Fragrant Fruit Mountain Oolong

Perhaps not surprising, given its Anxi origin, the taste conveys an essence akin to Ti Kuan Yin, yet delightfully reset with honeyed notes. The sips go in sweet, then a concentrated, finely focused and familiar whiff of aromatic, toasted grains comes forth. Here we see the prominent role of terroir combined with innovation, and how wonderful to witness an emerging example. This tea skill set (drawing out distinctive qualities of Zi Juan purple) elevates our overall tasting experience in a new way, once the backstory is laid out. This is a recently developed tea, and again, quantity is limited this year. Use 1 level teaspoon (4-5g) tea leaves per 6 ounces of fresh spring water heated to a temperature of 80° to 90° C. (180° to 195° F.) and multiple short steepings. Or try cupping the tea using a very short steep of 1 minute for the first cup and then 5 minutes (same tea in the mug). The first really brings out honey notes, while the 2nd cup is deeper and more focused, with the aroma translated well onto the pallet.