Cultivar: Qingxin Dapang

Harvested by hand: end of August 2010

Origin: Hsin Chu county, Taiwan

Process: Jassid bitten leaves, high oxidized, in stripes and medium roasted once.

1. View

The dry leaves in August are larger than in summer, but there are still white buds included here . The slightly dark amber brew has a very good transparency. The leaves are dark brown to red, indicating a high oxidation level.

2. Scents

The dry leaves have this intoxicating fragrance that is common to well aged Oolongs. The brew has sweet scents of very ripe fruit and dark wood. The fragrance reminds me of an old wooden temple in a hot summer day. This aged wood scent brings back lots of memories...

3. Taste

The sweet, mellow taste is very impressive. There's still a slight note of closed astringency that tells us that this tea can still become even more open and mellow with a little more time. But I find the transformation from a regular autumn OB to this very refined tea very impressive.

Conclusion: This autumn 2010 OB is a good example of how traditional OB improves with time. The scents become more complex and rich while the taste mellows down considerably. And thanks to its more affordable price, that's also the kind of leaf that can be brewed in bigger quantity to get more powerful aromas.