My friends went to China in Oct 2001 to adopt a baby and came back with my God Daughter Chloe, and some really good Ginseng Oolong tea. Elise went back with a friend for another adoption two years later, and another Ginseng Oolong tea, and this Ginseng Oolong tea is reviewed here.
I must say that the first Ginseng Oolong was better, due to it being a first experience of this type of tea, or the fact that it was brewed in a Tokoname teapot, or maybe it really was better. We all agreed to this fact.
To celebrate the Chinese New Year I chose this tea, and first cupped it last Friday night. The dry aroma was amazing and full of licorice. This tea is formed into pellets dusted with licorice and ginseng. The first two cups were steeped by info below.
The first cup wet leaf aroma was filled mostly with licorice aromas while the ginseng was noticeable but secondary. Wet leaf aroma in the second cup was slightly more licorice, with fuller ginseng aromas. In the third and fourth cups, the wet leaf aromas exhibited more ginseng and less licorice, with the licorice notes faded in the forth cup. The cup color was a medium yellow, getting darker with each longer steep (1.5 & 5 min).
The flavor in the first two cups exhibited amazing licorice flavor, not to intense—very delicious! The ginseng was well represented here, but the two flavors traded places in the third and forth cups. The ginseng was more prominent here and by the forth cup, the ginseng ruled the cup. I love the sweetness of the licorice, and the way it coated my tongue. My experience with straight ginseng is that it has a natural sweetness, but alone can be bitter if oversteeped. No bitterness was noted with it here and I found the ginseng to have a sweetness of its own.
Today, (Jan 24th), I made four more cups with longer steeping times and slightly more tea. First two cups were steeped at 1 minute and again the licorice came through beautifully and deliciously! By the third and fourth cups steeped at two and five minutes, the sweetness of the licorice faded and the ginseng and its sweet qualities edged forward. Today’s steeps were fuller and sweeter, and the two stars complimented each other well. There was no bitterness in the ginseng at all. The oolong itself was much less noticeable, and in the wet tea, there was much less actual oolong tea.
This tea is very delicious and sweet and relaxing, and for me addicting, even though the oolong itself was sparse. I love it just like I love my God Daughter Chloe. Happy Birthday Chloe!! :)))
Cupped: Fri, Sat, & Tue, January 20, 21, & 24, 2012.
Reviewed: Tuesday, January 24, 2012.
