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This was another somewhat more recent sipdown of mine, as I finished my sample pouch of this oolong at the end of July. I had been meaning to try it ever since acquiring it earlier in the year mostly because I had never before tried an unroasted Wuyi oolong. Overall, I found it to be a pretty interesting tea, though not the sort of thing I would want to have on a regular basis.

I prepared this tea gongfu style. After a quick rinse, I steeped 5 grams of loose tea leaves in 3 ounces of 195 F water for 7 seconds. This infusion was chased by 13 additional infusions. Steep times for these infusions were as follows: 9 seconds, 12 seconds, 16 seconds, 20 seconds, 25 seconds, 30 seconds, 40 seconds, 50 seconds, 1 minute, 1 minute 15 seconds, 1 minute 30 seconds, 2 minutes, and 3 minutes.

Prior to the rinse, the dry tea leaves emitted slightly woody, grassy aromas with floral and fruity hints. After the rinse, I noted distinct impressions of orchid, honey, raisin, roasted peanut, and cream on the nose. The first infusion then revealed a cedar aroma and stronger scents of orchid and honey. In the mouth, I detected notes of orchid, cream, cinnamon, and honey that were balanced by roasted peanut and cedar notes. The subsequent infusions saw the nose turn citrusy and mineral-laden. A slightly stronger roasted peanut note appeared in the mouth along with belatedly emerging raisin and grass notes. New impressions of minerals, pear, roasted almond, and butter appeared in the mouth along with hints of lemon zest. The final infusions emphasized lingering mineral, roasted peanut, roasted almond, and cream notes that were underscored by lemon zest impressions.

Seeing as how I tried this tea and Old Ways Tea’s 2016 Qilan very close together, it was fascinating for me to see just how much a roast can change a tea. Without the characteristic Wuyi roast, this tea took on a character somewhat reminiscent of a baozhong, but with the heavy mineral profile so typical of traditional Wuyi oolongs. Though I most definitely prefer my Wuyi oolongs roasted, this was still a fun little tea. I’m glad I took the opportunity to try it.