2024 Summer Oriental Beauty Tradition from Hsin Chu
Tax excluded
Cultivar: Qingxin Dapang
Harvested by hand: June 2024
Origin: Bei Pu, Hsin Chu county, Taiwan
Process: Jassid bitten buds, medium to high oxidation, striped and roasted for a long time at a low temperature.
1. View
The leaves are a mix of small leaves and white buds. The dark orange brew has a very good shine, clarity and transparency. The open leaves are quite small, part green, part red, reflecting a medium to high oxidation level. The leaves show signs of jassid bites.
2. Scents
The dry leaves have a light scent, because the roast is still quite recent. The brew, on the other hand, is very fruity, mostly ripe exotic fruits, molasses and honey. This 2024 batch is lighter than the 2023 version. Traditional OB becomes richer and darker with time!
3. Taste
The brew tastes very mellow, clean and with a long and pleasant aftertaste. Even over brewed in competition mode (3 gr for 6 minutes), the scents and taste are well balanced. For best results, I recommend brewing shorter times with a little bit more leaves. The result is then very sweet, warming and pure. It's already very pleasant to taste now! Best brewed with a porcelain gaiwan or small porcelain teapot.
Note: This year, this isn't a single batch, but a mix from several days of harvests. I found that the difference with a single batch is barely noticeable thanks to a harmonious mix.