This high-grown Taiwanese oolong is picked while the leaves are still very young, plucked just as the buds unfurl and while they're still downy white. That early harvest shows in the cup: orange blossom on the nose, a wild aroma, and a smooth, drying finish with a faint coffee note underneath.
After plucking, the leaves are fermented to around 50 percent, then wilted in the sun. They're turned again and again in bamboo baskets through the drying process, which is what gives this oolong its mild aroma and its large, curly, slightly wild leaf rather than a tightly rolled one. It's rated a top grade within its category.
Steep it for two to three minutes in water just off the boil, around 80 to 90 degrees Celsius, and give the big leaves room to open up.
