This one was a surprise sample. I hadn't heard about this tea from him on his blog.
The package is pretty ornate, and it is a perfect sample size.
I am not sure if this tea is a Chinese or a Taiwanese Tie Guan Yin, but if anyone has any information regarding that, please let me know!Source: unknown.
Year: unknown.
Toasted rice, apricot, and brown sugar is emitted right as the leaves are emancipated from their foil prison. The aroma is appealing and comforting. Real TGY.
The leaves are definitely classically roasted; a wonderful sight.
As the liquor is poured, my nose is enveloped in the fragrance of a peach cobbler, baked in a charcoal oven with a smooth brown sugar glaze over the top.Yes, this tea is that sweet.
The taste of stone fruit is first and foremost.Toasted bread and a light astringency follows.
For the final course, apple takes the stage.
This tea presents an almost sugary sweetness that I find so common in aged oolongs.
A charcoal flavor came into play around the 5th infusion, which might be because it was a bit over fired, but that does not bother me too much.
Endurance is another of this tea's strong points. It lasted around 9 infusions brewed gong fu.
This tea would be excellent aged.If I had a tea roaster, some yixing storage containers, and a larger amount of this tea, I would age it myself.
Wonderful.
~billy
EDIT:
This tea is a 2009, Fujian, Autumn picked tea from Life in Teacup.
It is a mix of traditional Tie Guan Yin cultivar and Mao Xie cultivar.
Read more about this tea here at Gingko's blog!
It's from Life in Teacup! The third last one on this page (and next to the tea info. you can find a link to a blog article on this tea).
ReplyDeletehttp://www.lifeinteacup.com/oolong/south-fj
I am glad you like it! I re-stocked this tea for a few times in the past season and still constantly questioned myself if I should have got more. I also have the 2010 spring version of this tea and would like to rest it for some longer time before its release.
Gingko,
ReplyDeleteThank you for the information! I actually had a hunch it was from Life in Teacup, but I couldn't be totally positive. =]
I enjoyed this tea very much! I do have to say, once again, that it would be wonderful aged with annual roasting. It would bring out exceptional flavors!
Good idea on the 2010 version. Let the tea lay low for a while! haha
Brown sugar? Like the candy one from Germany?
ReplyDeleteIce,
ReplyDeleteI am not sure. Brown sugar (at least in the U.S.) is just raw, unprocessed sugar.
"Natural brown sugar, or raw sugar, is unrefined and minimally processed, produced from the first crystallization of sugar cane juice. It gets its color and flavor from the sugar cane itself, rather than from any additional ingredients. Natural brown sugar is often darker and has a stronger molasses taste than other types of brown sugar, and it also contains more minerals. Raw sugar from different parts of the world often takes on the unique taste of the plants it is extracted from."
- www.wisegeek.com
Wow, if I knew this one was that good, I would never have sent it! >=)
ReplyDeleteYes, it was one of the samples that Gingko sent with my order. I thought it would be a nice treat to send that one along. I'm glad you enjoyed it! ^_^
-Fox
Fox,
ReplyDeleteI definitely appreciate your generosity! This would have been a nice treat for you as well! Haha.
I do greatly thank you for sending the samples!