Jasmine Scented Oolong Tea

With the gaiwan I opted for brewing using water at approximately 80 degrees Celsius. I used 2g of leaf and gave the leaves a quick rinse in hot water before steeping the first infusion, which I let sit for 15 seconds. The colour of the liquor was a pale golden yellow reminding me of straw. The flavour was richly floral sweet, the beautiful Jasmine at the forefront of springlike vegetal notes and a sweet cherry finish. There’s a bit of honey in here too.

This lovely flavour continued across all infusions as I continued, added 5 seconds to the steep time with each infusion. I think this might be my new favourite oolong, actually. by the 5th or 6th infusion I noticed some mineral notes starting to show through. That sweet floral and cherry has beautiful longevity. By the 10th infusion the mineral note was stronger and the other flavours were waning so I made that my last. By this point I was very impressed with this oolong.

For someone who loves floral oolongs, I don’t drink many flower-scented teas, maybe because I had a few in my early tea discovery days that tasted like they were drenched in cheap perfume. Thanks to Fong Mong for letting me give these teas another chance. I’m actually surprised that others haven’t reviewed this jasmine oolong before (or maybe it’s under another name and I can’t find it in the database).

The 6 g sample I received presented a brewing quandary. I have no medium-sized vessels, only small gongfu teapots and large 355 ml mugs. I usually use at least 4 g of leaf for these mugs, which would have left a measly 2 g for another, probably disappointing session. Instead, I opted to brew the whole shebang in 185F water for a number of short steeps: 1:30 minutes, 2:30 minutes, 4:00 minutes, 6:00 minutes, and 8:00 minutes.

The first steep hits me in the face with its fresh jasmine aroma, and the taste follows through. Although I get some creamy and vegetal notes, the main impression is of heady jasmine. The tea is not in the least astringent. The second steep is very similar, though perhaps not quite so floral. By steep three, the fact that it’s an oolong is becoming more apparent. Steeps four and five reveal more grassy and vegetal flavours, but the fragrant jasmine is still very evident.

This is a highly refreshing tea that would be excellent iced. The jasmine seems real and not overly perfumey, although it does overshadow the oolong almost completely.

So does this mean I’ll seek out more of these teas in the future? Maybe, though I still like the complexity of straight oolongs. Nevertheless, I’m glad I got to try it.