4 Tasting Notes
Imagine a Silver Needle white tea, but given the characteristic Wu Yi Oolong roast – Full, smooth, yammy, and ever so slightly vegetal.
Spring 2022.
Can’t find any sour notes in this one, but gets astringent with rest or overbrewing. Even just 45s is a bit long for this.
Flavors: Anise, Umami, Vegetal, Woody, Yams
Preparation
I’ve tasted quite a few different takes on this style of golden pu-erh over the past 6 years, ranging from restaurant gong fu styles to teavana’s westernized take.
They typically pack a very high intensity of musty flavors, with a comparatively minor astringency, even after several steeps, and this is very true for this tea.
This version delivers that punch of earthen goodness with the gentlest, softest kid gloves – impressively smooth.
After it cools down a bit, it can get slightly bitter, but this can be easily obscured with a few grains of salt – only a very amount will help with bitterness for most people.
Flavors: Alkaline, Dry Grass, Earth, Mineral, Musty, Roasted Barley