The second of my samples from Angel at Teavivre. This is another win with me! I drank my last cup of Tealux’s Jin Xuan milk oolong last night, and while I found it to be nice enough, it didn’t really make much of an impression on me. That’s why I chose this one to try this morning. It’s much better, and I say that after only a couple of sips!
I used half the sample (approx 1 tsp). Although the guidelines say to use boiling water, I did allow my cup to cool a little before adding the leaves. That’s the way oolongs have worked best for me in the past. Once it reached about 180, I added the leaves and steeped for nearly 4 minutes. The liquor is a pale yellow green, and smells creamy and mildly vegetal.
To taste, this is unbelievably smooth! It has a gorgeous buttery texture and silky mouthfeel, and it tastes DIVINE! For an unflavoured oolong, I was really surprised how well the milk and cream elements came out. Obviously there’s not as much there as there would be in a flavoured oolong, but what is there is very natural tasting. In the initial sip, I get a creaminess first, which seems to “thin” into a lingering milkiness after a few seconds. Then comes the classic “oolong” flavour — a grassy, mildly vegetal flavour, with a tiny hint of mineral in the background. The sip ends on a sweet note, formed from both the remaining milkiness and the spring grass flavour of the oolong.
I went back for a second cup straight away! I’ve never been much of an oolong drinker, but it’s teas like this that make me seriously wonder why not. This is one I would definitely include in a future order — I’d love to try the flavoured version to compare, too! Thanks again to Angel and Teavivre for sending me this sample!
I love this type of oolong, ‘tho I have yet to try Teavivre’s version. I’ll have to get it with my next order.
I agree with you on this one, and I have Tealux’s version too, which I liked best until this one came around!