I thought this was a delightful tea. I have tried a Mao Xie before, and loved it, but it was an unbranded type that someone brought me back from China so I was not able to review it. This one was a lot like I remember it: pungent and a bit edgy and odd, but in a way that I liked.

The dry leaf has an aroma that is complex, floral and somewhat vegetal. It reminds me of being inside a greenhouse full of tropical plants in bloom: it is somewhat orchid-like, although a little less so than some Tie Guan Yin.

Upon brewing, the cup is pungent. I can see some people not liking it; the aroma is a bit edgy, heavily herbaceous and floral in a complex way. It smells almost like a mix of many different types of flowers and herbs, and the smell reminds me of late summer. It's also a bit earthy. Upon drinking, the smell gets even more complex and is both floral and earthy at the same time. It's a little bit intoxicating.

The flavor is smooth, but can be bolder if you brew it stronger. Brewed lightly, the flavor is subdued, but brewing stronger I find it is very balanced, never getting too bitter or sour, although there is a slight metallic quality that some people might find objectionable.

Resteeps very well for a second cup, if I start with a 2-3 minute infusion, but doesn't work quite as well for repeated steeps as some teas. The spent leaves are actually surprisingly thin for a whole-leaf oolong, and this may explain why this tea infuses more quickly. I recommend going shorter on the steeps than you may be used to for oolong.

Good price too for a tea of this quality! The leaf stretches pretty far, there's a lot of flavor packed in there.

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