Shan Lin Shi Oolong

This tea is another contender in my formidable lineup of Naivetea samples.
I am on a roll with the Taiwan green oolongs!
I have not been disappointed yet. Good teas, each and every one.

This tea has the biggest pearled leaves out of the bunch.
They are a dark shade of blue-green, with the occasional stem. Good accent marks.

The leaves smell of lavender and lemon verbena. I can sense a creamy sweetness just in the aroma itself.
The aroma did not hit me as strongly as some of the other teas did, but it makes for good variety.

The tea displays a few pronounced notes, but in substance is not all that complex.
Sometimes a simple tea does the job.

The tastes up front consist of mild citrus rind, salt, wildflowers and rose.
Taste is great, but what makes this tea special is the texture.

The texture is creamy, rich, full and in the later infusions, eggy and brothy.
This tea makes itself known by its distinct textural qualities.
Every tea to its own.

It was storming while I was tasting this, and so I am pleased that this tea was more geared for comfort, i.e void of complex tastes and aromas.
It is pretty straightforward. What you see is what you get. I'll drink to that.

As with most leftover gong fu leaves, I mug steeped them after the session.
It still put out flavor and really kept me intrigued.
Thank you Mr. Lai, once again!


~billy

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

Mu Zha Tie Guan Yin

This is a sample from Naivetea.
I have four more oolongs from Naive to taste after this.
Gracious Mr. Lai, thank you.

This is a traditional roasted Tie Guan Yin, of the original Tie Guan Yin cultivar.
It is difficult to find a roasted Tie Guan Yin these days. The greener style has taken over the market.

The dry leaf smells of barley, molasses and a deep, rich charcoal roast.

The tea had expected qualities; espresso like in body, light fruit tastes reminding me of a rasin, and a thicker mouth feel.

A few qualities I did not expect; a citrus like finish that gradually changed to charcoal, and a roasted plumb taste in the second infusion.

The cha qi of the tea was fairly light, as the roasting removed most of the caffeine content.
I felt the tea affecting the stomach, making me feel full inside.
The energy also went to the head. Lightheaded sensation.
For the most part though, this tea was calming.

The only negative quality found in this tea is an aftertaste resembling cherry cough syrup, and in the later infusions there was a slight sourness and astringency. *(I now know this to be the "ripe fruit acidity, which is a characteristic of this tea. I apologize for my ignorance.)

I debated whether to use porcelain or yixing for this tea, and in the end I chose porcelain.
This could have contributed to some of the negative qualities found.
The yixing I would have used is suited for roasted oolongs and the resulting brew might have not shown some of the aspects aforementioned.

Age and roasting could do this tea well and would help to mellow out the edge. I enjoy a roasted oolong that has a sweeter finish.
If I do happen upon this tea again, yixing will be my tool of choice.



~billy