There's a big difference between this spring Rou Gui from cnteacup and their just-reviewed autumn version. Here's what I found.
The dry leaf is relatively small, with green clearly visible. Once wet, it appears delicate and supple, and a combination of hand and machine picked. The leaf colors suggest a fairly light oxidation and a fairly light roasting as well.
The tea brews up a medium-light amber/orange. The moderately strong aroma is that of a clean, minimally processed, modern-style rock tea. There is a lot of floral varietal Rou Gui character, with a nice balancing fruitiness, but it's not as deeply fruity or peachy as some. A light hint of roast rounds things out.
Right up front you're greeted with the tea's strongly varietal and floral character. It's clean and direct, and definitely leaning toward the greener side. It's not quite as nuanced or complex as some of the other modern-style Rou Gui I've had, but it's quite good nevertheless. After the swallow, there is some of the chalkiness and grip I associate with good rock tea. More noticeable, perhaps, is the cleansing acidity that helps carry the aftertaste.
This tea has a very nice, lingering aftertaste, with a lemony element. Like the initial taste, it's clean and strongly varietal, and, as you might expect of a minimally processed tea, not terribly complex.
The dry cup aroma is generous and floral.
This tea has quite a bit of strength and can be brewed several times before fading into a pleasant lightness.
Clearly this is a high-quality tea produced in a very modern style. If you are looking for a tea that's had a lot of complex processing and long roasting, then this is probably not the tea for you. However, fans of modern-style Rou Gui will probably find this tea both charming and surprisingly affordable ($12.98 for 100 grams).
No comments:
Post a Comment