Sunday, June 27, 2010

Li Shan Oolong

Another sample from Mr. Lai, of Naivetea.
I was anxious to try this sample because of how much it resembled the Da Yu Ling, mostly in aroma and appearance, which I had a great liking to.

The dry leaves had the aromas of rose and honeydew melon beside a freshwater, mountain spring. It smelled very fresh and delicate.
The leaves had a nice waxy texture and a stunning emerald green sheen.

The first infusion;
lavender up front with a compliment of pear flavor (nothing to do with the name I assure you).
The finish was a vegetal astringency, almost akin to a Chinese green.

Second;
lavender and pear receded and made way for a spinach attribute. The texture was mildly brothy, and an astringency followed.
Good combination so far.


Third infusion;
sweet leafy greens on the entrance. The sweetness played nicely with the astringency.
The finish had an almost savory like quality to it.

4th;
same as the above.

After I was done brewing the tea in the gaiwan, I put it in a bottle and re steeped it several more times throughout the hour or so.
I sensed no cha qi in the tea. Either that, or it was too light for me to place.
I am not quite good at the whole qi thing yet.
Overall a very decent tea!
In some ways it reminded me of the Anxi Rou Gui from Jing Tea shop, but all the good qualities. In this tea there was depth, contrast and complexity.

Good tea.


~billy

2 comments:

  1. "I am not quite good at the whole qi thing yet."

    I guess it is like everything, you need to practice/test and so on until you reach a certain level.
    Keep it up.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ice,

    Yeah practice and concentration will aid in learning that skill!
    Thank you for your ongoing support!

    ReplyDelete