Rose Congou

Tea of the afternoon here – I did jivamukti yoga this morning and am going to restorative yoga tonight. Pretty impressive for someone with a fractured finger but I did have to modify some of the standing poses.

Anyway this is a really nice rose congou but I’ve had it for a while and haven’t been drinking it fast enough (story of my life). I think it has lost a bit of the rose flavor. Someday I should try this as an iced tea.

A classic, and one I’ve been missing for a while… just a simple rose-scented Chinese black tea. The tea is rich and coppery with a lovely rose aroma and flavor. It’s a strong floral that leaves a lingering sweet rose note on the tongue, but at the same time doesn’t come off as oily or perfumy like some rose teas. It also has that peppery note that I get from natural rose-scented teas.

The tea doesn’t need anything, it’s good hot and sans additions. But, this morning I’ve opted to make an indulgent latte, and it’s very nice that way, as well. The black base is girthy enough to take the milk, and the rose is strong enough to continue to be flavorful in its presence. I use sweet vanilla almond milk in my lattes, and the result is a cup of some sort of Middle Eastern dessert… very creamy, rosy, and sweet.

I’m finally starting to clean out some room in my tea cabinet now. I am preparing to finish the last of this after I type this review. To sum up everything I’m about to say, this is a very nice rose congou at a great price.

I prepared this tea by steeping 1 teaspoon in 8 ounces of 212 F water for 3 minutes. I’ve played around with my brewing technique on this one a little. I’ve found that I can steep this for around 5 minutes with no harsh flavors. I would say it could probably be left even longer without acquiring too much astringency. I also think this would probably make a great iced tea.

After infusion, the resulting liquor is a clear amber. Mild aromas of caramel, rose, cocoa, and cream were apparent on the nose. In the mouth, I picked up distinct notes of cocoa, caramel, cream, butter, and of course, rose. The finish offers a lovely and soothing mix of caramel, cream, and rose.

This tea is not at all complex or deep, but it is very appealing regardless. One thing that helps it is that it is super easy to drink. It also provides just enough black tea flavor to provide a semblance of balance to the floral notes. It’s nice. I recommend it highly.