I don’t think anyone can understand just how much I have been looking forward to reviewing this tea. One of my favorite desserts is sticky rice and custard, and my love of oolong teas is common knowledge. The idea of two things I adore seemingly combined was a dream come true. But would this tea stand up to my high expectations? Fortunately, it was excellent. I was not disappointed in the slightest.
I opted to prepare this tea gongfu style. After a flash rinse, I steeped 6 grams of loose tea leaves in 4 ounces of 176 F water for 7 seconds. This infusion was followed by infusions of 10 seconds, 15 seconds, 20 seconds, 25 seconds, 30 seconds, 40 seconds, 50 seconds, 1 minute, 1 minute 15 seconds, 1 minute 30 seconds, 2 minutes, and 3 minutes.
Prior to the rinse, the dry tea leaves emitted aromas of custard and sticky rice. After the rinse, the aromas of custard and sticky rice grew stronger. They were joined by scents of cream and fresh flowers. The first infusion released some subtle scents of grass and spinach. In the mouth, the liquor was very light, though I still detected relatively clear notes of cream, butter, grass, custard, and sticky rice. Subsequent infusions better brought out these flavors. They were accompanied by delicate impressions of lilac, honeysuckle, orchid, coconut milk, minerals, mango, and pineapple, as well as hints of pastry and seaweed. The spinach notes finally emerged on the palate too. Later infusions offered lingering notes of minerals, sticky rice, and custard that were underscored by traces of butter, grass, and seaweed.
I know I have said it before, but I am normally not one to go for flavored/scented oolongs. I may be steadily softening on that stance, however, since I have recently discovered a number of these teas that I like. I can safely count this one among that number. This was an exceptionally enjoyable oolong with a great mix of aromas and flavors. If you are a fan of similar teas and/or sticky rice, you owe it to yourself to try this tea.
Flavors: Butter, Coconut, Cream, Custard, Floral, Grass, Honeysuckle, Mango, Mineral, Orchid, Pastries, Pineapple, Rice, Seaweed, Spinach