Daylon R Thomas Send Message

I’ve had this for a while. I bought it thinking that it would instantly become a staple, but I’ve had to finnick the brew for preference. Dawdle might be a better word for how I brewed some cups unsuccessfully, but it did take more refinement than I expected. I followed exact instruction at first, then gong fu’d, then used longer steeping times, and they all had odd floral oil balances that I was not a huge fan of. I was able to get a more fully realized profile with a whole cake, 10 oz of water, and 2 min 15 seconds steeping. Water was 196 F.

This has some interesting things going on in the flavor and texture. Like the other two Shui Xian cakes, the light flavor profile contradicted the texture. Drinking it was like squeezing floral essential oils into my mouth, with the light florals heading a charge of cream, apricot, roast( or nuttiness), citrus orange zest, then left over light sweetness. The florals themselves were an odd mix of honeysuckle, hyacinth, and hinted hibiscus, both the tropical flower and the other related flower that is used for so many herbal teas.

There is no doubting this was a good oolong, but I need to enjoy more of what I have before I rate it. I’m preferring the Indonesia Baozhong I finished off (I’m so close to getting more) despite the similarity this tea bears. Something is missing.

To top it all off, I am looking at a sampler fest while trying to decide how much of the Li Shan I should get. Buying 8 oz tempted me, but so do some of the many offerings What-Cha has right now. In fact, the Indonezia Baozhong changed my mind in general about Indonesian Teas and perked my curiosity in the Jin Xuan. I also want to try the Nepal Jun Chiyabari ‘Himayalan Imperial’ Black, the Nepal Rolled Oolong, the Toba Wangi ‘Wu Mei Oolong’, and the Golden Monkey.

There are four problems:
1. I have a lot of tea.
2. Money. I am still trying to find a summer job, and when the school year starts, I need money for gas in an unpaid “internship” student teaching while paying graduate level tuition (GI BILL PLEASE GO THROUGH). I also need to save for school supplies.
3. I am still waiting for a lot of Li Shan from Berylleb. It’s surprising that I have not received it yet because the orders are usually as early as the first suggested day or before. When I do receive it, I will have a lot of Li Shan. I will drink ALL of it, but Li Shan is expensive to drink constantly, or even frugally.
4. It’s summer. Though I still drink hot and iced tea and coffee over the summer, it’s not in the mega amounts I do in fall or winter. So, yeah….

I need to bide my time and think critically as I need to try this tea with a little more care. It does resemble a Taiwaneese tea, and the roast if you ever taste it is fairly pleasant.I still recommend it.