This is one seriously floral oolong. It’s very light, very sweet, almost entirely devoid of savory notes. It’s got that unidentifiable jasmine-but-not-jasmine thing going on, floral-wise—I shared this sample with my mom, and she said the floral note (which I’ve gotten in lots of other green oolongs, although never quite to this extent) is honeysuckle, so there you go. Although I’m generally all for floral, I’m finding it a bit much here. I’m used to TGYs being more savory and having a bit more depth, and I do prefer them that way.
In a shocking break from my usual, I did NOT brew this one western style—I actually followed Yezi’s instructions. It’s nice to brew like this once in a (very long) while I suppose, but mostly I was reminded of why I do prefer western style. I just really like settling in with a large (or even mid-sized) cup of tea and relaxing; I don’t find all the measuring and timing and general activity enjoyable. Anyway, this time I did four steeps, and I can’t say I noticed a ton of difference from steep to steep. I feel bad for not loving this tea, but I just didn’t. I can tell the quality is high, though, and I can see someone with different oolong preferences really enjoying it. Thanks for the sample, Nicole_Martin!
