Huang Jin Gui

*Quick note.

This feels like a budget Ti Kuan Yin. Very similar in various aspects that some might even think it’s the same tea (I’ve read somewhere that Huang Jin Gui is in reality a variety of Ti Kuan Yin, whether that’s true or not I don’t really know).

This tea is very VERY aromatic, I brewed this gong-fu style and as soon as the near boling water hit the leaf, I was hit by a very nice spring-like floral aroma. Taste-wise it’s good, very light in taste though. Sweet with a slightly thick body. Other than that, it is a very straight forward (Anxi) green oolong.

I did like this tea, reminds me a lot of TKY but fresher, greener, lighter, and more about aromatics rather than the whole package. Good as an everyday option I guess.

My main gripe with this tea is its lack of personality. Yes, it has a light floral taste. Yes, it can be infused a few times. Yes, it is a quality tea for the price, it is easy to drink and is quite enjoyable. But there is absolutely nothing to remember it for, it doesn’t stand out. It is very mellow and doesn’t pack enough either flavor or aroma to actually impress. The aroma is particularly weak, sadly, I’m totally missing out on Osmanthus notes. TeaSpring has a lot of amazing oolongs but this isn’t one of them.

One of my favourite’s oolongs so far! A great combination of a great taste and a affordable price! You can find a better oolongs out there for sure.. but they will cost you a fortune actually! I find this tea to be great for “tea-beginners” – it opens the doors to the world of oolongs at a bargain price, a nice thing to start with.

Still it is considered to be not as good as Tie Guan Yin in terms of quality, but it has a great aroma and quite a deep and complex taste for it’s price. It can withstand multiple infusions (even up to 7-8) really well and moreover the aroma and taste fully develops with further infusions. If you need a good, let’s call it “everyday oolong” – that is the choice!

Described as having a “flowery honeysuckle aroma” this is a very nice tea for those who enjoy floral flavors.

I’ve had both good and bad experiences with osmanthus flowers in tea. My first time trying it, it was paired with a rather bland oolong from a non-reputable dealer on eBay. It seemed generic. My second time was with Teavivre’s Osmanthus oolong, which I liked when I tried a sample of, then I ordered some and for some reason I had a change of heart. It was just so overpowering and artificial tasting to me (despite that it wasn’t artificial). I gave it to a friend. Later I had a blossoming tea, which I don’t drink often because they are usually not made with very good tea in my experience, but this one had osmanthus flowers in it and was really sweet and tasty. All that said, I just learned that Huang Jin Gui doesn’t actually HAVE osmanthus in it, but has a similar taste to it and it thusly named. Aha! Let’s give it a try.

The osmanthus scent in this tea is very light, so I think I’m on the right track to really enjoying this one. The first infusion yeilds a light, creamy brew with a hint of sunflower seed and very subtle notes of osmanthus flower that add just a touch of sweetness and a ghost of apricot flavor.

There are some VERY interesting raw puer qualities coming through in the flavor of the second infusion, or at least they are flavors I’d expect more from a raw puer. It’s hard to describe… sort of nutty with little hints of seaweed and evergreen forest, a sort of dew taste as well. There’s an almost minty hui gan sensation on the tongue after a drink.

Third steeping, this tea has a really delicate feel to it similar to a Jin Xuan. It’s kind of creamy and light. There are some hints of vanilla and clove in this infusion, though these are very light and they are paired with a light vegetal/floral on top with a nutty undertone.

By the fourth infusion the flavor is nearly gone already, so that’s no bueno. It’s very light and slightly creamy/nutty. I’ll end my review here.

This tea does remind me quite a bit of the generic vacuum packed oolongs I will get as samples when I buy teawares from vendors on eBay. They are never fantastic but sometimes enjoyable. I liked this one. It was better than some teas from really popular vendors on Steepster, but not one I’ll be interested in purchasing.

It’s not bad. I like Tieguanyin more.