This tasting note is number 500 for me. Hooray! So excited to have reached this landmark. I had to pick a special tea to review, so Hand Picked Spring Tieguanyin from 2013 it is. The scent of the tea is very floral, green and a little bit sweet. I’m really looking forward to some of the flavors that I might find in this tea.
First Infusion: Oh, this is such a nice tea. I am always afraid of the floral hit of some oolongs, but this one is floral + such a light sweetness. I can definitely see the comparison of this to cotton candy as the sweetness is light and fluffy. Swirling around the sweetness and flowers is a bit of leafy, mineral, earthy note. I think this keeps it from getting too much like perfume, thankfully! The finish is very lightly buttered, asking you to come back for more.
Second Infusion: the floral scent is a bit stronger with this cup. It’s actually on the verge of being a little bit like stinky flowers.. jasmine often becomes stinky for me if it’s too strong. It’s interesting how much this cup changed from the first. It seems a lot heavier to me. Not a bad thing, but definitely noticeable. A sharp floral note dominates the sip, bit it ends with a nice cantaloupe flavor.
I’d like to keep steeping this one, but it’s time for dinner and I want to brew a few other teas before the night ends. This was a very delicious oolong with plenty of variety for those who want floral, fruit and sweetness over the course of different infusions. Yum!
woohoo 500!