Ti Kuan Yin

A misleading tea for me.. scent is pretty light, but I feel the flavor is more robust than other oolong varieties I have had. Has a lasting flavor, sort of nutty, and a little bitter. While it’s not my favorite blend, I do find it enjoyable.

Straw yellow, Nice leafy steamed greens aroma. Some jasmine flower too. Good, but not a standout.

Sample 8/19! My first Ti Kuan Yin oolong. Opening the packet, the smell reminded me immediately of honeydew melons and then lemon-berry sonic slushes :). The color is a beautiful pale green. Smelling the brewed tea reminded me of the broccoli and vegetables I got from panda express a couple of days ago (in a surprisingly good way haha!).. there might be a flavor in here that reminds me of sesame oil? The most identifiable flavor is vegetal without being bitter and also somewhat lemon-y. I’m a big fan.

Update: I feeel like there’s something floral here too maybe? Similar to the last oolong I drank only toned down 300%

Good slightly above average Ti Kuan Yin. Heavily floral with a 3 minute second steep actually being the tastiest cup. Great value as its good for many steeps, increasing the steep time with each cup.

Definitely a green tea, though it came in an “assam” tea sampler. It was OK, as I am not a big green tea fan.

First sips give off strong orchid flavor with a very green tea-like aftertaste. It is very enjoyable and has full flavor.

-edit
After drinking it more this , I would definitely order this tea again. A very nice tea for the morning.

99C for 20 or so seconds on the first infusion

Light color, nutty scent, smooth without much astringency, a slight hint of sourness
Collard greens.

Second infusion brings out more sourness, a fresh green bean flavor, the empty cup has a sweet, lingering scent.

In the following infusions, these attributes gradually lightened.

Another sipdown. This one just doesn’t wow me, but it’s a perfectly fine oolong. I’ve found Adagio’s oolongs to be a great introduction to this kind of tea, because they’re decent quality without being expensive. Their Dancong Aria got me into oolongs and still remains a favorite of mine.

Personally, I don’t love Ti Kuan Yin, so I’m probably the wrong person to be reviewing this. It’s light and slightly grassy with some honey notes. I’ve had creamier Ti Kuan Yins, but this is a nice afternoon cup for today. I’m too embarrassed to say how old this particular tea is (hint: very old), but it’s held up well, too.

I can’t wait to try this again in a couple days and try a longer steep each time. I’m giving it the highest rating I’ve given so far. This also is the last for me to try from my Adagio order of 11 samples.

The first steep was good (I followed what the sample bag said of 2-3 minutes). A little toasty, a little vegetal, sweet. Then the second steep was so much more floral. Like, shockingly so. But also nutty. And there was whiffs of mint now and then. I was expecting more vegetable to come out, but it didn’t. It stayed balanced with the now floral and nut. The third infusion held up well. Still some nutty, floral and sweet.

Longer steep led to a less gritty mineral-y first steep, and more of an integrated flavor. When I started with a 2 min first steep, the leaves didn’t open all the way. With the 3 min initial steep, the leaves more fully unfurled. I really enjoy this, but I don’t know if I enjoy it quite enough to justify the cost

A light, yet refined Fujian Oolong which displays perfume-like orchid aromas mixed with warm sugar cookies. The pale ivory color is so light that one might think it didn’t steep long enough… and because the tannins are forgiving you can steep longer than recommended without hurting it. Soft and supple mouth fell yielding to lovely palate which reintroduces the buttery sweet orchid notes with a mild nuttiness and subtle tastes of cooked vegetation. The tea finishes very smooth with a light acidic kiss that conjures up flavors of crushed limestone. I have had Ti Kuan Yin from a few tea merchants and this one is easily on par with the best. A great tea for relaxing or to have after dinner with a very light cookie. I will be getting more of this soon and would recommend it to anyone. Multiple infusions are possible and the price can make this a lovely every day tea.