The leaves are dark and straight. They’re like little 1" twigs.
The brewed leaves smell like…wet fallen leaves…? I’m not sure what it is, but it smells like something natural and woodsy.
First steep was pretty mild and dark tasting. It was pleasant and tasted of stone fruits. 2nd steep was very apricot-y. I had to take a few sips to figure out the other flavors. Mint, anise and campfire. As much as I love the smell of a campfire, I don’t think I like the taste of one. I have never before tasted these things in an oolong. It’s very earthy and well oxidized. These flavors continue into the 4th steep except the minty character. That’s gone now. I’m really not digging the anise and earthy aspect. Normally, earthy is ok, but this is intensely earthy. It’s also very fruity, but the other flavors stand out more to me. I’m sure there are many steeps left in these leaves, but I’m done with it. I kept steeping out of curiosity, but I’m really not enjoying this tea.
Am I brewing this wrong? Everyone else seems to like it.
I’m smelling the bottom of my cup now and it really smells like autumn in the woods with a campfire in the distance. It smells fabulous because I love autumn, woods and campfires, but those are not three things I’d like to eat. hmm…
I’m learning a lot about oolong these days. I’ve always liked oolong, but I never had more than a few different kinds. Thank you Batrachoid, for expanding my education with your generous sample.
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One of the problems with rating smoked/fired oolongs is that people generally either love or hate the flavor of smoke (as opposed to the aroma). Just like Lapsang Souchong, the smokiness can either draw you in or repel you, and the strength of the individual batches can vary widely. Water temperature and length of brewing also have to be played with to find the “sweet spot” and I have found it to be a bit frustrating at times. But when you find that magical combination of the right tea, the right temperature, and the right brewing time, the journey an Oolong like this can take you on can be quite magical… :-)
One of the problems with rating smoked/fired oolongs is that people generally either love or hate the flavor of smoke (as opposed to the aroma). Just like Lapsang Souchong, the smokiness can either draw you in or repel you, and the strength of the individual batches can vary widely. Water temperature and length of brewing also have to be played with to find the “sweet spot” and I have found it to be a bit frustrating at times. But when you find that magical combination of the right tea, the right temperature, and the right brewing time, the journey an Oolong like this can take you on can be quite magical… :-)