dark Bittersweet, Espresso, Oak, Roasted, Smooth, Sweet
