I’m slowly and regretfully drinking down my old tea club boxes. This is the first unroasted Wuyi varietal oolong I’ve had, and it seems to be very unusual, especially for something grown in Taiwan. It’s also an heirloom strain with a unique flavour profile, as borne out in this review. I steeped 6 g of tea in a 120 ml teapot at 195F for 25, 20, 25, 30, 30, 30, 45, 60, 90, 120, and 240 seconds.
Prior to the first steep, the dry leaf smells like orchids, herbs, veggies, and cookies. The first steep has notes of orchids, peonies, spinach, herbs, and zucchini, and is not as sweet as the dry aroma promises. The mouthfeel and aftertaste are quite drying. The second steep has more vegetal sweetness, kind of like squash or bok choy. It’s an odd combination with all the florals.
The third and fourth steeps are less sweet and floral and more herbaceous, with some hints of coriander. The aftertaste is almost like a green tea. This green tea feeling continues in the next few steeps, with notes of spinach, squash, and bok choy predominating. The final steeps are almost entirely vegetal.
This tea starts off as a floral and herbaceous oolong, but quickly becomes vegetal and green tea-like. It’s unusual for sure, and while it’s fragrant and intriguing, there are too many veggies for me to love it. It’ll be interesting to compare it with the roasted version that’s also in my cupboard.
Flavors: Bok Choy, Cookie, Coriander, Drying, Floral, Herbaceous, Orchids, Spinach, Vegetal, Zucchini
