I’m not sure that its appropriate for a heavy-handed, cheapster, black tea-loving amateur to provide the initial review for such a fine and lovely oolong, but with mine in place, there’s nowhere to go but up, yes?
One of the things that a very good quality oolong impresses upon me is its texture. This slides across your tongue like soft, heavy silk. I feel like I just put on lip gloss. At the recommended 1-minute mark, it’s the color of champagne. So the sensory impact of this one is significant.
I don’t feel as vocabulary-equipped to address the flavor. “Roasted” is an adjective used in Tea Ave’s vendor description, but I’d call it very lightly roasted on its way to the fruity-floral spectrum. If you break a twig off a tree in very early spring to see the pale insides—-this tastes like what that looks like. How’s that?
Label says this will take multiple steeps with ease. Next time I’m going to dredge it a little longer to see if I can kick up the roast a notch.
Equally impressive is the presentation and sincerity with which Tea Ave has presented their samples —my very sincere thanks!
I LOVE Dong Ding!
Two to go—their tieguanyan and … something … but I want to wait until I have time to enjoy. It’s been a grab’n’go week.