I got another sample of this tea not too long ago from brandy3392, so I’m happy to be able to try it again. I think this was possibly the second-ever milk oolong I had had, the first being ATR’s, and so my experience was so limited that I’m not sure if I could really judge this one properly. After trying a bunch of milk oolongs I’ve never had one that has come close to ATR’s, probably because that one is actually an insane Tieguanyin, not a Jin Xuan or similar. I’m not sure if “Quangzhou” refers to the varietal or just the location of origin, because all I can find out about it is that it comes from the Wuyi Mountains. It’s a name of milk oolong that shows up at a lot, though.
Anyway, I steeped this one according to package directions this time, which was about 1-2 minutes longer than I normally would steep an oolong. The steeped tea smells floral, but also distinctly like buttery vegetables. And there’s definitely a milky creaminess there. I’m not sure I’m digging the four-minute steep and I would probably drop it back down… I tend to prefer my oolongs a little lighter steeped which doesn’t bring out the vegetal flavors as much. This tea is also fairly drying/astringent… I’m having a serious case of dry mouth right now! As the tea cools more and more of the buttery creamy flavors come out. I can see why people like this one but it’s not really for me, at least not in giant-cup-of-tea form… I will save the rest for my gaiwan and see how it fares in there.
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Those teas that suggest steeping times and temps dramatically different than what I have found to work with a particular class of tea do tend to throw me, as I think, “Well, they sell the tea, so they must know what they’re talking about.” Yet, I often find my tried-and-true parameters to work better than their suggestions. I think this is because we all expect something different from a tea. So, while what the tea retailer wants to get from that tea may be the same as what I want, it may also differ. No?
The first time I had this tea I steeped it at pretty much usual parameters, so I have done it that way. But I find that especially with green oolongs, steeping parameters that companies provide vary wildly, so I like to try their parameters out.
Those teas that suggest steeping times and temps dramatically different than what I have found to work with a particular class of tea do tend to throw me, as I think, “Well, they sell the tea, so they must know what they’re talking about.” Yet, I often find my tried-and-true parameters to work better than their suggestions. I think this is because we all expect something different from a tea. So, while what the tea retailer wants to get from that tea may be the same as what I want, it may also differ. No?
The first time I had this tea I steeped it at pretty much usual parameters, so I have done it that way. But I find that especially with green oolongs, steeping parameters that companies provide vary wildly, so I like to try their parameters out.