This is a Jin Xuan (Golden Daylily) cultivar oolong grown in a high mountain region in northwestern Vietnam near the Yunnan border, processed in the Dong Ding style and roasted in Nantou, Taiwan. There’s limited growing area in Taiwan so often leaves from tea gardens in Vietnam are imported and processed as Taiwanese Oolong. This tea is about 35% oxidized, ball rolled, and machine-roasted on the darker side.

This has a very typical roasted high mountain oolong smell, with some of the typical milky buttery Jin Xuan notes coming out occasionally, especially in later infusions. The aroma is fairly faint and is more present in the empty cup and the brewed liquor rather than the dry leaves the liquor brews a lovely gold colour, there are still some greener oolong notes due to the lower oxidation level, the complex fruity notes of more oxidized teas are not present. Head feeling was quite quick, there’s a slight minerally taste and the mouthfeel has a moderate thickness. This tea benefits from milder shorter infusions and lower leaf quantities.