Thank you for the sample Jeff!
I’ve been wanting to try some Unytea again, and their oolong selection was especially good this year. There was another pre-sale of the Qi Lai Shan that I had to participate in since I’ve always wanted to try that tea-a gaoshan off the bucket list in other words. The Qi Lai was actually cheaper compared to other vendors, and though it was expensive, I decided to get a decent amount to enjoy in case I want more later…like I always do with the tea I am writing about now.
Again, I was very tempted to get a few ounces of this one because it is one of the better Alishans I’ve had so far, especially in how it gets sweeter and fruitier in the later steeps. I’ve seen a lot of writers talk about that for this kind of oolong, but I’ve experienced it seldomly. This particular batch has the development in folds. The first steep was typical floral creaminess undertoned by thick grassiness at 20 seconds, then the second 35 sec. brew yielded something that almost resembled the texture of bubblegum. Think fruit tree flower flavored bubblegum. The next few steeps get sweeter and more honeydew melon like, and sometimes, there were sweater notes that reminded me of a sweet kiwi. Does anyone else get that?
Anyway, this is a fabulous tea that I wish I could afford more of. I think everyone should try it at least once, and though experienced drinkers will definitely like it, there are a few that might be pickier when it comes to this tea.
