It’s overcast and misty here, so not too hot for tea, and after jumping on the jasmine oolong bandwagon I have a little momentum going. Thought I’d give this a try, from the Adagio oolong sampler.
I quite like oolong and I quite like darjeeling so this sounded really interesting to me. I steeped according to the directions on the sample tin.
I get a strong, sharp fragrance from the dry leaves — a little like champagne. Hard to say whether the oolong or the darjeeling smell predominates. The leaves are a pretty mix ranging in color from almost black to pearly. The tea liquor is crystal clear and a peachy orange-brown.
Maybe I’m out of practice, maybe I didn’t use enough leaf, or maybe my sample’s a bit too old, but I don’t get the spices and complexity others have described. Instead I get an interesting sensation of having a see-saw on my tongue, with flavor swinging to something like a Formosa oolong with an aftertaste of tangy butter to a more musty, winey darjeeling flavor. I give it extra points for interesting, and for potential user error.
