Uplift Tea Tasting (Leaves With Hugs)

I finally had time to do a proper tea session and I picked another one of Leaves With Hugs‘ teas they sent me a couple of months ago. Today’s tea is their Uplift oolong tea. I have already tasted their Silent Hymn Liu Bao and absolutely loved it so I hope this one is as good (or even better).

Uplift

Uplift is a Taiwanese oolong of medium roast and oxidation, so it’s definitely not a green oolong. I prefer a heavier roast/oxidation as I find green oolong teas to be too fresh. This particular tea was charcoal roasted.

Tea tasting

The leaves consist of tightly-rolled balls and some of them also have stems. The color is a uniform dark brown with a greenish hue. I’m getting an aroma of caramelized sugar and slightly-burned bread. There is also a butteriness coming through. It’s definitely a compelling aroma!

• 4.5g for a 100ml Neiziwaihong shui ping
• Water 99°C

Infusion 1 (15 sec): light yellow color and it seems to be a subtle infusion. Smelling the pot after brewing this infusion takes me to a field full of flowers somewhere in the mountains. Such an amazing aroma! Some of these floral notes are coming through in the infusion itself, but it’s mostly in the finish and aftertaste. The burned/roasted aroma is gone and it’s all about butter and floral notes.

Infusion 2 (20 sec): the leaves have an aroma of fresh laundry and flowers when I smell them after brewing the infusion. It’s more intense right from the start and the aftertaste stays with you for a long time. Floral notes are prominent and feel just right. It’s not a specific flower as it reminds me more of a field full of flowers in spring when nature is coming back alive after a cold and harsh winter. The aftertaste is on another level and feels intense and gentle at the same time.

Infusion 3 (25 sec): this one is definitely all-out floral! The finish feels buttery, sweet, and warming. It’s a cozy feeling that stays with you. I feel everything is just as it needs to be when drinking this tea.

Infusion 4 (35 sec): less buttery and more floral during the infusion. A butteriness comes through in the finish and sticks to the throat in the aftertaste.

Infusion 5 (50 sec): the aroma coming off the liquor is still really floral. The butteriness is gone and the floral notes feel fresher than before. The aftertaste still has a touch of butter to it. Just amazing!

Conclusion

Brewin this tea was a true pleasure. The flavors were floral and buttery and felt just right. The butteriness stayed with me for a long time as this tea had a really impressive aftertaste. The only thing I can say is that you have to try it yourself to experience this one.