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This tea is a light fermented Wuyi Oolong which means the leaves were grown in a specific area in the Fujian Provence of China. Even though this is a light Oolong it is remarkably toasty in the first infusion. Not toasty like a dark roasted Oolong but a lighter flavor version that retains the complexity without the strength.

The second infusion loses a lot of the toastiness and really showcases the floral undertones and sweetness. Don’t get me wrong it still tastes fermented. This is absolutely no where near a pouchong but it does have that kind of lightness to it.

Anyways light but complex flavor.

Brewed 3 minutes. Taken Plain. Sampling first and second infusions.

UPDATE:
Tried a longer steeping time because of going over the other reviews and wondering if I just got a weird batch… no I didn’t.
My initial steep was for about 3 minutes. Putting it up over 4 does bring out a darker side with a deep toasty flavor that could be considered bitter. I just think it’s heavier… but I can see why others would have called it bitter.

Taken plain with multiple infusions.
Awesome oolong. Buttered toasty start with a sweet toasty flower after taste. I know that sounds weird but that’s the best way I can think of to describe a straight down the middle oolong. There are traces of floral notes in the smell of the brewed tea but the dominant flavors are all of sweetness and toast and yummy.

Taken with milk and sugar.
Wow CHOCOLATE!
And only 3 components that usually go into chai which are cardamom, cinnamon and ginger.
This is pretty fantastic. sip
I tried this without milk first and found that the cardamom over powers a little bit when the milk isn’t there to chill it out. With milk though it has the same after taste as that Indian dessert that is a frozen yogurt and cardamom mixture which is kinda similar to egg nog without that weird nog texture. And the fact that the Indian dessert is frozen solid. sip
About half way through the glass you get “used” to the chocolate taste so the flavoring spices and the tea start to show up a little more. The tea flavor is a good base but there is absolutely nothing stand out about that at all.
Spice wise… at first I thought that the blend might have been a little cardamom heavy but the ginger and chocolate are evening the flavor out quite well.
My only wish would be to have a little more cinnamon in the mix cause I do like that little kick but if that’s my only complaint with a chai they are doing pretty good. And I can put that in myself. :)

Taken with sugar.
Light flavor profile with the white tea being followed by a blue berry after taste. The is a floral current running through out that adds depth but there is also a slightly medicinal quality lurking in there some where. It’s very faint though. Just enough to make me keep thinking about the fact that it’s there but it’s not strong enough for me to figure out what’s causing it.
It might be an after effect of the blueberry flavoring…
Anyways…
I’m not throwing it out but I’m not buying it again either.
meh

Taken out of the bottle…
How is black tea the first ingredient in this bottle? You can barely taste it… it’s there down at the bottom past the kitchen sink and everything else that isn’t tea…
Is the tea good? I don’t know… I can’t tell. I wanted caffeine. I chose poorly.
This is not going to wake me up at all.
And unfortunately I can’t hate it cause it’s absolutely DELICIOUS. It’s not tea though… it’s like fruit dipped in tea and then gnawed on.
It’s really good though.
But I’m going to fall asleep.

Taken plain.
This is my favored kind of green. Buttery toasty and calm. No spinach flavor in the cup just a calm green tea that I can eat anything with.

Taken Plain.
Mint and toasty goodness. That’s pretty much all you can say about this one. It is somehow both refreshing and smoothly savory at the same time and none of the flavors fight with one another.
Which is pretty neat.
Definitely worth a shot.

Taken plain.
Starting is a sweet smooth chrysanthemum taste with a floral over tone that fades quickly to sweet and toasty and then finally to the white tea base.
This tea is exactly what Golden Moon advertises and it is wonderfully smooth and calming.
Pairing chrysanthemum over the white tea adds interest to a very simple flavor and accents the mouth feel to make this a more full bodied tea.
The tea leaves prior to brewing show full chrysanthemum buds so if you have certain plant allergies you may want to check to make sure this wont bother you.
But if you can drink this it is wonderful.

Taken with a sprinkle of sugar.
As with the vast majority of Golden Moon teas this blend demonstrates a balance between flavoring agent and tea. Neither fight for dominance. Both can be tasted. Which is awesome and something I think more blending professionals should aspire to.
It seems that the rose is the balancing part of the tea. First hint is of an almost tin-ie (for all of you non-musicians out there tin-ie is a description for a sound that has no resonance… most commonly piccolos and trumpets… you know… the annoying instruments ;p ) black tea. After that the rose flavor develops over the black tea base.
Obviously this is extremely floral but the rose flavoring does not become a perfumed mess when chilled which is nice.
What makes this blend work though is a tertiary flavor that reminds me of teas that are defined as smoky. Think Lapsang super duper light. I honnestly don’t know if this is a quality in the leaves they chose to blend with or if they added a bit of oil or what-not but I’m pretty sure that’s what keeps the flavor in this blend together.
Anyways… pleasant treat!