Who of us is free of prejudice? I am not.
Gaoshan Oolong? That greenish, light (ethereal) perfume water? Never was my cup of tea.
But that has changed.
Recently I received a parcel from Stéphane of Tea Masters Blog. To my delight I found more than I ordered: samples! There was also a sample of this years winter harvest:
2012 Winter 'fine' Luanze Oolong from Alishan (1600 m)
Yesterday I felt like drinking something light, clear and fresh, so I picked the Gaoshan sample.
Gosh, was I in for a surprise with my first winter tea! It was not light and fragile as I thought all Gaoshan to be. It has more body, depth and sweetness than expected. There are some roasted notes in its fragrance - more than in the taste, which is more of a lightly fruity type.
Stéphane has nicknamed this tea picked on October 2nd "fine" while he calls the September 30th version "fruity". To me the October tea is quite fruity - but I have not compared it to its 2 days older brother.
I did not expect much when picking this sample. And now it seems I was rewarded for approaching this tea with an open mind. What a wonderful tea!
How about your experiences? Is this sweet depth a characteristic of Winter Oolongs from Taiwan?
I also prefer Winter Oolongs because of their thicker body and more intense sweetness.
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