Wow. This tea surprised me from the first sip, both with its quality and originality. This is not a run-of-the-mill Tie Guan Yin.

Aroma highly complex, with both floral and herbaceous tones present from the start. There's a honey-like quality and a slight but noticeable roast. Finish is woody, but in a gentle sort of way. Relative to the dark color of the dried leaf and brewed cup (it comes out amber in a typical strength), this tea has a much greener character in its aroma and flavor.

Flavor is very smooth, creamy even. Very low astringency, even compared to other high-quality oolongs, and even with long steeping times.

Using less than one teaspoon of leaves, this tea was good for three infusions in a medium-sized mug. The leaves unfurl very slowly so I like to use 4-5 minutes for the first infusion, and then only 2-3 for the second, followed by 10 or more for the third.

Brewed this way, I find that the first infusion is the most floral, and the second infusion brings out more of the roasted qualities. The third infusion is weaker, but has a strong and pleasing aftertaste. The complexities of the roasted tones are most evident in the second infusion.

Very reasonable price for a tea of such high quality. My only complaint about this tea is that it is perhaps a tad boring, a little (only a little) too smooth for me.

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