gurdymonkey | Tea time: Jin Mu Dan (Golden Peony) from Old Ways Tea

Last night, Brann MacFinnchad did a tea post around 9PM my time and I thought, "I want tea. No, if I have tea I'll wake up at 3 AM and not get to sleep. Oh, fuck it, tomorrow's Saturday, go make some tea."

I decided to open up a packet from Old Ways and I honestly do not remember whether this was something I ordered or a freebie they put in my last shipment a few months ago. So I looked it up and determined it was an oolong, set the kettle at 190F and put some in my gaiwan. It is now Saturday afternoon and I am on steep #4. (First steep was 190F for 20 seconds, second was for 30 seconds. Today's steeps were turned up to 200F with no adverse effect and steeped for 45 and 60 seconds.)

Anyway, Jin Mu Dan (which means "Golden Peony,") is a roasted hybrid of two oolong cultivars. The leaf came out of the packet a deep tobacco-y brown. It steeps to a honey gold in the cup which is probably how it got it's name. Delicate floral aroma and some fruity notes with some sweetness, though I am now noticing a light astringency that makes your tongue feel dry and reach for another sip. That may be because we're several steeps in.

Nice tea though.

If you're looking to get into Chinese teas, oldwaystea.com is a good place to start. While their products are all from one tea region, specifically the Wuyi mountains of Fujian Province, they offer a nice variety of teas in amounts that make sampling a breeze (you can buy as little as 5 - 8 grams, which is enough for one or two tea sessions and if you don't like something, you don't feel like you're stuck with a tea that was a dud. Both times I ordered, my package included a free sample and a nice little card thanking me for my order. And they do bundles and a bi-monthly tea club if that appeals to you.