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Okay! I’m starting with my Fong Mong samples today! I picked this one out as a variety I haven’t tried before. The little leaf nuggets are smaller than the green oolongs I’ve had before. And they smell so floral and good! Like sun dried grass and lilacs. Mostly lilacs. I think.

I see that the instructions say to steep for 6 minutes. Eep. That’s a long time isn’t it? Maybe it’s for western steeping. I’m doing my usual gong fu style so I think I’ll do it my own way for now.

First steep: mmm… lightly floral. There’s a bit of something like cooked summer squash. There’s a light fresh sweetness with a clean finish. This might be a winner as a cold brewed tea. This tea definitely tastes like summer harvest vegetables to me.

Second Steep: More floral and lightly vegetal. It’s delicate and sweet. Vaguely fruity. I can’t place that fruitiness. Maybe a subtropical fruit of some sort. This tea is really impressive so far. The smell and flavor makes me think of a garden of fragrant blooms and fresh summer squash.

Third & fourth Steep: I combined these two. It’s getting a bit more vegetal now, but the floral character is still very strong! This tea is well named! It’s still very light and refreshing. Hmm..I think I’m detecting something like apple skin. It doesn’t leave any lingering dryness or creaminess or thickness on the tongue like other teas do. It is, however, smooth and comforting going down. Very very good.

Steep five: I spilled some tea on my pants. Now I smell awesome. :) The veggie and floral flavors seem to reach an equilibrium in this infusion. Still tastes light, fresh and lovely. I’m beginning to tire of this tea though. Ah, my fickle tastebuds.
The leaves have also opened up quite a bit now. They smell fantastic! Like the best smelling blossoms ever grown. And this is why I will always love green oolongs.

I’m going to save these leaves for later. Judging from their appearance, I can probably get one more steep from them, at least.