Wu Dong Chou Shi Dan Cong Oolong Tea * Spring 2017

I will first start by saying that my leaves do not look like the leaves in the photo. Sure, some of the leaves are green, but then half the leaf turns darker. I’m not sure if this is the leaf aging or production not being the same, so it looks different. Or maybe YS took a very bright picture. Anyway, these leaves sure are unique in color and length. They must be the longest leaves I’ve ever seen. I didn’t measure but a HUGE amount went into an empty fillable tea bag. The flavor is a little light for all these leaves I used for one mug. But what flavor is there is delicious — it tastes like a quality tie guan yin and possibly even had hints of another of my favorites: wen shan bao zhong. Smooth, buttery, floral, sweet and fresh. All the lovely characteristics I love to find in a lovely oolong.
Steep #1 // // 28 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // 20 minutes after boiling // 2 1/2 minute steep
Steep #3 // 10 minutes after boiling // 3 minute steep

This is a green dan cong that has more aroma than flavor. Big floral notes hit the nose along with honey, mint, and lemongrass. The brewed tea is thick and has a savory flavor. There’s a vegetable soup quality to it along with some floral and a bit of astringency. The taste reminds me of the later steeps of a green TGY. It remains extremely aromatic steep after steep, but flavor is somewhat uneven. To me, this lacks the refinement of a Taiwanese oolong or even some of the better Chinese oolongs. A decent tea for easy sipping when you want something simple that you don’t have to think too much about.