Summary: This is a pretty decent tea, and it has the potential to be a VERY good tea. The tea broth is thick, rich, and very juicy. It’s got a good astringency, but never borders on bitter even when pushed. The flavors aren’t complex with primary notes of roast / sweet wood with hints of stone fruit. Even though this tea is a side varietal of Da Hong Pao, it has aspects of a Dan Cong.
I think it’d be interesting to see how this ages over time. I think it’ll become an amazing tea. (Side Note: This would make a good grandpa style brewed tea as of right now)
Brew Times: 20s, 30, 45, 75, 90,120…
Brew Temps: 200F, 201F, 199F, 199F, 199F
The wet leaves had high notes of stone fruit turning into sweet sugar with later infusions. There were low notes of roast, fire, and woodsmoke.
The liquid gave off hints of orange/citrus.
The tea broth is very thick & viscous, nice on the tongue. This tea goes down easy with a medium to long finish. It has a medium-long astringency that started on the edges of my tongue then the whole tongue.
Flavors: Strong initial wood flavors with hints of fruit at either the beginning or end, depending on the steep, which would then mellow out
Flavors: Campfire, Roasted, Smoke, Stonefruit, Wood
Wow, this seems so different from the Wuyi oolongs I’ve had. A fruity, light roast da Hong Pao sounds amazing
Yes! Agreed! It’s high mountain, I brew Western style at 190, that brings out more sweet notes and a lasting mouthfeel on this one! I even made a note on the label, VERY SPECIAL… so I don’t make a mistake and just gulp it down ;)