You all are going to laugh at how I steeped this one. I’m at work, so I don’t have my preferred oolong brewing tools – all I have in the office at the moment is a smallish brewing basket and some t-sacs. Not going to cut it for a big leafed oolong. So I took a giant pyrex measuring cup that my coworker brought in, filled it with the leaves, added exactly 8oz of water that I heated in my electric kettle, and covered it with a giant Gladware lid that someone left behind. When the steep time was up, I poured it into a mug through my tiny basket to strain. It may have been ghetto-fabulous, (and totally ridiculous) but it worked! The leaves had plenty of room to expand :-)
Okay, on to the tasting note….
Very, very nice. The dry smell is quite a bit milder? than some of the other milk oolongs I’ve had. Not nearly as vegetal.
Leaves opened nicely on the first steep – about 80%ish after 4 min. Fully opened after a longer second steep. Planning on trying a third steep in a little bit.
Taste: This is smooth and creamy, like a milk oolong should be. Not as vegetal as some others I’ve tried (I’m looking at you, Dobra), and not nearly as fussy. Pleasantly toasty, smooth, lightly nutty, and easy to brew – even if you’re limited in your supplies. Seriously, I just steeped this in a 32oz measuring cup.
Final verdict: YUM!
Love the MacGuyver-ing going on at work! :-)