1746 Tasting Notes
Crap. Apparently, I like the natural oolongs equally to the flavored ones. I have yet to find a unflavored oolong that does really well in my tumbler. I have enough to test this one out however.
The vegetal notes are really brought out in my tumbler which is why use the flavored oolongs in them. Granted, you don’t use a tumbler for a tea that requires shorter steeping.
Back to this tea, I’m double fisting it with the On Wisconsin. I used boiling water this time and the milk notes are really strong right now. As in regular milk-not unsweetened whipping cream. Oddly enough, the creaminess are about the same for both the flavored oolong and this one. I put myself in a position with oolongs in general right now. It is not a bad one in which I’m scrambling to find cash (though I’m not in the best financial situation), but one in which I desire too much and want to spend less money on tea. I’m about to graduate from MSU and need to be smarter with my finances.
I did not expect the cup to have a green color. Talk about packing devotion to your home’s football team. My University’s school colors are Green and White, so the football reference does not bother me. The cheesecake flavor is also a devotion to the state for it’s famous dairy.
I brewed it at 180 F and 1 min 45 sec-1 teaspoon (half a sample package) and then waited till it smelled the way I liked for the re-brews. Some where shorter than the initial steep and some where way longer, as in 5 minutes in the late brews.
Well, I got this hoping it was like the Vanilla Cider Panna Cotta. It has the same essential taste without the clove and apple, not so much the vanilla. Like I said in the Apricot Tart Jade review, I prefer the Vanilla Cider Panna Cotta Jade Oolong because it had more flavors that I like-namely the clove and the apple, but this keeps me good company. The honey is what replaces the apple and it compensates pretty well. The florals are light, but pleasantly noticeable in the background. They were even more noticeable in the later re-brews. Overall, it is a sweet guiltless desert tea that I might get more of. I can’t wait to test it out in my tumbler.
…Crap. It excels the tumbler taste test. The floral, honey, and cream notes are accented with more water. No veggie notes or and very little fake-ness. My mom and brother who prefer sweetener in their tea also really liked it. This means I can definitely live with more of this tea. It also means that I am tempted to spend way more money on more tea I do not need. Crap…
Here’s to sampling! Surprised this one hasn’t made it to Steepster ’cause it seems like it would appeal on here. It had the same cheesecake type flavor the the Vanilla Cider Panna Cotta did, and one that kinda reminded me of a cheesecake flavored Butiki blend. Yes, I said Butiki.
This first cup was the best because I could taste the other fruits like the blueberry and currant with the apricot. They were really nice over the creamy and sweet note and light texture. The later cups emphasized the currant and the cheesecake.
My only criticisms of this tea were the apricot and the candle quality of the cheesecake flavoring. Apricot is a hit or miss of a fruit for me personally, and I usually don’t like it blended in my teas though I do not mind it. The other fruit flavors in the tea are what made me really enjoy it. As for the candle quality, the flavoring was so creamy that it was a little bit waxy. I can avoid it personally by shortening the steep or adding a little bit more hot water.
This was a beautiful tea and it actually comes pretty close to my enjoyment of the Vanilla Cider Panna Cotta, but I like vanilla, apple, and clove more than apricot. It’s a shame to see that this one didn’t sell as well, though, because it is a good blended tea.
I had to say goodbye to this one before I sent the rest of it off to hawkband. The dry leaf is ugly and woody. But the brew is excellent. I enjoy this tea so much more than last time. Apparently, an over leafing mistake was enough for me to put it off for almost eight months. I was also particularly anxious, and the GABA effects weren’t as potent.
But this time, they sneaked up and gave me a really nice euphoric buzz lasting for the hour I am spending with this tea. The taste is equally as excellent. The grape note was the most noticeable thing by brewing about 3-4 grams in 6 ounces at 180 F. The first steep had 30 seconds and the later were shorter increasing from 15 seconds upward by ten to fifteen added increments. What I enjoyed this time was the honey note and the personal lack of a vegetal quality. Instead, there were florals that I did not previously pick up, specifically florals that you would find in a white wine. This tea really is much closer to a white wine which was why it was my personal favorite of the GABAs from Taiwan Sourcing. The vendor even put mulberry on the description, which I agree with.
This really was the best GABA I’ve ever had. And to think I was in search of the perfect fruity oolong with florals, and it came from a more oxidized one instead of a Jade. I am going to miss this one terribly, but I am going to be so happy to share it. We’ve had our time together, and if I really wanted to, I could just order myself some more. hawkband, like I told you, you are going to be in for a treat.
Sipdown! I tried this less than a week ago, and I am again today…only I really upped the grammage and did short steeps.
I’m so glad I did. This tea has some really sugary florals. The aroma reminded me of snicker doodles oddly enough. The taste also had a little bit of a cookie quality hidden the flower stems I got. Sugarcane is the word I’m thinking of. The florals themselves are also very bright, and come close to mostly to hyacinth, then maybe lilac, orange blossom, and something else but I am not sure. It’s a little bit fruity, but barely. That’s why I would pick orange blossom to describe it. Hyacinth dominated overall. The majority of the Golden Tea Leaf Oolongs have the same hyacinth note, though some others shift in quality towards lilac and others towards honeysuckle, jasmine, and gardenia. The Ali Mountain had the lilac folded into its thick and flat milky body for example.
In short, this was a light sweet and floral stemmy tea. I brewed 6 oz using 4-5 g (I really did not pay attention-the bottom of the steeper was covered two layers over) beginning with 30 sec, 20, 15, 25, 30, 45, 50, and so on to longer minutes in the later steeps. I brewed by scent and it worked out for me.
There were no blueberry and very little flowers left over. It did not turn blue, but the taste was still wonderful. It looked like and tasted like a hot Canadian Ice Wine. I got four steeps so far and counting. All western.
I’m surprised no one else has written about the tea. It is a very good white blend. I’m also surprised this kept so well in my cabinet for over a year. Cheers to a happy new year and to preserving old jewels.
I’m a little bit confused. I had a loose leaf package labeled “Pine Oolong” and wondered if it was indeed the loose leaf version of this tea. It matches the notes described, but the loose leaf does not have the same light roast taste that I get with the sachet. It actually has stronger florals and a bit of a honey note in the smell and taste.
I am LOVING the crap out of it, but a part of me wonders if this is the Pouchong. The florals remind me more of one, and the website had this description: " Brews to a melon yellow with a floral fragrance, a hint of citrus and green apple. Very easy to drink." This is closer to what I am getting and almost want some more. I dig me some apple notes in a really light oolong. I’ll let this develop, but man, whatever this tea actually is-which I think might be the pouchong-it is pretty close to what I wanted.
My feelings are way to mixed with this tea…
Do tell.
Tell me yours. I really want to see what all your thoughts were on this one :)
To me, it was the best oolong for the quantity and price. It has the minimum floral-coconut taste that I really enjoy for an oolong and unlike the Mandala’s, it tasted oddly more natural. Lately, it’s been TOO buttery and thick which I really am not a fan of. I love me some savory notes in my oolong, but this one has too much. I am able to get the creamier, more subtle sweet notes in really short steeps with a lot less leaves. Think 2-3 grams in 6 oz for really short splashes. Sometimes, I’ve used a minute, 30 sec, and 15 sec for the first steep which turns out nicely. The middle steeps become too vegetal and thick whereas the later steeps with the flavor pushed out become more preferable.
If I were to describe a distinct difference from when I first had it, it would be that the flavoring didn’t taste as heavy. That was a winter crop, but I do not know how much of a difference it would make. More than likely it’s just me. I will keep on playing with it and probably keep the steeps super short. I really enjoy the florals when I catch them and the flavor when it is lighter, but only when it is lighter.
Have you ever smelled plumeria? That’s the floral note that I’m after. That or lilac. Anyway, your thoughts :)
Thank you, Daylon. I do very much enjoy your commentaries on tea. What I need to do is track this particular tea down and steep some up again. I haven’t been drinking oolongs much in the past few days. And currently, I have just blasted myself with maple, as in MAAAAAPLE. My tastebuds might take some time to recover. In my recollection, this tea was very light on the cream and butter, which was my problem with it—I wanted the sledgehammer approach to milk oolong that day. Call me a neanderthal. The floral aspects of it did come up.
My comment really does the tea a disservice as I am not sitting with a cup of it in front of me.
No worries. :) Some maple sounds frickin’ fantastic…as I type to you an hour late.
I did wander over to where I thought this packet of jin xuan might be, but nope. I’ll turn up. Eventually.
Most of other notes already covered the basics. I have had black teas processed closely to how this one was and they have not been as good. The other dark Jin Xuans I’ve had are usually to “ripe”, thick, or sweet nevermind I enjoy naturally sweet teas with some texture. I love that this has very little astringency and bitterness. In terms of notes, I got the honey mostly followed by the honeysuckle, caramel, and orange. It was actually very similar to What-Cha’s Vietnam Red Buffalo, but the mouth feel was a touch heavier and more malty making it more obvious that this was a black tea.
Out of all the black samples from Golden Tea Leaf, I would drink this one the most often. Like Amanda said, this tea was also very forgiving making it a better option for leaving the leaves in the brewing apparatus, namely a tumbler. You might be able to Gong Fu it, but Western is easier. A part of me actually liked this more than the Gold Red Tea (though I liked the complexity more of the Gold Red), and I definitely preferred it to the Sun Moon Lake since I like lighter black teas. I do drink Yunnan Gold Buds often, after all.
Not a bad black tea to try if you are trying to expand your hong cha horizon, and definitely good for those who like forgiving and softer black teas.
