This is a high mountain oolong from Fushoushan one of the highest tea growing areas in Taiwan (2400m). Teas from gardens so high are coveted and are among the most valuable and expensive teas produced in Taiwan.

The dry leaves of this tea have an amazingly fresh, sweet aroma that I find reminiscent of gingernut biscuits. A sweet grassy taste shines through with no bitterness in short early infusions. I recommend leaving the lid off of your teapot or gaiwan between infusions when brewing this (and other) green oolongs to avoid a stewed vegetable smell. As with most tea, the most delectable, warm, sweet aroma comes from smelling deeply the empty cup after you finish drinking. Later infusions have an almost minty characteristic. This tea also has a smooth, buttery mouthfeel and is easy to drink and swallow. The caffeine effect is more subdued than some other teas and creeps up on you over time, until you find yourself feeling relaxed and stimulated.

Processing:

After being handpicked the tea leaves were withered for 2 hours outside, then a further 3 hours indoors. Next the tea was put in a long cylindrical bamboo chamber that rotates known as a da lang (大浪), bruising the leaves and promoting oxidation, after some time in that machine the tea is then fired at 350°C to halt oxidation at the desired level. The leaves are then bruised again briefly in a rolling machine, dried on bamboo trays, rolled into balls, then finally dried again at 65°C for 4 hours before being packed up.