Today’s review is Old Ways Tea’s 2018 Old Tree Shui Xian. The package is labeled Lao Cong Shui Xian oolong, which means the same thing. This tea was picked back in May 2018 and pulls all the stop with old tree material and charcoal roasting.
The dry leaf smells of honeyed florals and wooden branches. Each packet is 8 grams, I just threw the whole thing into my gaiwan. This clocks my ratio at around 1 gram of leaf per 12ml of vessel size. I am gongfu steeping with boiling water.
The hot leaf has a scent of fruity sweet mincemeat mixed with wood.
Tasting of Old Ways Tea’s 2018 Old Tree Shui Xian
First, Second, and Third Infusion: Old Tree Shui Xian doesn’t taste as it smells. The flavor is savory, dark, rich, strongly woody with a brush of charcoal. However, the flavor shifts in the aftertaste releasing a strong and lingering dried plums and peaches, with a honey wood note. Each infusion got a little less dark tasting as the aftertaste started to run the show. The tea has a bit of astringency to it, so there is some dryness to squeak around my teeth.
Immediately, the Old Tree Shui Xian has a strong body feel starting at infusion number two. It has a good relaxing chill at first, then I got hit with a brick, fell in the ocean, and I’m sinking gut first. At infusion number three I was ready to punch sharks.
Fourth Infusion: All I taste is the aftertaste. The Old Tree Shui Xian is fruity sweet that is jammy. There is an astringent sheen to it from all the plum skins. My cheeks finally are starting to feel dry. The dark overdrive from the early steeps is gone.
Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Infusion: I am now fighting with the Shui Xian as it is losing steam. Old Tree Shui Xian has gotten much lighter and strangely leaning floral. It sips flowery orchids, then slips into plum skins sweet mode. The background is a bit woodsy. Old Tree Shui Xian has gotten fairly dry here, as the gaps in my teeth feel dry. The sixth infusion was 8 minutes long and barely any flavor but it strongly refreshed the aftertaste, which is still decently strong but also brought a stronger dryness. The seventh infusion I did 15 minutes and it’s soft and honey tasting, but then left a strong astringent feeling in the mouth.
Comments
Old Ways Tea’s Old Tree Shui Xian is an amazing oolong! Get this one for a special treat to experience an awesome gongfu session. It shifts quite a bit in flavor, going from dark to light, ranging savory to floral. I felt it had an oophm energy to it, but as usual, your results may vary.
At $0.65-$0.85 a gram (volume 200g – sample price), it is a splurge of a treat. Either way, you cannot go wrong with any of Old Ways Tea’s teas.
(tea provided for review)
