Oolonga Send Message

The description is right to the point.
Lilacs? Check. The aroma might not be strong and doesn’t drift up from a cup of tea but if you bring it to your nose and inhale – there they are – unmistakable lilacs.
Delicate, flowery liquor? Check. The flavor is very smooth, flowery and dry like white wine.
Sweet and refreshing taste? Check. Yes, indeed it is very refreshing and the light sweetness is there as well but hiding behind flower dryness and feels more like an aftertaste than a separate note.

The brew doesn’t have any oiliness or toasty qualities, it is pure, fresh and stands up to 3 infusions, the third still being tasty but lacking in aroma. And I like the name :) Definitely goes on my shopping list as soon as I run out of Adagio’s oolong #18. They have similar characteristics but this one is way better.

For some reason the leaf in my sample has some sort of yellowish tint instead of being jade in color… kinda sad looking. I usually brew this type of oolongs at 200F and this one is sensitive to high temperature, turning into grassy brew. Only after reducing the temp to 190 I was able to get it right.

The flavor is surprisingly mild. It has creamy, almost milky notes and is very sweet, with slightly woody, toasty background. The aroma is fleeting, I had to keep my nose close to the cup to actually smell something, which was floral and sweet.

I can’t say I’ve enjoyed this tea but definitely can imagine someone who would because all in all it is interesting, unusually tasting oolong.

Although not particularly pleased, at least I was kind of entertained with this tea. Its long, thin and wiry leaves smelled surprisingly of milk chocolate and it was a pretty strong aroma like the one coming from a freshly unwrapped milk chocolate bar. Not exactly what I would expect from a Darjeeling, even a green one, but it smelled tasty nevertheless so intrigued, I brewed some right away.

The brew is disappointing, the chocolaty goodness is mostly gone and what is left is lightly sweet aroma without any distinguishing characteristics. The taste again has nothing in common with Darjeelings and is mellow and vegetal instead, with sweet buttery notes. Overall it reminds me more of Chinese greens, without smokiness.

Photo-report: http://tiny.cc/vgd8j

If I was asked to describe this tea in one word – I would say “mind-blowing”. It feels like a mix of different teas and cultures in a cup.

To start with, the leaf looks like bald Silver Needle, it has some hairs on it but they are extremely short and close to the surface, not fluffy at all. The aroma is incredible. When smelling the tea out of the bag it is hard to believe that it was not artificially scented. I mean the scent is natural and very berry-like but too strong to belong to unscented tea, if it makes any sense, because nothing about this tea make sense to me. The flavor is indescribable – there is everything in there one can wish for – fruits, flowers, honey and all of that is blended with easily identifiable black tea taste. To top this off – the brew has the familiar color of Silver Needle and provides four tasty infusions.

Seems like a dream? There is also a catch – the price matches the quality and is quite high… but the experience is totally worth it. It is tea created for indulgent moments, not everyday consumption.

P.S. Upton is almost sold out of this, only 3 bags were left after I snatched one today. I can only hope it will be restocked in the future.

I must confess – my sample is old, I don’t even remember how old it is, even approximately… but there is a reason why it became neglected and spent so much time in the back of my tea cabinet. To start off, I’m very upset with the leaf quality, the sample almost entirely consists of small broken leaves rolled into very loose pellets. For this price I find it unacceptable.

Now to the taste. This is a lightly roasted TKY that tastes slightly woody, nutty and dry. I am not getting much of floral notes, more of irony aftertaste in the background. Oversteeping and/or subsequent infusions bring a lot of vegetal flavor which I don’t like. Can’t say much about aroma probably due to the age of my sample but it reminds me of hay and has some toasty edge to it.

Overall, I found this oolong unremarkable and overpriced.

I’m finishing off my sample right now and I’m still iffy about this tea… On one hand there is something about its taste that makes me think about repurchasing it. The tea is slightly sweet, buttery, refreshing and totally devoid of any vegetal notes that I don’t appreciate in green teas. On the other hand the brew feels way too light, I can’t get the impression of drinking tea-flavored or sweet-bun-flavored water out of my head as I sip. Aroma is virtually non-existent as well. I tried to vary the amount of leaf and steeping time but it hardly affected the brew quality.

The second infusion is even lighter, grassier and less flavorful. Seems like a poor value to me.

Unfortunately I haven’t found a peach flavored tea that would not taste/smell artificial yet… maybe such thing doesn’t exist at all because a peach flavor is impossible to replicate… who knows.

The best thing about this tea is that while it still tastes and smells artificially like others I tried before it, it isn’t overwhelmingly artificial. It has sort of light peachy flavoring that doesn’t attack your nostrils or taste buds. It feels juicy when it’s hot. After it cools down more woody taste comes through taking the edge of the fruitiness somewhat.

It’s perfectly drinkable but not something I would keep on hand all the time.

Meet the stronger, bolder and more sophisticated cousin of Adagio’s Green Needle.

Both teas seem pretty similar with pleasant bitterness and refreshing taste, Green Needle being cheaper though. Kai Hua Crescendo tastes more refined, has more pronounced flowery notes mixed with stronger bitterness. I don’t have any Green Needle left to compare them side-by-side but I do remember it being woodier and spicier than this one.

Overall I like Kai Hua Crescendo a little better but would definitely repurchase both of them in the future.

Photo-report: http://tiny.cc/CHqng

I’m kinda torn on this tea.

Both the dry leaf and the brew seriously lack in the aroma department. I can catch very light Darjeeling notes but they are hardly prominent. Also the leaf is very fluffy and I have to use a lot of it to extract the flavor.

On the other hand the tea tastes great. It is very pleasant and easy to drink, it would make a perfect everyday tea. The flavor is very mellow and light, fruity with Darjeeling background. I’m not sure if it’s close to the first flush or the second, if i had to make a call I’d say it’s something in-between.

Second infusion – 5 mins @ 190F. Less enjoyable. The initial sweetness is gone and the flavor is definitely drier and more astringent now.

Photo-report: http://tiny.cc/Sn2i0

Adagio doesn’t specify what grade this tea is but from what I can see it is full-leaf Darjeeling. It has some broken leaves and stems mixed in but for the most part the leaves are intact.

My sample is at least a few months old so it obviously lost some of the freshness but the tea is still great. It fresh, floral, slightly astringent and a little sweet. I usually don’t care for sweetness in Darjeelings but here it doesn’t bother me at all.

The flavor and taste are not particularly memorable but every note is well-rounded and very pleasant. It would work great as an everyday Darjeeling, I can see myself drinking it even in the evening because it is so smooth and relaxing.

Photo-report: http://tiny.cc/CdncR