2008 Bao Zhong Pin Lin Reserve

[Aphroditea]

I gave myself a rare treat and went out of the house, homework in hand, sans child, dog and husband for an evening alone.

I decided to go to The Steeping Room as it is close and I was in the mood to sip tea while studying. After much debate I settled on the tea mentioned in the subject of this post. Noting that they were not serving pu-erhs I asked if it were possible to NOT have my oolong western steeped. What I got was a semi-gong-fu set up of a tetsubin, a yixing (appox 90ml) and a yunomi. It actually was a nice, casual and easy to do set up - which worked well as I was trying to read an article for school.

Anyway, I actually liked this tea a lot and so thought I would post a quick tasters note here for those who might be interested.

I did not ask the water temp, but I did notice that my leaves had been rinsed before they were brought to the table. Steeps were: 10-20-30-30-45-45

The first steep actually packed quite a bit of flavor - almost all floral.
Second steep was richer with just a hint of butteriness at the finish.
Third steep had great body with the floral and buttery flavors really blending and complementing each other very well.
Fourth steep the flavor dropped off significantly and grassy notes started appearing.
On the fifth steep is was subtle in flavor, heavily grassy with only a hint of butteriness at the finish.
The sixth steep had about the same flavor boldness as the fifth, but the floral notes returned and the butter finish was more noticeable, but held a bit of bitterness.

I really do think this oolong would have made it to my magical 8 steep (this is when I consider an oolong to be significant - making it to an 8th steep without tasting like slightly tea flavored water) and possibly beyond. But, sadly, my tetsubin ran out of water and it was time to go home. I did ask if I could take the leaves and they accomodated, so I might try a resteep tomorrow.

Most of the baozhongs I have had have been very floral, which is fine, but I am really drawn to what a Taiwanese woman I learned gong-fu from called "Milk Oolong". She explained that these, when good, have very rich flavors and have a tendency to have a highly sought after characteristic she called "come back" or Hui Gan when in a later steep any astringency falls away and you are left with significant sweet creaminess. I was exicted by the prospect that this oolong might manage it in the 7th steep - maybe I can find out tomorrow.

Cheers!

[Herb_Master]

Sounds like you had a great experience, I am happy for you, though jealous, all my local tea drinking is done at home.

By the way did you get much work done?

[tenuki]

That sounds wonderful, both the tea and the retreat. I just had a fantastic Baozhong yesterday all day long so I can relate.

Huigan is not a characteristic unique to milk oolongs it is there in all teas to one degree or the other. Good tea has it in a nice balanced way. From what I understand it translates to something like 'sweet return'. and yes, that is pretty much one of the first things I look for in any oolong too.


PS: Milk Oolong is most frequently sold under it's varietal name: Jin Xua - 金萱 - or translated - Golden Lily - the varietal is also refered to as TTSE #12 or #27

[Aphroditea]

This is exactly why I come here! Tenuki you are a font of wisdom Really, though, I am amazed at all the little things I learn and then apply to my teajourney. The knowledge makes each subsequent tea session or cup a little richer and I think about more things.

I will have to think about Hui Gan with other teas, but so far I guess I have only noticed it in oolongs.

Thanks for the head's up about "Golden Lily" - I am gonna dig around and see what I find. Thanks again Ten!

[Tead Off]

The first Taiwanese Oolong I ever tried was Four Seasons. I didn't think too much of it and still don't after having tried it again from another vendor recently. But, on the same day, the gods smiled down on me and introduced me to Golden Lily. It was sort of revelatory. I never knew a tea could offer such a complex range of flavors that exploded in your mouth. From that first cup on, Taiwan Oolongs have held the top position for me

Da Yu Ling
Long Feng Xia
Shan Ling Xi

These are also 3 excellent Taiwan Oolongs worth knowing.