Formosa Oolong Standard Grade (TT11)
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From Upton Tea
Upton describes this as a "restaurant grade" Oolong. The dry leaves are broken, but coarse and take up quite a lot of space. They are dark and aromatic, and do not expand a great deal upon brewing.
When brewed, this tea has a moderate amount of bitterness and a fair amount of astrigency. The aroma is much more like a black tea than an Oolong. It is still slightly mellower than black teas. There is some complexity to the aroma, with an earthy quality and almost a suggestion of cinnamon.
I was surprised at how radically different in character this tea is from TT10, the fannings from, presumably a similar tea. That tea is much more mellow; this tea is bolder, stronger, and much more like a black tea.