Aged Heritage Wuyi
Story
As the name suggests, it came from the Wuyi mountains of Fujian province where they make Cliff Teas. Unlike our other Taiwan Wuyi, this one was processed much like the Cliff Teas of Wuyi mountains, with a looser rolling style, higher oxidation and darker roast. The tea outfit that makes this tea is in the old harbor district in Taipei, and they have exclusive rights to this farmer’s product. They have been around for many years, and still sell tea the old fashioned way : As with a heavily oaked red wine, the tea receives a heavy roast and is then aged in house to create a ‘reserva’ type of release when the body of the tea has integrated with the aroma again. Most modern outfits, including Floating Leaves, usually sell freshly roasted tea and leave it up to the customer to decide how long to age the roasted oolong before drinking.
This tea tastes a lot like a mainland Chinese oolong. You have to know what you’re looking for to pick up on the Northern Taiwanese terroir. The old tea garden where these leaves were harvested – in Shi-Ding A.K.A. Baozhong country – primarily maintains these old world heritage cultivars.
Description
This really tastes like a Cliff Tea in a lot of ways. The big fat roast has, although still perceptible, receded to the background and left the plummy/chocolatey aroma of rich, fully ‘ripe’ oolong. Taste leads with a mineral flavor and full bodied mouthfeel, viscous and slippery. Mouthwatering aftertaste that sticks around. A very flavorful comforting tea. Super yummy!
Facts
- Harvest Location : Shi-Ding, Wenshan, Taiwan
- Roast Date : 2011 Spring
- Cultivar : Wuyi
- Farming : Unsprayed