142 Tasting Notes
My only comparison is Golden Moon’s Coconut Pouchong, which didn’t suit me at all. All I tasted there was a perfumey, inescapable coconut that lingered on my cup, measuring spoon, and I think entire kitchen all day. This is quite different. I taste a green, floral oolong with a light, warm, coconut overlay. I’m still not sure how I feel about flavored oolongs, but if I’m going to own one, it will be this one. It’s a light, balanced, complex cup, and I’m enjoying it quite a bit! UPDATE: I received this again as a sample and am really enjoying it. I went to review it (as better than the others I’ve tasted) when I discovered I already had. I suspect I like it better because the first sip was immediately after a bite of yogurt with honey, which works really well with it. Maybe I should consider stocking this after all.
It’s lovely. I don’t get much bergamot, but it’s a nice, slightly floral vanilla tea. I think I have a general disappointment in floral teas because I want to really taste those flowers, and aside from jasmine, I almost never do – it’s nearly always trapped in the scent and aftertaste. That’s true here as well. It’s still delicious, but I don’t know if it’s a keeper for me.
This is only my second Bi Luo, so I can only compare it with Golden Moon’s. Obviously, they’re similar, but this one is on the grassier side, with none of the burnt sugar note of Golden Moon’s. That note, along with the grassy/woody taste that they both have, gave the Golden Moon version a complexity right up there with my favorite oolongs. They are both just lovely, but I slightly prefer the Golden Moon for that reason.
The dry leaves smell like full-on granny style potpourri…and I LOVE that! The rosiness has faded quite a bit in the brewed tea, leaving a delicate rose aftertaste from a generally unremarkable white. To be fair, I’ve had only a very few remarkable whites and wouldn’t have expected a special one here. Still, I just love rose so much, and this is such a fresh, full rose, it may just stay in the collection.
Other reviewers have done such a terrific job on this tea that I feel bad – I have nothing to add to their notes and am simply noting for my own future reference that while this is a really delicious tea, I won’t buy it again since I don’t keep many black teas around and others from Mandala and Verdant will win out over this one. Still, I’m very much enjoying it this morning.
Is this a different base tea from DF’s other flavored blacks? At least I can taste this one, and it’s a reasonable OP. And the flavoring, supposed to be ‘apricot, fig, plum, strawberry, and vanilla,’ well, there is certainly a touch of vanilla plus ‘fruit.’ It’ll make a refreshing iced tea.
Looks like it’s time for a sheng-off. I really don’t want to launch my exhaustive pu-er explorations just yet and really just want to keep one around. I really, really love Mandala’s Wild Monk Sheng Pu’er Mao Cha. And I really, really love this too. This one leaves a trailing sweetness on my tongue, and it’s ’pu’er funk,’ for lack of a better name for that ‘pile of wet leaves’ thing, is lighter than the Wild Monk’s. That isn’t necessarily good or bad. Whatever, it’s wonderful, lovely, and bringing a light, complex, sunny note to my morning.
sorry to hear the Coconut Pouchong didn’t suit you. i personally love coconut, so i suppose it was no deterrent for me. one thing which struck me though, is how delicate the tea flavor is! (if you can see past the coconut..) did u find that to be the case? that it was especially delicate? not sure what ‘inherently oolong’ characteristics i was able to pick up.
pyarkaaloo, I’m not sure I tasted much oolong at all in the Golden Moon version, unfortunately, though I probably didn’t taste all that carefully after being overwhelmed by coconut. Maybe I just need to blend my own ‘hint of coconut’ oolong. ;)