Lord knows how long I’ve stared at the screen for this one before I got it. I’ve actually had quite a few light roast Shan Lin Xi’s for cheaper, and while some were good, they were typically earthy, roasted, and a little sour. I was also iffy about the balsam notes-the tea could either have a great tang or be overwhelming. Thankfully, this one had the tang was approachable.
I’ve only brewed it lightly via western and grandpa not above 3 grams so far, and I can that this tea is roast done right. Sometimes, I’ve been short and done it in only two minutes at first and slowly increased the brew times later one using 3 grams. 6 minutes grandpa was solid…3—4 min western using 2 grams was better. Alistair was spot on with the notes-it is very smooth, oily, and indeed has the balsam and honey notes. In my personal taste language, it distinctly reminded me of grilled pineapples in their sweet and savory glory. Better yet, it was very similar to the Aromatic Zealong in terms of the aroma and the balsamic taste. The Zealong is a little bit peachier, but this tea does have at least a peach seed quality when it dries up. White balsamic and honey are better approximations, however.
Although I’ve never had an actual balsam drink before, it did taste like a white balsamic oil sweetened with honey and it was not overwhelming. The longer steeps of say four minutes or over in later steeps brought out a little bit of the roast, reminding me a little of cooked herbs, but the oily accent reminded me of truffle oil or truffle mushrooms. Very pleasant indeed.
I do have to try this Gong Fu once before I rate it, but as a the review on the website suggested, there is something about this tea that makes it better for longer steeps. I think that I’d get more roast and florals gong fu, but I need to try before I judge. I’m also going to hold off on the rating. This is a drink on occasion tea rather than “I need this!”
And obviously, this one is for more experienced drinkers and the adventurous. The honey notes make it an easy drink, but the oily nature is a hit or miss.
