November 2023 Sipdown Challenge – an oolong tea
Spring 2022 harvest
In China, we processed some tea leaves we picked one morning into red tea. I was surprised at how many tea leaves were discarded after the hand-rolling and oven-drying phases due to malformation, or simply that many of the leaves we picked were too old/leathery to wilt and bruise properly. Taking a look at this tea, it could’ve used some of that attention. It’s very rudimentary looking in hand, lots of misshapen and discolored leaf. In the wet leaf, there are multiple long stems that are denuded.
The dry leaf aroma impresses me more than the taste, and so does preparing in a steeper basket than in a tiny teapot. It’s sweet and woody (also papery) much like the Manipuri black teas and with a strong, sweet finish but it possesses a tangier taste and more brisk body. Something about the dryness combines with the sweetness to create a sticky texture after the swallow and a taste reminiscent of caramel. I do get well integrated fruity notes like dried mango, gooseberry and strawberry jam. A bare hint of agarwood incense in the distance. Also, some kind of humid taste that seems to be a hallmark of oxidized Manipuri teas. I can’t tell much difference between the oolong, red and sheng puerh styles I’ve sampled from Ketlee. Despite the similarities in profile, these teas all have a certain sense of place. This oolong isn’t quite doing it for me, though. Can’t pinpoint why.
Flavors: Brisk, Caramel, Dates, Dried Fruit, Drying, Gooseberry, Honey, Incense, Jam, Mango, Paper, Petrichor, Rainforest, Strawberry, Sweet, Tangy, Wet Wood, Woody
