the leaves need to really be brutalized; boiling water, long steeps, fiddling around with the leaves with the gaiwan lid and whatnot. once adequately abused, intense notes of jasmine, juniper, confectioner’s sugar, and dried apple skins make it all worth it.

I have been drinking Hairy Crab nearly as long as Scott has been offering this wonderful oolong. I loved it in its old quality, but the new offering puts a new level on things. The sweetness is noticeably stronger and I think I can get a few more steeps out of it, too.

This is a nice green oolong, got several satisfying thick brews. In my experience pushing the brew time only improved the intensity of the flavors without getting dry or bitter.

Unremarkable green oolong, reminiscent of a very sweet & floral tie guan yin.

I am a fan of the Anxi Hairy Crab, and this higher grade (but still very inexpensive) Hairy Crab is a solid daily slurper. I typically get 5 or 6 good steeps from this. I could get more, but with the price I like to just brew more!