Origin: Wenshan, Taiwan
Year: Spring 2007
Vendor: Shan Shui Teas (Product page)
Price: $27 (75g) / $6.25 (15g)
Yes, I'm still around, sorry for the long wait! I hope everyone had a nice holiday season, I know I did. :)
Anyway, today I present Shan Shui Teas' 2007 Premium Spring Baozhong. One worry I had was that it has been a while since spring, and sadly I think time has taken a bit of toll on this tea. That said, it was once likely very good, and still isn't bad at all (though I would expect better for the price).The dry leaf is pretty typical baozhong: long, twisted, and dark green. It smells very fresh and sweet, so it clearly isn't that old, and still has potency.
I brewed this one with pretty standard light oolong parameters: 5g leaf, 120mL zisha pot, and ~30-40s infusions.
The brew itself is on the vegetal side, not as sweet as some others I've had, but still tasty. It also has a persistent floral flavor, and a sweet, cool aftertaste. There is a subtle milky flavor in the first infusion, which seems to be a common trait of baozhongs, as far as I can tell from my limited experience with them. I got about 5 solid infusions before it started to die out, so it has good endurance for a baozhong. The wet leaf was nice and supple, with a good proportion of whole/near-whole leaves.
Overall, I thought this was pretty good. It would have been much better had I tried it earlier, so I have high expectations for future purchases from Shan Shui Teas. That said, I think this is a bit expensive for what it is now.
Anyway, look forward to more reviews soon– it won't be another 3+ weeks before the next one, I promise!
Was it vacuum packed? I'm starting to wonder why some vendors don't vacuum pack their delicate light oolongs. Most of those I order form Taiwan or China are vacuum packed.
ReplyDeleteGood catch– no it wasn't vacuum packed. That said, I don't think I've ever had a twisted (as opposed to balled) tea vacuum-packed before, presumably because they're more prone to breakage.
ReplyDeleteIt was actually in a semi-opaque plastic bag, which was kind of weird. It may have been nitro-flushed, but the fact wasn't advertised and it's impossible to tell by observation so I doubt it.
Good point about the twisted versus balled. I can't recall a twisted oolong vacuum packed either.
ReplyDeleteThey could come nitrogen-flushed like potato chips/crisps rather than vacuum packed.
ReplyDeleteIndeed, some of the Japanese teas do come nitro flushed.
ReplyDelete