I ordered several oolong samples a while back in anticipation of getting my Yixing pot and gong fu set. I have been rather busy this morning and had a busy day yesterday, so I really wanted a special tea time with hubby, and he agreed to join me.
I probably did not use enough leaf with this because the aroma of the dry leaf was so fabulous that I didn’t want to use it all, so I just divided the sample in half. The aroma of the dry leaf reminds me of osmanthus flowers in other teas I have – floral yet citrus-y. It made me swoon.
The first steep was good but weak as I chose not to do a rinse. I often drink the “rinse” because I find it good even if it does not live up to the beauty of the second cup. And the second cup was indeed beautiful.
I taste the same floral/citrus that was in the aroma, as well as a light mineral quality. The wet leaves have a strong citrus aroma like I would expect from a high quality citrus candy that promised a sweet and sour experience. That high note went high in the sinuses, making me want to sniff and sniff the wet leaves. But the flavor is not sharp at all, just nice and full of stone fruit, as described by the company. Lovely! The second cup may have oversteeped just a little because there was a hint of astringency in the aroma, though not the taste. It was not drying at all, so maybe I was simply still picking up the citrus aroma and perceived it as an astringent aroma. Either way, delicious!
The biggest surprise was when hubby said that it was good, and is his favorite so far of the teas he has been trying with me. That is surprising, coming from someone who loves his big mug of Tetley British Blend with milk and sugar, and almost no other tea!
