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Michael Plant

Lewis 12/18/06

> I've recently been drinking a tea that's very unusual, at least in my
> experience.
>
> It's a Taiwan oolong brought back by a kind colleague of mine. The
> label on the vacuum-packed bag says, in Chinese, only that it's Jin
> Xuan and gives an expiration date. The dry leaf is very green and
> rather loosely rolled. The infused leaf is green, too, with no red or
> brown anywhere. The leaves are surprisingly small for an oolong.
>
> This tea isn't floral at all. The main flavor/aroma notes, to my
> palate, are nutty, maize-kernel, and maybe a bit of cucumber. There's
> a pleasing hint of bitterness but no astringency.
>
> OK, that brings us to what's unusual about this tea. So far is it
> from being astringent, it's actually buttery. I'm being completely
> literal here; I have tasted Tibetan butter tea without the barley, and
> its texture is just like that of this Taiwan oolong. The buttery
> texture lasts through many steeps, by the way, so I rather doubt this
> is something sprayed on.
>
> Does anyone have an idea what I'm drinking and why it behaves this way?

Nope. no idea. The cucumber thing brings good Bao Zhong
to mind, and the butter thing, Gyokuro. Am I moving
closer or further out?
Michael