Wang Family Tea’s Aged Pomelo Oolong took the 2019 Northwest Tea Festival by storm! It is a Shan Lin Xi (Qingxin cultivar) High Mountain oolong stuffed into a Pomelo then aged for 8 years, though now maybe 9 years as it is 2020.
Leaf and Steeping Instructions
The leaf is very fragrantly orange despite my crap storage treatment. At the tea festival, Wang Family Tea put a tea sample in a paper box, which I left in for months, so it has been exposed to more airflow than optimal.
For steeping ratio, I used 1 gram of leaf per 15ml of vessel size, gongfu steeped in boiling water. I included some of the pomelo peel as well.
Steeped up, Aged Pomelo Oolong smells of oranges and leather.
Tasting of Wang Family Tea’s Aged Pomelo Oolong
First and Second Infusion: Surprisingly, Aged Pomelo Oolong starts off tasting creamy vanilla with a touch of roast. Some sips are a bit nutty. The aftertaste has a mysterious citrus pithy note with a slight tartness. The second infusion opens up more pomelo citrus flavor on top of the roasted cream.
Third, Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Infusion: Wang Family Tea’s Aged Pomelo Oolong sips in tangy and citrus and plums, with a soft tarty astringency under a background of cream, roasted nuts, and leather. The aftertaste is a crazy mix of more citrus, orchid floral. Overall, the flavor is full and luscious, with a silky texture. The tea drinks like a brick, I can feel it hitting my neck and sinking my body.
Sixth, Seventh, Eighth, Ninth, and Tenth Infusion: The Pomelo shows no signs of slowing down. Aged Pomelo Oolong has gotten zestier in flavor, leaving a fresh and zingy citrus pomelo aftertaste. After the citrus bomb settles, I get the floral and woody herbal note.
Eleventh, Twelfth, Thirteenth, and Fourteenth Infusion: For these final infusions, the Aged Pomelo has sweet citrus notes along with some minerally goodness. Through the entire session, this citrus oolong never got bitter or dry. Each steeping got lighter and lighter and I stopped when my tea was just cold to drink, despite steeping out some flavor. I likely could get a couple more infusions if I generated more heat with a teapot (though I’d want to go non-porous) or stove boil.
Comments
Wang Family Tea’s Aged Pomelo Oolong schools how good tea stuffed into citrus can be. This tea maintains the pomelo citrus flavor, but the roast and aging job on the quality tea inside also packs a punch with floral, nutty, creamy, and feeling. It is an easy tea to drink due to the citrus, but plenty of complexity to intrigue a tea enthusiast.
I always keep an orange stuffed shou puer in my stash as it is good sick tea as they are cheap and satisfying. Wang Family Tea’s Pomelo made me rethink how good citrus tea could be if one just used quality tea as well as time and care into the aging.
Aged Pomelo Oolong is an expensive tea – clocking at $1 a gram in 150g (half pomelo) or 300g (full pomelo) sizes. It has crazy longevity, so you can get your money’s worth steeping a single session all day.
(tea provided for review)
