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Got my first tea of the month shipment from Verdant and figured I would try this one first. The dry leaf is delicately rolled and lightly oxidized….still a lot of green color their. I gave the leaves a quick rinse with 190 degree water and got started.
First infusion(5sec.): Very pale in color with light berry and possibly currant notes. Taste is sweet and mildly creamy with berry in the background….looking forward to the next infusion and having that berry come through more.
Second infusion(5sec.): Color slightly darker. The berry is still hanging in there and now there is a predominant toasted character. Flavor is stronger berry with sweetness giving way to light olive. Mouth-feel is creamier.
Third infusion(5sec.): Sweeter still berry but creamy mouth-feel is more subtle. A dryer spiciness is coming through in the finish.
Fourth infusion(5sec.): More floral in the nose. Berry is gone from nose mainly to toast. Sweetness falling back. Vegital coming into the picture still with pepper spice finish.
Fifth infusion(5sec.): Rotated leaves as per instructions. Mostly vegital with the spicy finish. Sweetness is pretty much gone.
I will probably do a couple more infusions to see where it goes but overall a very nice tea with complex subtle flavor. I will double the steeping time next to if it intensifies or just makes bitter.

Upon opening the tin, the blend of flower pedals contrasting against the black tea looks elegant. The dry leaf smell is strong chocolate. The wet leaf does not expand much when brewed. The liquor is still strong chocolate with a under-lying cream scent. Body is light to moderate with the first sip. The chocolate is not as strong as you would expect from the smell. There is a creaminess that coats your mouth which is very pleasant.
I could smell this tea dry all day, but I wish it was a little more complex brewed.

Bought this from David’s Tea Westport store. When I first opened my 1oz bag I immediately was brought back to childhood with the smell of apple chips. Not a professional description of scent, but the was the memory it triggered. With that was light spinach and toast.
I started my first infusion per the directions provided…1 1/4 tsp. for 4-7 min in 200F. I went with 4 because anything more seemed to be long to me for an oolong.
The spinach has fallen to the back and more of the toasted notes come forward after steeping. Nice moderate mouth-feel.the first taste that comes to mind is star fruit with a mild briskness in the finish.
Didn’t get that milky coating in my mouth that I have gotten from other milk oolong’s but the taste is very pleasant and worth trying. I would steep closer to 3 min. next time to push back that briskness.

Wow! Talk about a good quality tea. Every leaf after steeping is whole and not ripped. This tea was quite pricey, but the delicate hands and care that have gone into processing this tea is impressive.
This nose is lightly vegetal…light greens and snow peas.
The first sip immediately coats your mouth with this velvety smooth texture and has moderate mouth-feel.
The flavor is light spinach with subtle toasted notes. Honey keeps coming to mind with the light sweetness, mainly because of the creamy texture and mouth-feel.
One of my favorite oolongs to date. Out of the oxidation spectrum for oolongs, this would fall toward the lightly/less oxidized end giving way to more vegetable notes than toasted.
I did 4 infusions and the flavor kept coming. Maybe that will level out the high price.

I was pleasantly surprised with this tea. I usually steer away from Puerh because the few that I have had in the past tend to be strong and taste to much like dirt….for a lack of a better word. This was nice and smooth. Cocoa, earth, and some light smoke on the nose. No bitterness going down.