I posted a review of this tea earlier this afternoon, but realized in retrospect that I’d used the wrong leaves. I have two tea clips that look exactly the same and all the packages from Taiwan Sourcing appear similar, and I was obviously not paying attention. The reason I previously compared this tea to a green oolong was that I was mistakenly drinking a green oolong.
I wanted to buy this oolong in 2016, but it was out of stock by the time I was ready to make a purchase. This year, I got as far as adding it to my shopping cart during the Black Friday sale, but when I pulled the trigger a couple days later, it had all been snapped up. Thankfully, the people at Taiwan Sourcing must have recognized how much I desired this tea, and included a free sample with my order.
I steeped 5 g of leaf in a 120 ml teapot at 195F for 25, 20, 25, 30, 30, 45, 60, 90, 120, and 240 seconds.
I’ve never actually tasted a longan, but gather that it’s similar to a lichi. The first steep has notes of roast, honey, cream, lichi, and banana bread. It’s very sweet. The second steep adds roasted nuts and sesame seeds to the mix. Later infusions are a beautiful red colour and have notes of slightly burned banana bread, plum, spice, and dried fruit.
This is a rich, comforting oolong. I’ll have to buy the 2018 version if I get the chance. And next time, I’ll pay more attention so I don’t have to rewrite the review!
Flavors: Bread, Creamy, Dried Fruit, Grain, Honey, Lychee, Plum, Roast Nuts, Spices, Sweet
