Thank you Marlena for sharing this one with me!

Fruity and complex aroma, but completely without bitterness or bite, even when using a generous amount of leaf and steeping for a long time. The overall character of the cup is Darjeeling-like, although with less edge. Although it's mild in terms of aroma and bitterness, there is a lot of body to this tea: it is not at all thin.

Aroma is predominantly like dried fruit and cooked fruit, especially raisin / grape, perhaps even a hint of cooked strawberry. The aroma is something I would want in a pie or cookie, not a tea.

I've tried brewing different ways. Making two infusions, 2 min and 5 was the way I settled on that I liked the most. The second infusion was lighter, and sweeter. The aroma was light, perfumey, and almost candy-like. Making one 7-minute infusion, the fruity quality was almost too strong for me and I found the tea was thick and syrupy, and there was a hint of autumn leaves in the finish, reminiscent of a shou mei, but the flavor was still too subtle for my tastes.

I can recognize that this is a high-quality tea but I still just can't get into this style of tea, both on the high or low end of offerings. This particular one is also exceptionally pricey, and although I am not crazy about any bai hao oolong, I don't prefer this tea any amount to the cheaper ones I've had. And I'd rather pay less for a completely different style of tea...in my opinion this is most similar to a Darjeeling black or a Shou mei. People who love pure teas with a dried fruit aroma and no bitterness may love this one.

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