Pine Grove Oolong

Another sample from the Traveling Tea Box, this is a four seasons oolong. Normally I’m not a big fan of them. I love floral oolongs, and four seasons definitely are but they just fall flat for me.

Brenden suggested a 1/2 tsp, 5 min steep with boiling water to emulate the first and second steeps and get a sweeter tea. Sounded good to me so I did so.

It was sweet, and it was far better than the other times I’ve tried a similar oolong. I just haven’t given four seasons a try in a gaiwan or my yixing pot and that might be something I do with this one. Orchid is definitely very strong here, with just a little honey and cream depending on the sip.

This was one of the mystery selections from the recent Whispering Pines Tea promotion. I can’t locate it on their website, but hopefully it will show up soon. This is a really good oolong. There isn’t much of an aroma dry, but as soon as the water hits the oolong pellets there is a wonderful floral aroma. After brewing it up, the liquid is a medium green-gold. This is a very flavorful, floral (I want to say orchid or magnolia)oolong but at the same time it feels light. There is no cloying aftertaste like I’ve experienced with some floral teas. The tea has a very clean feel to it and is easily drinkable.