Tea: Hairy Crab Oolong Loose Tea
A Hairy Crab Oolong from Murchie's Tea & Coffee Ltd
This tea has been retired/discontinued.
Brand: | Murchie's Tea & Coffee Ltd |
Style: | Hairy Crab Oolong |
Region: | China |
Caffeine: | Caffeinated |
Loose? | Loose |
# Ratings: | 1 View All |
Reviewer: Alex Zorach
✓ 1452 teas reviewed
✓ 1 of Hairy Crab Oolong
✓ 12 of Se Chung Oolong
✓ 14 of Murchie's Tea & Coffee Ltd
✓ 381 from China
Review of Hairy Crab Oolong Loose Tea
November 16th, 2016
Aroma | Flavor | Value | Total |
9 of 10 | 5 of 5 | 4 of 5 | 87 of 100 |
Superb | Excellent | Good Value |
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.