First of all, let me say this – I haven’t actually had a straight oolong in AGES. I make them all the time for my boyfriend (his favorite type of tea) but I haven’t had one in a longgg time. Come to think of it, I haven’t had a gongfu session in a while either! I got all caught up in my flavored teas that my poor straight greens and oolongs and gaiwan have been left to the back of the cupboard :( well, time to remedy that!
This came to me as a free sample from Verdant, thank you! I The dry leaves smelled fresh and green, like buttery greens, as do most oolongs to me. This one in particular reminds me of fall.
I did a quick rinse, then steeped for about 5-6 seconds before pouring into my double wall glass cups. The aroma is delicate and mildly sweet, at first I thought it was cinnamon, but I think it’s the incense coming out. Haha, I just looked at the description and cinnamon is listed, happy I could pick that out!
As for the taste, mmm very nice. At first I honestly couldn’t taste very much lol, my poor tastebuds are used to POW flavored tea POW sweet POW chocolate as of late, but now that it is cooling I am tasting a beautifully refined, delicate oolong. The first steep doesn’t have as much mineral quality as a few other oolongs, or that really strong green oolong flavor, but it’s only the first steeping. It’s mildly buttery and floral, with a trickle of spices somewhere in there too. Not much kettle corn yet, but I imagine it will come. I like it! Hopefully I don’t get too waterlogged tonight having a few more cups of this :) thanks again Verdant for another solid sample tea!
ETA – Yes, there is the kettle corn in later steepings and also the smell! I cannot get over how much a tea can change in flavors throughout multiple steepings :)
Flavors: Butter, Cinnamon, Orchids, Plants
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I go through those phases too. Straight teas all the time, or flavoured teas all the time it seems.
Me it’s more focused on types of tea – chais, black teas, oolongs, etc..I guess lately has been rich, flavored blacks lol..oolongs are normally a spring tea for me, but this one is buttery enough to be good on this cold night :)
Actually oolongs strike me as spring-like too now that you mention it. I steeped Gui Fei last night, but it didn’t work out so well, and it was back to my black teas this morning hah.
It might also be that I love the spring tieguanyins haha so fresh and floral! Awe it’s no fun when a tea doesn’t work out and you end up going back to the staples and never drinking it again :( I’ve had that happen with a few as well
Sounds yummy.
It is quite good :) flavor is still going strong after 6 steeps between myself and the bf :)
yummy stuff..
I go through those phases too. Straight teas all the time, or flavoured teas all the time it seems.
Me it’s more focused on types of tea – chais, black teas, oolongs, etc..I guess lately has been rich, flavored blacks lol..oolongs are normally a spring tea for me, but this one is buttery enough to be good on this cold night :)
Actually oolongs strike me as spring-like too now that you mention it. I steeped Gui Fei last night, but it didn’t work out so well, and it was back to my black teas this morning hah.
It might also be that I love the spring tieguanyins haha so fresh and floral! Awe it’s no fun when a tea doesn’t work out and you end up going back to the staples and never drinking it again :( I’ve had that happen with a few as well
Sounds yummy.
It is quite good :) flavor is still going strong after 6 steeps between myself and the bf :)
yummy stuff..