What do you look for in Rou Gui

[Herb_Master]

In 'what Oolong are you d........'

Having a sample of Sea Dyke 90's Rou Gui that I got from another forum member. All I can say is this shows cinnamon more than I have seen from any other Rou Gui, and a wonderful note of dark chocolate in the early infusions.

Which is rather pertinent to my current dilemma.

4 to 5 years ago I chanced upon Oolong and fell in love with it - reading voraciously I quickly became acquainted with the names Da Hong Pao, Shui Jin Gui, Ba Ji Guan and Tie Luo Han.
More reading revealed that the famour four had become the famous five - because Rou Gui had now been promoted to (almost) equal status.
There and then I decided RG was next on my list - but the years passed as I was sidetracked into discovering Shui Xian [which many people believe is the REAL famous Fifth], Bei Dou and many other cultivars.

Last week I tried some of Nada's 'Half Handmade Rou Gui' WOW the first infusion SHOUTED Cassia (Cinnamon) at me and because that was what I was expecting I marvelled at it

But my 3rd brew was my last (I had 3 more the next day, on the same leaves, same result) the Cassia/Cinnamon flavour was overshadowing any other elements in the flavour profile and was dulling my capacity to take any more.

With my Yan Cha I like to fairly well pack high, on this occasion it was about 6.5 grams in a 100ml pot (15s, 15s, 15s). I pondered how to proceed and thought about halving the leaf and doubling the time
It could be important because I have also yet to open his fully handmade RG

But since then I have preferred to chip away at my opened stocks 1980s aged Oolong, Jing (UK) Da Wu Yi [better now than I recall when I first opened the packet, maybe a little oxygenation has helped], some various Tie Luo Hans.

Now I find Adam has a powerfully fragranced RG - how do you and anyone else handle a really perfumed Yan Cha?

[tortoise]

I don't have enough experience to chime in really, but RG is intriguing to me. The one I've had has been aged, it does not taste like cinnamon, but it does have a flavor that reminds me of bark. Tasty bark, that is. It also coats my throat very well and the dark chocolate thing is there for sure. I find myself coming back to the dark chocolate analogy often for teas that don't taste anything alike, so I guess that doesn't mean anything.

[MarshalN]

That's odd, because cassia is usually quite subdued and not "WOW in your face", normally, in a rougui.

[Herb_Master]

That's odd, because cassia is usually quite subdued and not "WOW in your face", normally, in a rougui.

That caught me by surprise, I was expecting to have to search for the flavour but it leaped out. I had intended to try again, but have been playing around with 3 different Shui Jin Guis lately, and now discover i still have several Rou Guis from Penang, KL Chinatown and Jing UK that I have not tried yet, yet still I went and ordered 2 from Nada forgetting Just what I do have and do not have.