The TTB has arrived! So big, so many teas… no chance to try them all!
Tea #21
I followed gongfu instructions written on the pouch of this tea, apparently not an original one. It says “4 grams, 100 mL, 100°C; 5-45 seconds, 8 steeps”
Actually I never heard about Song Zhong teas, haven’t done any research what it supposed to be like, what is intended flavor profile and so on.
So, as I have slightly bigger vessel, I have used 5 grams for my 125 mL gaiwan, 5 seconds first steep with following steeps with 5 seconds increments; but the rest I have blindly followed.
I preheated the gaiwan first, that brought aromas of red currants, wood, cherries, sweet (maybe a pollen) and sweets. A wonderful aroma indeed. Quick rinse to flush away the dust and 5 minutes rest of the leaves in humid environment under the lid.
This make previous aroma notes even stronger, except for woody notes. That was exciting for me.
First steeps were indeed fruity. Red currants and cherries, I don’t noticed any minerality so far and it was delightful also in the mouth, smooth and mouth-coating qualities is something I really enjoy. There are mountain flowers in the aromas, also with red fruits including a bit unripe strawberries.
From steep 4 I have started to notice a little change in pace of this tea. The red fruits started to fade and mineral notes and stonefruits came stronger. The floral notes started to be strong in taste too, once it was even too much and a bit heavy for tummy.
Steeps 7-8 were slightly floral, but they weren’t giving me much of impressions and I found out I am finishing this tea with happiness and lots of experience with another oolong I never had before. I found out that I like those fruity oolongs a bit more than their green counterparts, while sometimes I crave the latter and it is a virtue to have both examples in a cupboard.
Sounds like an excellent tea!
Apparently so! I would like to explore these Chinese oolongs more. But first, sipping down.