Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Boutique Teas
Tea Description:
Grown on the highest mountain ranges in Taiwan, Pear Mountain oolong is a lightly oxidized rolled oolong. It brews a light liquid with floral notes and a sweet butter cream finish.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This Pear Mountain (Li Shan) Oolong Tea from Boutique Teas is really delightful!
The aroma of the dry leaf is soft and floral with hints of vegetation. I found the brewed tea to be more fragrant than the dry leaf, the floral notes are very distinct now, although I wouldn’t call them overwhelming or even “strong” … but they do make themselves very obvious to the nose.
As with most Oolongs, I took this one through several infusions, brewing the tea in my gaiwan and combining two infusions in one cup. My first cup (the combination of infusions one and two) is very light in body and taste. The floral notes are sharp but subtle. The finish is soft and smooth. This first cup is a very delicate tasting cup, but, don’t let that scare you off! If you take this tea through its paces, you’ll be rewarded with the next few infusions, I promise you!
My second cup (infusions three and four) offered a stronger flavor than the first, with more pronounced floral notes, and even a hint of fruit in the background. This cup is not as soft but just as sweet as the first cup … perhaps sweeter because the flavors are more defined now. The astringency here is very light … lighter than the first cup.
My third cup (infusions five and six) was almost as equally as strong as the second cup, but the flavors seemed to meld together better with this cup. The floral notes were not quite as sharp and distinguished, and the sweet fruit notes in the background came forward a little more. I tasted a thin, flowery, honey-like sweetness that was quite enjoyable in this cup.
I liked this Oolong quite a bit … I liked the way the dimensions of flavor revealed themselves slowly, in their own time, so that each layer of flavor could be recognized and enjoyed. Another great tea from Boutique Teas!
