Organic Wuyi Oolong (Fairway Market)

This organic Wuyi Oolong comes from Fairway Market, an upscale, New-York-City-based grocery store.  This is the only tea in this series that I didn't purchase via the internet, and it doesn't appear to be available via their on-line store.  Priced at $25.98 per pound, it comes in as the cheapest tea in this tasting series.  I didn't really expect much from this tea, but, as it turned out, I came away pleasantly surprised.

The dry leaf was fresh and fairly impressive, with moderately-long, well-twisted leaf, few stems, and a fairly prominent aroma.  The aroma hinted at mid-quality raw material with a moderate degree of processing.  The wet leaf confirmed that this tea received a moderate amount of oxidation and roasting.

The brewed tea's aroma was moderate in intensity, with some smokiness, an underlying sweetness, and a hint of wood and earth.  It was surprisingly complex and satisfying, even while betraying the less-than-stellar raw material from which it was crafted. There was some Shui Xian character in the aroma.

The tea was fairly full in the mouth, a bit flat on entry, but quite flavorful, showing surprising balance, dimension, and complexity.  Again, the flavor and texture suggested that Shui Xian was in the mix. A nice grip and a pleasant astringency showed after the swallow.  The first steeping flavor, in particular, was really quite  impressive for a tea of this price.  The aftertaste was fairly persistent, sweet, and flavorful, yet without quite the charm of the more expensive rock teas.

This tea re-steeped quite well, although the flavors of mid-quality leaf intruded in the second steeping and beyond.

Overall, Fairway Organic Wuyi represents excellent value, and would be a good introduction to Wu Yi oolong.  It certainly outshines the Wu Yi in a can that you'll find at the Asian grocery.  I probably wouldn't purchase it again, favoring instead a more expensive tea made from higher quality leaf.