1998 Aged Benshan Oolong Tea

What's so special about this tea?

Produced in 1998, this aged Benshan oolong is a reminder of an earlier era in Anxi's oolong-making tradition.

Benshan is one of Anxi's four famous cultivars, with a history dating back to 1870, when the tea tree was discovered in Xiping Town. It is often compared to Tieguanyin for its rich, enduring fragrance and characteristic throat resonance, although Benshan generally has a lighter, more delicate character.

This lot is a spring 1998 harvest from a tea garden in Xiping, the cultivar’s home town. The tea was made in the traditional Anxi style. The leaves were processed to achieve medium oxidation, given a light initial roast and finished with charcoal roasting. The tea has since been stored and aged for 28 years, without any further roasting.

Made just before Anxi’s industry moved toward lighter, greener oolong in the late 1990s, the tea has kept the character of that period. Teas in this medium-oxidation, charcoal-roasted style became less common afterwards, which makes this lot a living record of the style before the industry changed.

Since then, the tea has developed into a complex and evolving aged oolong, revealing different layers throughout the session.
It opens with a faint dried-flower fragrance, followed by a warm fruit aroma reminiscent of marmalade. On the palate, ripe stone fruit comes to the fore, accompanied by a bright sourness reminiscent of starfruit and a subtle bitterness of burnt caramel that adds depth and complexity.

The tea enters with a smooth, creamy mouthfeel, led by sweetness that gradually develops into a pleasant sourness along the sides of the tongue and cheeks. As the session progresses, the initial fruity character gives way to sweeter, maltier notes, while hints of cacao linger in the aftertaste. Towards the later infusions, warm herbal notes become more prominent on the palate, accompanied by a ginseng aroma. The session closes with a satisfying, lingering finish.