Orange U Slim

SIPDOWN #3 for the day!

Heavy on the oolong flavor light on the orange…it was an alright cuppa tho!

I’m revisiting this one today! It is very, very odd for me to pick an oolong, or really any non-black tea, for breakfast – but this was calling my name. It was a good choice too! I love the first infusion with its sweet biscuit-esque thing it has going on. I was a bit heavy handed with the milk though so it isn’t as good as it could be. I’m looking forward to more tasty infusions today!

I’ve been steadily drinking this all day. I typically haven’t loved the 1st and 2nd infusions because they are a bit harsh, but I added honey and milk (the tiniest amounts each) to those infusions and it tasted like a slightly sweet biscuit….so good, in fact, that the 1st and 2nd may now be my favorite infusions. I am currently on infusion number 5 and I think this is the last one…it is a bit weaker in flavor and I am ready for a different tea, possibly an herbal. 4-5 infusions is still a good number for this tea though. Quite impressive.

Prepared gongfu style in a beautiful blue and white gaiwan.

1st infusion – 30 sec
Strong, dark flavors, slightly bitter but definitely drinkable

2nd infusion – 25 sec
Much the same profile as the first infusion, but smoother with hints of orange becoming more prevalent

3rd infusion – 45 sec
More floral aroma, the crisp, earthy dark oolong flavor is starting to emerge with the orange pushed to the end of the sip and the aftertaste. This infusion is quite lovely and easy to drink.

4th infusion – 50 sec
Again, very floral aroma. The oolong and orange seem to equally share the stage in this infusion which is the most balanced so far.

5th infusion – 1 min
Round and flavorful. Delicious and well balanced in flavor.

6th infusion – 1 min 15 sec
Aroma is now of orange and the dark oolong flavor is back! Orange is not present in the flavor of the tea, just in the aroma.

7th infusion – 1min 25 sec
Good but very mild flavor. I think this oolong is at its breaking point but I’m very pleased with the number and quality of infusions today.

Decupboarding this one from a big pitcher of coldbrewed tea with a bit of simple syrup. Although I like this one hot, it really shines when cold.

This makes a great tea latte during the first infusion. Later infusions are great just by themselves!

I’m drinking this again today while attempting to get some schoolwork done. The end of this semester is really starting to catch up with me, it seems like all of my classes saved a huge assignment for the very end….

4th infusion, 6 minutes. This infusion has a more baked quality while having less of a black tea taste. It reminds me more of a hearty green tea with a slightly toasted rice sort of flavor creeping through with the orange. The tea is still pretty sweet like the last infusion, but I think this one is my favorite so far. I bet this tea could go on for quite awhile, so more notes to come.

3rd infusion, 5 minutes. By this time, the orange curls have unfolded a bit and are now making more of a presence in the taste of this tea. It is still backed by a nice black tea flavor, but the orange has taken over center stage. As a result, the tea is slightly sweeter at this infusion. There is a slight peppery taste coming through similar to what you expect to find in a Yunnan.

2nd infusion, 4 minutes. I know my plan for separate tasting notes for this tea were due to the differences in multiple steeps, however, this second steep is quite similar to the first. It is slightly less robust, but still mainly a black tea flavor without much of the orange coming through. This steep is more drinkable in my opinion due to the smoother characteristic that develops.

My daughter came by today and started brewing this tea up. At 3 infusions, the orange begins to shine through. At four infusions, the taste changes to a Japanese green tea. This tea has multiple personalities! She did all this in my Chatsford, which I have NEVER done, because I thought the leaves needed more room..but once again her fearlessness shines through with tea:) She began brewing at 3 minutes and increased each subsequent brew by one minute.

Nice amber brew with a delicate taste of orange. I love to drink this after a meal:)