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“This sample comes to me from KittyLovesTea, thanks! This isn’t a tea I am familiar with and I had forgotten what it was, so I was surprised to see little flower buds and petals in with the dry...” Read full tasting note
“It’s been a busy Friday and while my husband is away at poker I thought I would stay up late and have some tea. This was a new item that arrived the other day from NBT’s sale. The loose tea is...” Read full tasting note
Also known as Osmanthus Tea.
This has a pouchong tea base (oxidised between a green and an oolong) scented with rare osmanthus blossoms. The tea has a delicate sweet floral aroma which is carried through into the liquor.
Brewing Advice: One level teaspoon per mug, add hot but not boiling water (80ºC). Steep for two to three minutes
Company description not available.
This sample comes to me from KittyLovesTea, thanks! This isn’t a tea I am familiar with and I had forgotten what it was, so I was surprised to see little flower buds and petals in with the dry leaf. Also, I’m happy to see it is a pouchong, which makes me more excited than if it was a green base.
I looked at KittyLovesTea’s note in the nick of time; she says she would brew it for two minutes instead of three, and I set up my timer for three but was able to pull it after only a bit more than two. It smells green and vegetal and a bit floral, but osmanthus has a certain kind of floral aroma that doesn’t really seem floral to me. I know that doesn’t make any sense, but it always seems more like something in the tea than an actual flower.
This tea is a conundrum. When you first take a sip its all sweet and floral and lovely, and then slowly, lurkingly, a light bitterness grows on your tongue, wiping out all the good flavors that were there to begin with, even with a 2 minute steep. It’s built in a way that seems to be a feature of the tea, not a flaw, so I am guessing there is someone out there that likes this combo. I may try cold-brewing the rest of my sample to see what the result is then.
It’s been a busy Friday and while my husband is away at poker I thought I would stay up late and have some tea. This was a new item that arrived the other day from NBT’s sale.
The loose tea is rather cute with medium green short, twisted leaves with small yellow/orange Osmanthus petals dotted around. The mixture smells fresh and green, perhaps a little bitter.
Once brewed the tea soup is a cloudy golden colour that has a slightly sweet and ricey fragrance.
I’m loving the natural sweetness and slightly ricey and grassy tones that dance on my tongue. It’s similar to Genmaicha but not nearly as gluttonous or stodgy and this is also sweeter. I can taste the green tea which is slightly bitter yet vegetal but nicely manageable with the sweet floral Osmanthus. It’s quite strong and I think next time I would try a 2 minute steep rather than the 3 minutes I have done this time.
The tea picks up in strength as it cools and it becomes thicker and heavier to drink but the slow gradualness of it all makes it easier to manage.
Overall I like this blend, even more so than the Genmaicha. It’s light (to start with), sweet, green and quite relaxing. Very happy I bought this, my only negative point is the bitterness which increases more and more but this was only a cheap version.
