2011 Vintage Honeydew Oolong

The first thing you will notice about this tea is the beauty of the honeydew melon. The pitch-black skin broken up by lines of gold is reminiscent of crazing found on fondly used Ruyao teaware (汝窯瓷器).

This tea emits a powerful herbal aroma with notes of licorice, honeydew, and longan flower. Once rinsed, the aroma becomes more earthy with the sweet-sour scent of dry plums.  The first round of brewing produces a light yellow tea soup that is clean and bright. The brewed aroma smells like ginseng and roasted brown sugar.  The taste is exceptionally smooth.  The predominant flavor is that of dry plums, damp earth, camphor trees, and medicinal herbs.  The second round adds honeydew flavor with a slight touch of dried citrus fruit.  The tea soup feels thick and creamy, and has a long after taste.  In the third round, the camphor tree flavor has become more noticeable.  The taste is very sweet and tangy now, but it’s not overwhelming.  There is also an interesting note of roasted bread, and sweet herbs.

Aged for 10 years inside a honeydew with added longan flowers.

Location: Shānlín Xī （杉林溪）

Cultivar: Qīng Xīn Wū Lóng（青心烏龍）

Garden Elevation: 1200m

Season: Spring

Harvest Style: Hand Picked