Cassia Oolong Tea (Wuyi Rou Gui Wu Long)

I brewed this tea gong fu style in a 100ml gaiwan filled about a third of the way with dry leaf.

This tea is light and brisk, with a very clean liquor in taste and feel. The texture is soft and smooth, like well-fashioned leather, which creams easily and quickly. The flavor of the liquor bursts explosively, and fades with dignity, leaving behind a satisfying and filling aftertaste. The flavor is very similar to an Oriental Beauty, with woodsy, roasted notes and a spicy zest greatly apparent. However, underneath all this is a green-oolong taste which blossoms in the mouth much like a tieguanyin, which grants a great deal of floral and stone-fruit aromatics.

While not yielding an extremely high number of steeps, a modest number of around 9 quality steeps were received. At first woodsy and roasted, with hints of biscuity and sweet pear tones, with just a faint hint of bitterness, it evolved extremely well, diving into complexities not expected. Sweetness was intensified, floral qualities appeared, and a subtle greenness found its way into the undertones of this Cassia Wuyi oolong. Around the sixth and seventh steep, tones of cocoa butter and wildflowers were present in the aroma which later made their way into the flavor of the liquor as this tea transformed itself into something tasting much less oxidized and more green as floral and grassy notes appeared and the roastiness presented in the beginning gradually dissipated. All the while, the spicy, almost saffron-like qualities progressed until the last steep, the full body of this tea held together by “pure tea” tones.

Overall, I’m highly impressed by this tea. By around the seventh steep, I paused in writing my notes and cracked a smile—it was quite a fantastic brew. Every note of complexity mingled together so pleasantly, it was definitely the climax of this tea’s flavor development. And the fact that that many steeps later it produced such a great experience really tells of the great quality of this oolong.