2011 Winter Shan Lin Shi Oolong

 Cultivar: Luanze (qingxin) Oolong
Origin: Shan Lin Shi
Elevation: 1500 meters
Harvested by hand on November 3rd, 2011
Process: Lightly oxidized rolled Oolong

Test brew: 3 grams for 6 minutes.

View
The tightly rolled dry leaves have vivid green colors.

 The brew is light yellow with touch of green. It's very clear and transparent: its turbidity level is close to zero.

Fragrances
Very fresh, fine and flowery. Almost like a perfume!

Taste
Despite the long brew, there's no astringency or bitterness. True to its season, this winter harvest is very sweet, in a light way. And this feeling lingers on with a zesty freshness for several minutes.

The choice of a blue Cha Bu came as, after weeks of cloudy weather, this tea reminded me of a blue mountain sky! 

 The leaves are thick and very concentrated. But the finest notes come from the little buds growing between the leaves and the stem.

Shan Lin Shi's character is finesse and elegance. The winter season's light and long sweetness underlines these traits. The fresh taste almost feels like the fine bubbles of Champagne!...

The Qinghua decoration style on porcelain was popularized by the Mongols during the Yuan dynasty. The blue on white reminded the nomadic tribes of the big sky in the steppes of Asia. 

This qinghua jar has now become the fitting keeper of my blue sky, the winter Shan Lin Shi Oolong.