Tea outdoors and 1999 Tie Kuan Yin Oolong

So I have been reading a lot of the Tea Outside post from The Association of Tea Bloggers, and even though I am not a member I love the idea of posting about tea outside. And since Brett from Black Dragon Tea Bar prompted this topic I thought it would be appropriate to discuss the tea I bought from him. Thanks again for the wonderful tea!

Cup resting on top of cut bamboo

I decided to go hiking to find the only bamboo forest I know of in my area. It only was about a three mile hike but it was totally worth it to sit next to the bamboo and drink tea.

This Tie Kuan Yin is 11 years old and has been baked once that I know of. It is a very impressive tea I must say. It is a lovely balance of fruity and a sort of nutty bitterness.
I only had enough water for three infusions, but they were wonderful! Next time I will be sure to take more water.
The first infusion was a mix of softer fruits like banana and maybe a hint of peach. If you let it sit in your mouth a think sweetness took over. The aftertaste was a bit nutty, not peanut but walnut?
Second and third infusions led to more of the nutty taste and a pine like aftertaste. I can't wait to see what all this tea has in store!

I try to have tea outside as much as I can. It is hard in the summer, but for some reason tea and nature just go together. Just sit and meditate listening to nature all around you with a nice cup of tea, it is an awe inspiring experience. That's what I did in this little bamboo forest. I encourage you to try it sometime.

Teaware and Li Shan Oolong

I finally have decent teaware!

I have two new yixing teapots and two new Petr Novak cups. The gray pot is a short spout to increase steeping time and really push flavors out of Oolong teas. The Orange-Red pot is a Zhuni clay pot that is my new favorite. Both pots are used best with Oolong teas. The two cups are handmade by Petr Novak, they are called "bark cups". They have an amazing natural feel to them they taste great with tea too! Alright enough about my new teaware. Onto the review!

I used my new Zhuni pot to brew this excellent tea.
The leaves smelt of flowers. A mix of orchids and honeysuckles with a hint of rose.
The taste was nothing like the smell at first.The brew remained a reddish orange for all four infusions.
The first infusion was very fruity, I could taste pear and something smooth like banana. A bit of Guava showed itself at the end too.
Second infusion was more floral, not really a strong floral taste but it was there. Different fruits began to show themselves the biggest of which being the pear again but with a sweet grass taste.
Third infusion became mainly floral, have you ever smelt an orchid? that's what it tasted like but sweeter and with a very slight hint of pear.
Fourth infusion was very weak it was just like rose water but sweeter.

All and all I enjoyed this tea very much. I will be having it on a regular bases needless to say.
Now that I have these pots all I need is a Gaiwan and maybe a couple other cups. I think it would be best to find an other yixing for puer as well.

And a special thanks goes out to Bret! thanks!