An aged oolong from Taiwan
Shimen Shuixian Hong Oolong
The Shuixian Hong Oolong is special in that in the first step of production, the oxidation is carried out as with an Oolong, but then there is a second oxidation step as with a black/red tea (hong = red).
I already mentioned that this tea made me understand the Rou Gui variety because when it hits my tongue on the first sip, it has such a woody and sweet taste that it reminds me of cinnamon sticks, honey and red raisins. It also has a special aroma that I think I can attribute to unburned incense.
Since this tea is 6 years old, the roasted aromas of the roasting can no longer be tasted. Age has left us with the pure essence that this Rou Gui variety has to offer. I couldn't forget the explosion of flavors at the first sip, even though I haven't drunk this tea for a long time.
In the later sips and infusions, the combination of raisins, honey and cinnamon goes on as forever. Even up to the 8th infusion I can still taste the sweetness of the raisins.
For me, this tea is pure pleasure. I think the reason why some people are not enthusiastic is that compared to very fruity and toasted new oolong (a new dancong for example) this one is much more reserved and calm due to its age. But its depth reaches far 细水长流.
I hope you will agree with me and enjoy this 2014 Mingjian Rou Gui too.
This tea tastes best when prepared using the Gongfu method. Please read more about it here 👇.
https://www.teewald.de/blogs/news/die-richtige-zubereitung-von-tee