1970's Pinglin Aged Oolong

I have had more experience with oolongs than any other tea classification, as it was an incredible session with a Tie Guan Yin which marked the beginning of the leaf teaching me of its infinite pleasures. Lately however, I found myself drifting from the oolong in favor of pu'erh almost to the point of neglect. This tea has changed this and once again revitalized my dormant passion.

The complexity of the scent of the dry leaf is outstanding on its own -roasted sugarcane/wood... and here is where the confounding aspect comes in, something like a brown sugar biscuit, or, or, or... I can't place it, and it is driving me to distraction. This aroma is also part of its taste profile and hits the tongue tip upon first sip and proceeds to blossom outward to coat the tongue front to back while mingling notes of caramel rise and fall to the base of your mouth and pool. And, that is just the beginning of this remarkable tea. Complexity of this nature drives my passion for tea, the reading of the fragrance, the flavors, the experience.

I wanted to write more extensively on this oolong, but I was finding it difficult to remove myself from the teas embrace long enough to do so, especially as the qi had begun to sink deeply into my chest and radiate outward to my limbs. It was impossible to think fully about writing.

Thankfully I have more dry leaf, and I am confident that I will be able to name that scent/flavor, but I am far too content now to worry about such things. (Posted on 19/01/2012)

I think this is one of the best aged Wulongs that I have ever come across. Perfectly roasted and woody, yet still full of fruity, sugary flavors, it has many aspects that remind me of puerh (including great Qi) but with a more complex profile. The craftsmanship and patients over many years that went into the making of this tea are alone remarkable. (Posted on 14/12/2011)

This tea reminds me of a nicely aged pu'erh. It has the expected floral roast quality, but it adds woody and camphor notes that I most often associate with aged pu'erh -- it really is like having a combination of oolong and pu'erh, it's a remarkable mixture. (Posted on 16/11/2011)

Though I wouldn't say this oolong has the most typical aged flavor, it's still a delicious tea. The predominate flavor is woody, but there's also an experience of humid storage compensated for with post-aging roasting. While this sort of thing might be deemed a flaw by people pursuing a more pure and cleanly-stored aged oolong, the result with this tea is one that combines aged pu-erh storage characteristics with the mellowness of an aged oolong. I find the durability good as well--and the price is also quite reasonable. Reviewing this tea makes me want to order more! (Posted on 20/09/2011)

The dry leaves of this tea are incredibly fragrant smelling with a heady sugary roastyness. The tea itself has the a peach pie smell that is very prominent in the first couple of infusions. This is a special tea with an aftertaste that lingers for a while. I would however not recommend rinsing this tea (or just flash rinsing with warm water) as I have found that while the tea will stay good for a number of infusions the first two infusions are were the real magic is. (Posted on 19/09/2011)

One of the many gems in the Essence of Tea's casket. Very balanced and longlasting taste, and a wonderful qi. To share with intimate friends and loved ones! (Posted on 19/09/2011)

For me this is one of the best aged oolongs I have tried. The roast flavors are not to strong and the tea have really nice qi. This is one of the teas that I am very happy to have for the years to come. (Posted on 28/08/2011)