Oriental Beauty

T&C Box 13/18

Getting down toward the end of the list of what I wanted to try out of the T&C box. As of right now the number is 17, although there may be one or two more I’ll sample if I feel like it. I might as well have a taste while it’s here!

This is the last oolong I haven’t tried out of the box. I decided to have it now because I was just out shoveling and it is cold (-3 Fahrenheit!). I need a little pick-me-up after that, and oolongs are my favorite pick-me-up.

This is wonderful to look at and smell. The leaves are a rainbow of colors and the smell is gentle and slightly fruity. I’ve used a heaping teaspoon in about 6 oz. of water here, mostly because these are not my teas and I’d feel bad using any of the smaller samples up! I know I’ll be replacing them with my own, but still.

Even slightly off from the recommended instructions this seems to have done okay. It’s very rich and full-bodied, and there are some juicy fruit notes in there. I’m also getting some wood notes, and I understand the comparison to pastry, but the peachiness is strongest and absolutely wonderful. Apricot and peach notes in straight oolongs are my favorite, possibly because the first oolong I tried had a strong peach note. Another beautiful oolong from Butiki!

Had my sample fro Stacy as my after dinner tea…I’m not sure exactly why I picked this, except perhaps I wanted a tea with some caffeine to see if it might help with a headache that has been annoying me for a while, but not strong enough to warrant taking a pill and also perhaps for some digestive aspect post meal.

Oriental Beauty has long been a favourite oolong of mine…I think it was Teavivre I first had it with, so I was super stoked to try this one.

I admit I was surprised that I needed 2 tsp for my serving, but it proved to be right. I actually let the water cool and timed it and everything…I did NOT want to desecrate the one shot I had at making this tea.

It’s wonderfully light, yet full bodied, and like a sweet honeyed chocolate. I am going to bet now, but I hope to have a resteep of this in the morning, or later. Definitely tasty.

I did 5 steeps with this tea and I think I enjoyed the third and the fourth the best…they had more cream, honey and butter in the taste. I found this tea had the following: peach, vanilla, honey, and woodiness and some spiciness. With each steep I did a quick rinse of the leaves and then I steeped for 40 to 60 seconds, increasing the time a bit with each steep.

I’m finding these Oriental Beauties are some of my favorites!! I must explore more of them!! They all have a sort of indescribable quality to them! Mesmerizing,,,like all the yummiest flavors in your life meshed together on a flavor trip. No floral, no harsh roast, no astringent. It’s some really good tea for me!
Thank u Terri H for this sample!!!

Backlog:

A delightful Oriental Beauty. Orchid is the first note that my palate recognizes. Then I taste peach-apricot like notes. Sweet and delicious.

The first cup was quite floral which kind of took me by surprise, because with a typical Oriental Beauty, first I usually notice fruit notes. A soft, silky texture and a delicious, honeyed finish.

The second cup was more luxurious and sweeter with more apricot-like notes. A slight nutty background note that almost tasted of pastry.

The third cup brought out more of the nutty flavors and more of the buttery pastry notes.

Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2013/10/14/organic-oriental-beauty-oolong-tea-from-butiki-teas/

Easily my favorite oolong, this tea has a honeyed richness nothing short of ambrosia. The complexity of flavors actually made me think this was a blend at first.

The name of this tea is rather fitting as it is a thing of Beauty. After several cups I am still picking up on new subtle notes that just make this such a wonderful tea. For me the rich honey and fruity layers were most dominate and makes we want to describe this as a gourmet orange pekoe – but that wouldn’t do this tea justice. At the back of the palate some woodsy almost smokey flavors are detected which just adds further depth to this blend. I have found that unlike most Oolong teas, my first steep was hands down the best with subsequent steeps falling a bit flat. This is likely due to most of the honey notes dissipating after the initial steep. Even with this said, this tea is wonderfully crafted and will be given a permanent spot in my cupboard.

I really like this one. Very mellow and sweet – definitely notes of honey and fruit in there. I like how both the color and flavor seemed to grow with each successive steep. I did 5 steeps of this and didn’t notice a drop in flavor. I find it fascinating that little insects give this it’s unique flavor too – all around a very neat tea!

My first oolong from Butiki. After I brew it the first time per package instructions it had a lovely honey scent. I tasted a bit of honey and an apricot aftertaste with some very mild floral notes. The flavor profile on the first brew was really mild

The second brew the tea got more character and the flavor profile was more accentuated.
I enjoyed this cup of tea and I will do a cold brew to see the difference in favors. Great tea

This was… just okay. I expected more sweetness. There was certainly some, but it wasn’t quite what I wanted. Will have to give this another shot to see if maybe my brewing parameters were off. Or, you know, perhaps it’s just too old.