I love that Hawaii has tea production, and I’ve been really impressed with the teas I’ve tried from this company. The black tea was sensational, and the white tea was one I actually got along with. I didn’t rate it off the charts, but I did say that if I bought one white tea, I’d buy the Tea Hawaii.
And this one is right up there, too. So very interesting. Definitely an oolong, but such a different oolong. The dry leaf has no sharpness, and some grassiness. The leaves are not dark, nor are they rolled like green oolongs. So I can’t easily categorize this just on sight.
Gaiwan. 195F. Rinse, 15 second steeps + 5 for each subsequent steep.
The tea is a clear, golden amber color. Also unlike either green or dark oolongs. Kind of its own thing.
The smell and flavor is very sweet and fruity. I smelled and tasted plums, or perhaps a very mild, sweet raisin. It has a sort of a creaminess to it, both in terms of mouth feel but also in terms of suggestion in the flavor. Not vanilla. Just the quality of creaminess.
I agree with the “elusive and complex” description, but I don’t really get “pine” or any of the things the company has it its description. Though there is a cooling aspect in the aftertaste. It’s a sensation, not a flavor.
And I continue to get plum in later steeps. The sugar-forward aspect of the sip falls off after the first steep, but it’s still fruity and very smooth, with no sharp edges.
Every time I have an oolong that isn’t from China or Taiwan, I am hoping it will not be so different as to not be an oolong while having its own uniquely wonderful flavor. Most of the time everything except uniquely wonderful is true.
This one is uniquely wonderful.
Flavors: Grass, Plum, Raisins, Sugar
