2022 Ruan Zhi Oolong Tea Premium, Myanmar, 2000m

Pleasant light oolong. Maybe will not replace Lishan on the tea shelf, but they do taste different, although for me they are in the same category. Variety is crucial here. But oolong Xue Yu from JiBian can't be bothered to open it anymore :)
Ruan zhi has a neat exterior, balanced taste, easy to brew.
Definitely one of this year's favorites.

I bought it partly out of curiosity re high elevation teas and it has a very clean and pure taste that doesn’t disappoint me in that way. I was able to infuse about 1.2 litres of tea from about 12 grams in the dedicated clay teapot. I like my tea quite strong, even the subtle, well mannered ones like this tea. The appearance of the tea is fairly dark and knobby which is something I appreciate visually. However, it’s a little bit green and opens up a great deal in the pot, looking a tad like an Anxi Oolong. I like to give it plenty of room to expand. In terms of taste, there is a certain bready characteristic - though more in the nature of Scottish shortbread for me. There are hints of sweetish fruit: a resonance of papaya and mild pineapple. The mouth feel is big and stays for quite a while. I didn’t get a cooling throat sensation but the full mouth feel and reverse olfaction was there in abundance, along with an assertive aroma. I’m hesitant to term these characteristics Hui gan, but I think they qualify. This is a very refined and polite tea with no bitterness at all. It does grip my tongue a bit and won’t let go. I like the earlier steeps more than the later ones. Someone with a more subtle appreciation than I have, would, I think, be able to get another 400mls from it. I’d buy it again, though I’ve got some heavier teas from Teaside to explore at the moment.

I like to try tea from all over the world and its has been my first time trying a tea from Myanmar. This tea has been harvested in 2019 Spring over 2000 metres in Myanmar (Burma).
Its aroma is sweet and lightly floral and its taste is floral, sweet, milky and we can also found berries and honey. I have paired this oolong tea with honey chocolate.

Floral and milky notes and berry aftertaste. A very pleasant tea!

veeeery soft and pleasant light oolong :)