Tea Review: Wuyi Oolong

A couple of weeks ago I bought a canister of Republic of Tea‘s Wuyi Oolong. I didn’t have high expectations for it, but thought it would probably be pleasant at least and I was not disappointed. This is The Republic of Tea’s description: Wuyi Oolong Full Leaf (1.75 oz) The Cup of Poetry – This hand-picked tea is prized for its large silver- tipped leaves and pure peach flavor. Grown in the hills of Taiwan, this tea makes a delightful cup.

I really liked this tea, although it is not as dramatic and complex as some of the other oolongs I have enjoyed. The pre-brewed scent is very flowery and sweet and the leaves are thin and seem drier than some.

#1: The first infusion was pale brown in color with a very sweet scent. The taste was reminiscent of cheap Chinese restaurant oolongs – not a bad taste, but pretty subtle. The taste was strongly of honey, or more accurately, floral enough to be a lot like honeysuckle.

#2: The second infusion was a lot darker and more orange. The flavor was less sweet and more coherent. The honey-like aroma was stronger and contrasted with the lessening of sweetness in the taste

#3: The third infusion was browner and smelled a lot like brown sugar. The taste was not dramatically different from the previous infusion. The mouth-feel was like sugar water, but the taste was not sweet.

#4: This infusion was oranger. The taste was more subtle with a more complicated aftertaste.

#5: The fifth was the most like honey – sweeter and slightly bitter. It also had a strong honeyed aroma. The aftertaste was very interesting with a very bright ending. Holding it in the mouth and allowing it to circulate yielded a lot of interesting underlying flavors.

#6: The sixth was a lot lighter. the taste had gotten a little brassy, but still very brown-sugary/honey-like. The complexity was fading and it had begun to echo restaurant tea again.

#7: The seventh infusion was browner and lighter. Both the scent and taste were very bright. There was a strong aftertaste on the tongue, accompanied by slight bitterness. It was still pleasant to drink, but clearly the final infusion.

This tea expands much less than many others because it is not as tightly rolled. It is a very good, passable, pleasant oolong. It also looked quite lovely with the sun streaming through the windows onto it in the afternoon.