Light Roast High Mountain Oolong Tea Tasting Notes | Eco-Cha Tea Club
Batch 100 of the Eco-Cha Tea Club is a Light Roast High Mountain Oolong Tea from the Shan Lin Xi high mountain tea growing region, fall 2023 harvest. It was a good harvest overall in the Shan Lin Xi region, and this batch really spoke to our tea mentor Lisa Lin, who ended up buying the whole day's harvest!
It's nice chunky dried leaf material made from plump late summer growth at around 1300m on Big Wheel Mountain — where late morning sun followed by daily afternoon fog offer growing conditions that result in a distinctive character of Taiwanese high mountain tea. Lisa roasted these leaves only once, for seven hours, at 80°C for the first two hours, and 100°C for five hours.
The leaves brew a luminescent amber liquer that is just a few shades from its original bright golden green color prior to roasting. The roast softened and sweetened the aromatic and flavor profiles and brought out savory, nutty pastry notes. It doesn't have the heady fresh floral/herbal notes of an unroasted high mountain tea, but it still has a vibrant character that is more balanced and full-flavored.
When brewing with a gongfu teapot of 150-200mL volume, we suggest start with a 1:16 leaf to water ratio and brewing with boiling temp water for about 1 minute per brew. This will offer 5-6 flavorful brews.
Watch the tasting video for the background story and live tasting notes!
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