92
drank Jasmine Oolong by Tea Ave
306 tasting notes

I have never had jasmine scented oolong, only white and green tea, so this will be interesting!

With a base of Jin Xuan, this tea has a very creamy scent after the first infusion. The wet leaves smell of buttery cream and jasmine flowers! Using a taiwanese scent cup set, the aroma of the tea is really light and sweet jasmine with hints of cream. The liquor is a pale yellow green and after drinking some of the tea I’m impressed by just how clean the mouthfeel is. There’s a cooling sweet sensation that stays in the mouth. The tea is so light and delicate, a real plus for a jasmine tea, as they can easily be overly flavored and come out soapy tasting.

One thing I love about Jasmine is that if you get a delicate enough one, the flavor is somewhat reminiscent of pink bubble gum. This one definitely has that quality, but the added creaminess of the Jin Xuan cultivar is a real treat. This is a wonderful pairing. One of the problems I’ve had with many of the scented oolong teas I’ve had before is that the base oolong tea was not a very great quality one and had too much of a vegetal or bitter flavor that overpowered the floral tastes.

I’ve noticed in my experiences with tea over the years that you can usually tell a poor quality oolong by the fact that the leaves come unrolled rather quickly and it oversteeps easily. With quality oolong in a gongfu style, they aren’t fully opened until the 3rd-5th infusion, whereas with cheaper ones, they tend to open fully by the 2nd-3rd. That said, this tea does not overbrew easily and opens more gradually, giving you more variation in flavor from one infusion to the next. By the third infusion, the leaves are not yet fully open and the flavor is still creamy and floral, not too strong. Still tastes clean and not dry or bitter at all.

By the 4th infusion, the aroma cup is giving off hints of buttercream and french vanilla. The tea now tastes very buttery and sweet, and the jasmine has a little more of a kick to it, though not overpowering still. The leaves are just about fully opened now. I am going to end the review here as I anticipate the next infusions will not be distinct enough to describe too differently. Overall, the flavor becomes more buttery and rich as you infuse it further, more creamy. The pairing of Jin Xuan (Golden Daylilly or “Milk” Oolong) with Jasmine really works well. This tea may be well-suited to those who like Jasmine but can’t stand when it is heavy and in-your-face.

Another great tea from Tea Ave. I’m really looking forward to their grand opening. There are so many teas I want to try!

Flavors: Butter, Creamy, Jasmine, Milk, Vanilla

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 0 min, 45 sec 4 g 3 OZ / 100 ML

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

People who liked this

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

Profile

Bio

Hi there, fellow tea lovers.

My name’s Lion and I’m a Gongfu Cha practitioner, so I usually brew with a gaiwan for reviews unless there’s a more suitable brewing method, like using Japanese teawares for Japanese teas. I tend to stick to straight loose teas and scented teas in general, seldom dabbling in herbal and flavored teas. My favorite tea is Kenyan Silver Needle.

Aside from tea, I’m a generally creative person. I love to cook, write fiction, draw, decorate, garden, and do just about anything creative I can get my paws on.

Animals are really important to me. I’m a lion at heart, and I strive to better understand, respect, and appreciate other animals as best as I can. I advocate for better stewardship of wildlife and captive animals. We’ve still got a lot to learn.

For a long time I rated every tea I tried, but these days I don’t rate them unless they’re exceptional and deserving of a high rating. Here’s my rating breakdown for my reviews with ratings:

0 = Unpalatable, harsh
25 = Unenjoyable
50 = I’m indifferent
75 = Enjoyable, average
90+ = The best, would buy more
100 = Incredible, a favorite

Location

Kansas City, USA

Following These People

Moderator Tools

Mark as Spammer