Osmanthus Oolong

$16 for 50 sachets, i.e. 150 grams of oolong tea is a deal. I highly recommend a purchase for those in need of a floral oolong with all the convenience of a sachet form. Here is my review of it, along with a little epiphany in my tea journey about the osmanthus note.

I’ve had osmanthus oolongs before, and they are the floral hot Sprite of teas for me. I do like them when I have them, but I usually do not search for them because there is normally something I nit pick about the leaf base, whether the body is too roasted or faint. Given my experience with this companies oolongs as of late, I knew that the body of this tea would have a viscosity at the minimum, and the Jin Xuan base was heavily flavored with Osmanthus, which would transition into the tea since the taste is naturally a part of the tea. The heavy flavor also helps give the dry leaf sachets in the bag a candy sweet osmanthus scent amidst the lenin like smell of the bags.

The tea’s aroma brew varies from buttery floral greens to the same candy sweet osmanthus. Like the scent, the taste of each sachet has been slightly different, and I usually go for a western at 2-3 minutes, or let the sachet grandpa out in a mug. There are times where I can taste the Jin Xuan’s body more than the flavor, but that is not a bad thing since the Jin Xuan notes are actually better than others I’ve had. The texture is always thick and the notes always have a buttery honeysuckle floral taste in the body as a background for the osmanthus. A dryness appears every once in a while that reminds me of steel cut oats, which I know is a weird comparison. I’ve seen some red in the leaves of the sachet, so could it be from slight roasting? I don’t know. The tea is still very, very green and smooth.

Other times, the osmanthus is the star with the same body, but a lighter and sweeter overall taste. Here’s when I get a little bit of vanilla or a bit of a lemon approximation. I will say sweetening the tea hot or iced with a lemon slice really brings out the osmanthus and creamier notes. Sometimes, the tea can be so sweet and smooth that it reminds me a little bit of a Li Shan…which is a fairly hefty comparison that I would have not previously made.

Here is that epiphany: I like me some osmanthus notes in my oolong. There is no doubt that this is a Jin Xuan in how it tastes, but the osmanthus again adds a sweet quality that I usually get from my higher mountain addictions. I can now see why people use Osmanthus to describe the taste of the Li Shans and Ali Shans more, making this a deal of a daily drinker for my preferences, and osmanthus the descriptor I need to look for with sugarcane while shopping for oolongs.

The cold brews of this tea are also fantastic, and a little bit sweeter and crisper. It has saved my tookus in a few workouts, both refreshing me and giving me a stable, but light caffeine buzz while doing so.

Man, I filled too much space on this one. To sum it up, this is a great daily tea for Taiwaneese oolong lovers in sachet form. There can be a little bit of variety from bag to bag in terms of how strong the osmanthus is, but that really is not a problem with a good jin xuan for the base. It is approachable for newbie drinkers, especially those getting into greens, with sugar or honey, but especially lemon as an additive. I’d be interested to see what my more experienced friends might think of this one.