144/365
Another of my older LPs, finally seeing the light of day. One thing I’m quickly realising about this challenge is that once it’s done I’m going to have a lot of opened things to sip down. I’ll likely need another challenge just for that!
LP says that this one is a blend of 1999 and 2006 medium roasted tieguanyin, aged in dehydrated lemon for over 60 days. He also says it’s an ugly tea, but I find the lemon segments quite beautiful in their own way. I used 1 tsp of leaf for my cup, and gave it around 2.5 minutes in water cooled to around 180. It smells like lemon pie that’s burnt a bit in the oven, and it tastes quite like that too.
The TGY brings a pretty toasted taste to the initial sip, and it pretty much as you might expect from any roasted oolong – a little brassy, perhaps, but pleasantly so. I was expecting more pungency, but it’s really very palatable. The lemon almost explodes in the mid-sip, in a bright, sunshiny burst. The tangy, sour citrus cuts through the toastiness in a swathe of wonderous efficiency. It’s a pairing that works really well, perhaps somewhat unexpectedly. I feel like lemon is an accessible flavour, whereas TGY perhaps isn’t so much. I hope it encouraged a few of the less experienced oolongers to give it a go when it was on sale.
As the lemon wears off, the tieguanyin flavour returns in full force and lingers well into the aftertaste. It’s a pleasing contrast, and an inspired pairing. I’m glad I’ve got plenty more!
