Happy first day of 2016! My tea themed resolutions for this year involve creating a pumidor (I have a few ideas on how to do it with limited space) explore as many types of Dancong Oolongs as possible, get some work done on my much neglected tea book, and lastly keep my stash of tea more organized. Pretty much all doable things, even if I failed at celebrating New Years by going to be before midnight. I will just have to make up for it by partying really hard for Chinese New Year, but I always do!
Today we are looking at a tea from Joy’s Teaspoon, Milk Oolong! There are two different kinds of Milk Oolong, ones that are naturally creamy and ones that are scented/flavored, both are exciting in their own way, this one is in the scented/flavored department. As much as I love my straight Jin Xuan, having a well flavored Milk Oolong is like having a bowl of ice cream, not something I want everyday, but when I am craving it watch out. The aroma of the leaves is all sorts of whoa, this tea smells like dessert. Notes of vanilla ice cream, sweet cream, coconut milk, gentle distant honeysuckles, and a finish of sesame custard. Fun fact, sesame custard in Japan is known as Kuro Goma Purin and made from black sesames…since I cannot for the life of me find black sesames (which are a bit earthier than regular golden ones) I made the custard out of toasted regular ol’ sesame seeds. I am telling you this because that is what it smells like.
Gaiwan time for the leaves, and now my tea area smells like an ice cream shop. Let’s just say I was not surprised by the hovering cats and a hovering Ben, because the aroma really permeated the area. Notes of sweet vanilla ice cream, coconut milk, and sesame custard rise out of the leaves, and the liquid is much the same but with a nice addition of honeysuckles and a touch of vegetation.
From the first sip the ice cream comparison is still solid (note to self, come summer time cold steep this tea) it starts with a creamy mouth feel that goes very well with the creamy sweet taste. Yes, this is a sweet tea, strong notes of sugar cane and vanilla ice cream and a finish of sesame seed custard and lingering sweetness.
Second steep time, and the aroma is still going strong with note of ice cream. Along side the ice cream sweetness is honeysuckle, sesame custard, and a bit of vegetation, which mellows out the sweetness a bit. The taste is very similar to the first steep, a little less sweet but still just as rich with strong notes of vanilla ice cream, coconut milk, and sesame custard. On a whim I let this cup chill a bit (ok I got distracted) and wow, super sweet when cold…good to know.
Third steep, the aroma is still very creamy and sweet, but with stronger notes of honeysuckle and vegetation, the under Jin Xuan shining through. This steeping is still very creamy and sweet, notes of mineral and vegetation blend well with the sesame custard and a very distinct note of toasted coconut, reminding me a bit of coconut custard pie, yum! Like with ice cream, this is not a tea I can indulge in all the time, but it makes a wonderful treat when I am in the mood for a decadent pile of creamy goodness.
For blog and photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2016/01/joys-teaspoon-milk-oolong-tea-review.html
