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Tea From Taiwan’s Zhong Shu Hu Ooolong
(Tea Provided For
Review)
Origin: Zhang
Shu Hu Village, Ali Shan, Chia Yi County, Taiwan
Harvest: November
2014
Cultivar:
Cui Yu (Jade TaiCha #13)
Elevation:
1400m
Tea From
Taiwan was kind enough to send me a couple samples of the teas I forgot to
purchase after my review of their DaYuLing and I randomly decided to try this
first. Tea From Taiwan describes this as:
Zhong Shu Hu oolong tea comes from the
Zhong Shu Hu area of Ali Mountain (Alishan) - one of the most famous tea
producing regions of Taiwan. The climate here is cool and moist with cloud
cover and mists every day. These conditions are ideal for tea because the
plants grow very slowly and produce tender, flavorful tea leaves and buds.
Zhong Shu Hu oolong tea has a sweet
taste and refined aroma. Each brewing brings out new flavours and taste
sensations. This tea has a complexity that provides continuous nuances with
every cup.
Zhong Shu Hu oolong tea can be re-brewed
several times while maintaining an excellent flavour. We recommend the Gong Fu
method of preparation to bring out the best of this excellent tea.
I did not
read the description until after I tried the tea and I was shocked to find out
it is from the AliShan area; the tea reminds me much more of a LiShan tea than
an AliShan, perhaps I haven’t had as good AliShan as this before. Many AliShan
teas I have had in the past with a few exceptions have paled in comparison to
this. I kind of regret not using my aroma cup on this.
Dry Leaves: The leaves are a little irregularly shaped, I’m guessing
this is either a hand plucked tea or at the very least a hand rolled tea which
is not surprising for a tea of this quality.
First
Steeping
Temperature:
190oF
Brewing
Time: Thirty Seconds
Aroma: Cinnamon
and Roast
Flavor: Cinnamon,
Floral and Vegetal
Tasting
Notes: I already mentioned that I thought this was a LiShan at first, mostly
because of now sweet and light it is, I've been hearing for quite some time
that there is a bit of a tea forgery problem for quite some time, but up till
now I never really paid much attention to it. I've had a few good AliShan in
the past, but for the most part I've had some pretty mediocre teas that
supposedly came from there. While this tea is delightfully buttery, it does not
have that thick mouthfeel that many GaoShaCha are known for, but at the same
time it is not exactly thin.
So far it
is outstanding, it has a very strong floral aroma and taste as well as a
distinct, yet light roast taste. As you probably already know I tend to prefer
the more floral Taiwanese oolongs over the more roasted ones, but this was
quite different from either the greener, but floral or roasted oolongs I tried
in the past. At first I was just getting the floral and cinnamon notes, but
after a couple seconds I was able to tell there is some roasty notes as well,
still on the lighter side, but quite pleasant nonetheless.
Second
Steeping
Temperature:
195oF
Brewing
Time: Forty-five seconds
Aroma: Orchid, Cinnamon and Roast
Flavor: Cinnamon,
Floral, Vegetal and Roasted Nuts
Tasting
Notes: The liquor is becoming a little
dark, yet it still taste like a greener oolong, even though it has a roasted
nut flavor that I see more in Muzha oolongs. It is a little strange because it
has these amazing green oolong flavors as well as some minor roasted oolong
flavors. Regardless I am absolutely in love with this tea.
It has a nice mix of floral and vegetal
taste. Tea From Taiwan’s description is absolutely spot on. While the cinnamon
notes are the strongest of the individual flavors, I can’t help but taste the
vegetal and nutty flavors as well. Whoever roasted this tea needs recognition
because this is absolutely amazing! This was my favorite of these three
infusions mostly because of the strength of the aroma while all the scents are
still pleasant in the subsequent infusion I found the roasted scent a little
too strong in the next infusion.
Third
Steeping
Temperature:
200oF
Brewing
Time: One Minute
Aroma: Roast
and Floral
Flavor: Floral,
Spicy Cinnamon, Spinach and Nutty
Tasting
Notes: It was a little strange to see the cinnamon aroma disappear entirely and
the roasted aroma become so pungent. The floral aroma is still there, but it
feels a little underwhelming (it’s interesting to note that in later infusions
the floral aroma becomes the sole scent remaining). As for the liquor it is
becoming darker once again; while this tea does have a rather long life I got a
little more than fifteen steepings out of the leaves before they felt
completely used up, but the liquor tends to get very dark in later infusions. As
for the flavors the cinnamon note has a new spicy edge to it which was rather
nice and the vegetal taste has become distinctly spinach like.
I loved this tea.
It is quite an elusive tea to describe, while it has these wonderful floral
elements, it also has some slight roasted ones as well. I already mentioned how
I originally thought this was a LiShan, but I have yet to mention that I was
shocked to discover this is a fall tea. It has that wonderfully complexity that
I associate more with winter oolongs. Regardless Tea From Taiwan at the time of
writing this has this tea is on sale for $19.80 for 75 grams and that feels
like a very good price for a tea as amazing as this.
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