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“Seems another case of, “really nice, but Butiki’s has an edge, not that I’d say no to either if offered of course”. I really like paper wrapped oolongs it seems, which is kind of surprising given...” Read full tasting note
“Mmmm. Uber-fresh, floral, and creamy. This is one of the nicest Bao Zhongs I’ve had in awhile.” Read full tasting note
“For a lightly oxidized oolong- this is wonderful. No vegetative taste, Just light and floral. In fact, this has opened my eyes to lighter oolongs. So far, I have been pleased w/the quality of...” Read full tasting note
“Tastes like lightly roasted white flowers with bits of peach. Soft jasmine-like aroma. There’s a slight nuttiness and tartness in the aftertaste—like chestnuts and cherries. Interesting!” Read full tasting note
Thanks to its incredibly sweet, floral taste, Bao Zhong Royale is an artisanal oolong with mass appeal.
At around ten percent oxidation, Bao Zhong Royale is a lightly oxidized oolong, but don’t let that turn you away from it – unlike lesser light-oxidation oolongs, our Bao Zhong Royale lacks the brazen vegetal notes that detract from the floral complexity Bao Zhong has to offer.
Grown in Ping Lin Taiwain, our Bao Zhong is twisted into wiry leaf formations with deep, variegated green hues. During processing, the delicate leaves are wrapped in paper for protection from damage. This years production was harvested in limited quantities from April 1 – 3, 2010.
The pale-butter-colored infusion smells of sweet jasmine, narcissus, orchid, lilac and lily, with delicate green undertones. The flavor is intensely buttery, creamy and floral, with hints of firewood, stonefruit and dried, unsweetened coconut. There is no astringency in the smooth, delicate, floral aftertaste, making this tea ideal for new tea drinkers and connoisseurs alike.
Like our Dong Ding Oolong, Bao Zhing Royale withstands multiple infusions and gets creamier as it cools. Katie, the “Tea Mistress” in charge of tea education at American Tea Room, considers Bao Zhong Royale to be a “top five” favorite tea.
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Seems another case of, “really nice, but Butiki’s has an edge, not that I’d say no to either if offered of course”. I really like paper wrapped oolongs it seems, which is kind of surprising given I usually shy away from delicate “girly” floral teas in favor of smoky or roasty or thick ones. Definitely wouldn’t satisfy one of my classic “jonesing for strong black tea” moods, but on a sunny work afternoon as a little light lovely breather I welcome these kinds of oolongs.
Wow, this is truly an amazing tea _ I was not expecting to like it as much as I did!
I must have brewed this perfectly – there was a sweet honey-suckle taste. When I mean that it was floral, it was truly floral. You can’t miss it. Wow.
I used their suggestion and steeped for 7 minutes.
The scent of the steeped tea is very light and floral. It is also sugary-sweet.
The taste when very hot is almost unnoticeable, I’ll have to wait for it to cool for better tasting.
As it cools the floral notes come out along with a smooth, coating feeling with a hint of the seedy/nuttiness common to Oolongs. The floral tones are the majority of the flavor, for sure. The more it cools the more intense the flowers get, but never perfume-ish. Very pleasant.
I’ve not been very impressed with the Oolongs I ordered from American Tea Room. This one is quite nice and my favorite, easily, out of those I have.
We are most sorry that you have not like our teas. Most of our teas – especially our oolongs are very highly regarded. If I might inquire have you been following our steeping instructions on the label and using spring or filtered water? I find our Bao Zhong very appealing and it is among the favorites of all of our teas, but then again that is just me.
When I ordered from the American Tea Room, they were kind enough to include a couple samples that I have been dying to try. Since I am really craving an oolong tea today I decided to try the Bao Zhong Royale Oolong. According to their website, this is a lightly fermented oolong which normally means there is a vegetal taste. Now this is great for folks who like green tea but personally I prefer to get my vegetables in other forms.
This is a unique looking oolong in that the leaves look like they have been carefully folded lengthwise. Apparently during processing, the leaves are wrapped into paper to protect them. It has a delightful aroma of jasmine, lilac and amber.
I set up my teamaker using a temperature setting of 200 degrees. According to the instructions on the package, the steep time should be seven minutes but I have never steeped an oolong over 3 minutes for a first steep so I did cut that back. Especially as I tend to resteep oolongs at least a couple times.
This tea brews up a very pale clear gold and the aroma is to die for. When I close my eyes and just take in the scents, I feel as though I am in a garden with jasmine, orchids, and lilacs. I have to admit that it has always amazed me the aromas that a pure tea can give off and I am sure that my husband thinks that I am really loosing it as I am wandering around the house sniffing my tea rather than drinking it.
But I really have to actually taste the tea to give it a fair rating and I have to say that the taste does not disappoint. It has a creamy texture with that slight oiliness on the tongue that you get from the best oolongs. The taste is naturally sweet and you can taste the flowers. I am also able to pick up hints of plums and fresh coconut. There is a slight dryness at the end of each sip that has you reaching for more along with a lingering aftertaste of jasmine.
Sipdown no. 6 of 2021 (no. 626 total). A sample.
Backlogging from the weekend. My original note relays a sad story about the loss of some of this tea, and now it is entirely gone — but it was lovely. As the original note said, flowered butter, all the time. I did steep it western in the Breville this time, and it was still quite special.
And oh — sad news. My Breville died after approx. 10 years of faithful service. It gives me an error message, which all online sources say cannot be reset and requires a customer service call. By the time you factor in the amount it will likely cost to repair and ship, plus the amount of time that is likely to take, I decided I should just get a new one. I found one on sale through Williams Sonoma. Hoping it arrives soon — it is quite cold here.
