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“Another gongfu session today. 5 grams / 125 ml gaiwan. June 2021 harvest. Another stop from Around the World in 8 Teas Selection Box by Curious Tea! Dry leaves in preheated gaiwan reminded me...” Read full tasting note
Gui Fei Oolong from Taiwan, winner of a 3-Star Great Taste Award in 2017.
What the Great Taste judges thought: “The liquor is stunning. A deep sugary flavour, clean and floral, but also delicious notes of dates or stewed plums.”
Gui Fei Oolong is a rather special oolong that is the finished (baked) version of our Mi Xian Oolong. Both of these are essentially the same tea during different stages of processing. They come from Yunlin County of Taiwan, are classed as ‘beauty teas‘ and thus share a unique growing story.
Beauty teas are extremely unique for their honey-like flavour that occurs due to presence of little green leaf hoppers that nibble the tea leaves during growth. The tea plants react to this attack by producing more polyphenols, which during processing give the unique ‘beauty tea’ flavour. Most of these, such as the well-known Oriental Beauty Tea are more heavily oxidised oolongs, which some people even class as black teas. This offering is quite unique as both of these oolongs have undergone a medium level of oxidation (around 40%) so they are much lighter than the standard Oriental Beauty Tea. As presence of green leaf hoppers is essential for development of the unique ‘bug bitten’ taste, these teas are produced to organic standards.
This particular Gui Fei Oolong started life as the Mi Xian Oolong and then it underwent a three stage baking process by the tea master with several week-long mellowing breaks in between. This processing allows the flavours and aromas to stabilise and fully saturate the leaves. While altering and improving the flavour, it also acts as a stabiliser for the flavour allowing the tea to remain consistent over longer periods of time. It also brings out a more distinctive wild honey flavour, with sweet, floral and woody notes in this tea.
Origin: Yunlin County, Taiwan
Elevation: Meishan, 1,000m
Cultivar: Qing Xin ‘Green Heart’ (青心)
Harvest time: Summer 2017
Sourcing: From the farmer via Taiwanese Tea Master
Company description not available.
Another gongfu session today. 5 grams / 125 ml gaiwan. June 2021 harvest. Another stop from Around the World in 8 Teas Selection Box by Curious Tea!
Dry leaves in preheated gaiwan reminded me mostly roasted peanuts, but when wet it’s totally different; strong floral notes along with stewed fruits, dates + plums.
After first 20 seconds steep, and no rinse was made (why, no dust and whatever), I received a sweet, sugary, baked plum taste, with a little dates aftertaste, and overall there is a nice mouthfeel, though a bit short.
Second steep was with doubled time, so 40 seconds. It’s less sweet, but strong woody taste, aftertaste is long, but mouthfeel overall is short. Honestly I don’t get promised honey taste, but well, it’s fine. It’s different.
Third steep — 60 seconds, was totally different. First of all, it has got mouthcoating quality, along with long(er) aftertaste; and flavours I am able to notice is back the fruits with woody line, but also some refreshing note is here and I think it could be camphor or simply some mint, but yep, that’s complexity I was hoping for!
Fourth. 90 seconds. I think I start to notice promised honey notes, but very weakly, woody notes dominate this steep and I got even same-long aftertaste.
Fifth, 120 seconds. While it keeps giving, I notice fading as well. Not a surprise after such long and heavy steeps, but still I have hoped for more. Sadly, that refreshing note disappeared.
In conclusion, I think I had better oolongs, although this is probably first one bug-bitten I had. It is an interesting tea, and produced flavour is not so common (for me), but somehow I am not so sure if I would drink it regulary. Those 10 grams I had is a good starter, and getting similar, small amounts for occasional drinking seems like a good choice. But I must be in mood for that specific taste. I have hoped for more fruits, but sadly, they were present only in first steeps.
It is neat to see all these gong fu sessions!
Finally have time for them!