Milk Oolong

Just as the tea description says, as soon as I opened the bag the creamy, milky aroma was immediately apparent. I was sure I was in for a treat.

So far I’ve had 2 cups and about to go for a third. As the tea aroma suggested, the brews were sweet and creamy. But, I didn’t find this any more special than another milk oolong I had tried a while ago (which was far less expensive). It was good, but not outstanding.

Gongfu Sipdown (2155)

Finishing off the sample I got at TO Tea Festival. The leaf is a bit coarse and broken, and this is definitely a flavoured milk oolong but the rich and creamy notes of butter and the slightly nutty and toasty green oolong base was exactly the cozy and nostalgic tasting tea I needed to gear up for the week ahead! It reminded me a lot of movie theater popcorn, which was perfectly matched with this buttery yellow teaware set as well.

Not for everyone, I know – but sometimes you wanna get slapped in the face with butter because butter is just good. This is great for those moments. Probably better Western though, I’d wager. Flavouring fades out after about three steeps gongfu…

Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/CpdCDThOHoc/

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzdLs9OLOZo

1.25 tsp for 300mL water @90C, steeped two minutes.

The packet says 100C water —that seems a bit high for an oolong. As it’s been a few years since I could drink a milk oolong, I am very hesitant to rise scalding the leaf with such hot water. So I did 90C.

I’m trying a sample of this for the 2017 Toronto Tea Festival. I signed up as a taster, said I like oolongs, and I and got in, and that meant a lovely box full of oolong samples. My last milk oolong was from DavidsTea, and, sadly, DT had gone to milk-flavoured oolong—not the same thing at all. The flavouring left an odd taste I did not like, and I’ve not tried anyone milk oolong since. I really miss it.

So this is a lovely surprise. I can’t confirm whether this tea has any flavour added. The strong butter notes make me wonder. I hope I’m wrong.

Dry leaf smells very buttery, more butter than cream. Dry leaves are tight-rolled and dark, dull green. Wet leaf after first infusion smells more faintly of butter and of mild green veggies. Wet leaves are a less dull but still dark green.

Liquor: pale gold, as one might see in a white tea. No down. Light to medium body; I expect this will lighten will subsequent infusions. Creamy mouthfeel without being heavy and coating.

Not a sweet milk oolong, but certainly not bitter or harsh. Some distant floral notes in the scent but no floral notes in the taste. Some hints of stone fruit as the liquor cools. Slight mineral finish that I really like. No astringency … but there is a gentle bite on the finish that makes me think of apricots.

This is only my third milk oolong. It’s more complex than I was expecting. I’m looking forward to further infusions.

This was a sample from last year’s tea festival. I had too much of this for one steep, and too little for two, so I kind of did my own thing here. Thankfully, it seems to have turned out decently.
It has a musty scent and flavour, but not at all in a bad way. There’s an aftertaste that I suppose is a bit like milk, though I’m still not entirely convinced at the naming. Still, it’s a convention, and milk oolong is very much a thing, so I shall not judge outside of my own experiences. (Though at the same time, I will mention that there may be a creaminess to it, though whether that is me thinking about the “milk” connection or not I do not know.)
The second cup, I will note, seems very fragrant. Somewhere between floral and musty again. (And again, not a bad sort of must, it actually goes more with the floral than anything. ah, I need to work on my vocabulary and palate both I fear.)
I think I will be able to get another steep or two out of this still, but we shall see!

I got this as a sample with my Tao Tea Leaf order. This review is for the first steep which was done in a 7oz mug with a Finum brewing basket.

The smell of the steeping tea really surprised me! It actually smells buttery or maybe more like caramel corn.

The taste is pretty different from the smell. I can only taste a hint of buttery-ness (which is good, since I don’t know how I would feel about buttery tea). It definitely tastes creamy and floral and is much more of a “green” tasting oolong, which I’m fond of. Oddly enough, the aftertaste reminds me a lot of apricot.

I admit that I am still exploring milk oolongs; this is my third one to date. For this session I brewed the leaves western style for a total of 5 steeps. I am not sure if this oolong is scented, flavored, or 100% pure, so I am going with the guess it has nothing added (there is nothing listed on the package or website).

First steeping: 2 1/2 minutes at 210 degrees. The aroma is quite buttery, almost like movie-theater popcorn. The flavor is creamy and buttery.

Second steeping: 3 minutes at 210 degrees. The fragrance is still buttery, with a faint hint of floral. The butter notes are still strong and I detect a slight flowery aftertaste.

Third steeping: 4 minutes at 210 degrees. The liquor still smells of butter but the floral scent is gone. I still get a strong butter-creamy flavor with an unexpected lemon (or tart citrus) aftertaste. I quite like this!

Fourth steeping: 5 minutes at 210 degrees. Very much the same as the third steeping. The butter scent and flavor is not quite as strong, though the lemon aftertaste is still present.

Fifth steeping: 6 minutes at 210 degrees. The fifth infusion has a weak, though still buttery, aroma. The liquor still retains the butter and lemon essences; both are fainter.

I would like to try further steepings but it is late. This tea does not have many ratings and is not rated extremely high, however I loved it. I envisioned myself eating succulent scallops while sipping this milk oolong.

Sipdown! I’ll see if I can do a total of 4 sipdowns today. This is the first.

I brewed half of this sample from Tao a few days ago gong-fu style with my gaiwan. I just brewed the second half now Western-style, and decided to toss the leaves after the first steep.

Western style, the oolong base really cuts through the creaminess of the milk flavouring. It’s a greener base as well, which I’m slowly realizing I’m not a big fan of. Ah well. One more down.