Vietnamese Assamica based oolongs

[John_B]

I recently tried the first Assamica based oolongs I've yet to try that actually seemed like oolong, produced by Hatvala, and out of Son La in Vietnam. Both were made in a more oxidized style, prepared as rolled, so typical of what sometimes gets called "red oolong" (just not so much by me; that term seems odd).

They were actually good. They make a nice Red Buffalo brand version that's pleasant, not exceptional in quality as the best teas from Taiwan go but far enough up that scale to be enjoyable and unique. Given how Anxi TKY tend to be much lighter now all three would compare well with what would turn up for related style from there, again just not quite as good as the best versions. For being Assamica that seems impressive.

Flavor range is what one would expect, warm tones, into toasted pastry, cocoa, and spice range, not quite extending into dried fruit as much as they might, but clean, complex, and well balanced. Sweetness level seemed moderate to me, enough to give the versions balance but not as pronounced as oolongs in that range tend to be. That was really the only minor gap; taste, feel, and aftertaste were all fine.

http://teaintheancientworld.blogspot.co ... based.html

I accidentally pasted the wrong link in here the first time; I also just tried a really interesting Thai "bitterleaf" sheng version from Tea Side, alongside a novel steamed green tea version, which was really creamy and fruity, odd how that worked out:

http://teaintheancientworld.blogspot.co ... sheng.html