Hairy Crab Oolong Loose Tea
This tea has been retired/discontinued.
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Commercial Description
Murchie's Hairy Crab Oolong, named for its leaves, which are serrated like a hairy crustacean, this oolong is delicate, refreshing and incredibly fragrant. An excellent introductory oolong.
Brewing Instructions: (from Murchie's Tea & Coffee Ltd)
180 to 195°F, or 82 to 90°C, 2 to 3 Minutes, 1 tsp to 6-8oz or 2.5g to 180-240ml of water
Ratings & Reviews
Page 1 of 1 page with 1 review
87 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 4/5Alex Zorach (1453 reviews) on Nov. 16th, 2016
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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