Tuesday, December 03, 2013

2 Winter 2013 Wenshan Baozhongs

The winter harvests of Baozhong in Wenshan went smoothly from mid to late October. (High mountain harvests, on the other hand, were sharply reduced due to the early cold weather).
Let's test the 2 Baozhongs I have selected:
On the left, my classic 'subtropical forest' Baozhong made with qingxin Oolong cultivar and harvested by hand on October 26. What's particular with this batch is that the stems are still there. The leaves look full grown and strong.

On the right, a Baozhong mix made mostly with Jinxuan Oolong leaves (and some qingxin Oolong). Harvested with scissors on October 15th. Its oxidation is even a little bit more pronounced than the 'subtropical forest'.
'Subtropical forest'
Baozhong 'mix'

This 'subtropical forest' Baozhong's winter version combines scents of the Wenshan forest and lily flowers. The main character of a winter harvest, though, is its sweet and mellow taste. Very light and refined!
The Baozhong mix displays a little bit stronger, riper fruit scents. It also has a Wenshan 'forest' character typical to the more oxidized Baozhong. The taste is not as smooth and refined as the other Baozhong, but it has a good presence thanks to its slight pungency. This entry level Baozhong packs a lot of power while retaining a good balance.
The brew of the 'subtropical forest' Baozhong(left) is lighter in color and has a better clarity, transparency. The open leaves also look quite different. What they have in common is the dry and fresh winter sunshine that one feels in the cup!
 Winter 2013 Baozhong 'mix'
For the year end festivities, for all my customers, I'm giving free shipping for orders of 200 USD and more! (Pour mes lecteurs en Europe, j'offre les frais de livraison pour les fêtes de fin d'année pour toute commande de plus de 150 Euros).
Winter 2013 'subtropical forest' Baozhong

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