Aroma and taste profile is lightly sour underripe melon, mellowed by a light roast.
I don’t drink Chinese oolong very often, and if I do, they are typically more roasted than this one. I think the profile is balanced and ok, but it feels like it is lacking some intrigue. I’ve been favoring bitey sheng puer lately.
This is my tea setup at work. I pick a tea and resteep it all day long. If I don’t use it up fully, I’ll take it home and put it in some water in the refrigerator to drink it cold the next day.
Looking good.
What kinda kettle is that?
It’s a “Willsense Gooseneck Kettle”. https://www.amazon.com/Electric-Gooseneck-Temperature-Aiheal-Stainless/dp/B0B1MLVMY5/
I love it. It has exact-degree setting, can go low enough for the greens I drink, and can hold for 2 hours. Only thing I don’t like it that it doesn’t hold enough water for my constant tea drinking. :)
Nice. I have a Brewista 1.2L gooseneck which I love too…but the display bit with the dial looks great on the Willsense 👍
Love your setup! I do the same thing-- steep all day, put on water if I don’t use all of it, etc. I’m also with you on the daily driver; I’ve been slowly working through an aged yin zhen bing pretty much every day…
I love Anxi oolongs, though! If I’m going to get a lighter one like this, I’m partial to a ben shan more than a TGY, though. What made you pick this one up? I’m always open to trying new stuff!
This one was actually a gift. For oolongs, I typically go for Taiwan well-roasted or Chinese Dan Cong. I find that the mellow-ness of these lighter roast oolongs don’t have enough for me or the flavor profiles are too savory.
A bing of silver needle? I haven’t seen that before. Where did you get that from?
I haven’t tried ben shan before. How would you describe it compared to TGY?
Wow I missed this until just now! Better late than never?
Totally with you on the oolong preferences :)
Tbh I can’t even find the maker for my yin zhen bing; it was on the wrapper which got torn up over time and discarded. I bought three different kinds last time I was at a tea festival and this is my last one. I know Dobra Tea sells a yin zhen bing (which is actually the kind that got me into them! Back when I lived near one of their shops) but I think theirs is just kinda basic and doesn’t have as developed of a flavor profile as the others I’ve tried. Still, a good starting point!
Ben shan is great, if a little weaker than TGYs usually are. I need more tea to water, but the result is a more vegetal, fresh, and simple cup. One time I heard a tea professional say something like TGY has a “yin rhyme” or a short, quiet ending. I’m not 100% sure what they mean, but I find Ben shan lacks this “rhyme”, in the sense that it lingers a bit more, and the primary flavor components are… more broad? Like maybe TGY’s primary flavors are from a few strong compounds, and ben shan’s is more holistic, which might be why it’s kinda weaker (totally uneducated guess here).
Anyway, give it a shot if you get a chance!