Osmanthus Oolong

The Final Sipdown: Day 6
Decupboarding Total: 11

I had the steep time of Royal Phoenix Oolong stuck in my head so I might have massively underbrewed this. Oopsies. But I did end up going a little heavy on the leaf (just so I wouldn’t have to make a 4oz cup of this later today to finish this off) and I’m sure that helped things because this tea is really fantastic. It’s sweet and mildly grapey. There’s no astringency but a lot of sweetness, almost like the sweet/tart balance in a frozen grape more than a fresh one.

Unlike before, I’m not getting woodsy or honey but I am getting nectar. Grapey nectar. It’s pretty awesome. And gorgeous. As it cools, there’s a tiny tingle of astringency on the tip of my tongue and the frozen grape flavor begins to step back and the soft nectar flavor steps up. A little solid tasting something comes in, something like sweet bread? It’s fairly faint but adds a nice base note to balance the pretty.

I’m giving this last cup (yay for decupboarding!) a little points bump because this is now officially a tea I would pick up and park in my pantry. It’s a beautiful cup.
8.2g/12oz

Where have you been all my life?
Ahhhh! This is AMAZING!

I received a bit of this from LiberTEAs and I’m considering placing an order already!

This smells floral but also sweet and sugary and fruity! Almost like a combo of Apricots, Apples, and Grapes! LOVE the aroma of this!

There is a smooth-sweet taste and gentle floral notes on the tongue. A nice nutty/buttery aftertaste that makes me crave more!

A wonderful Oolong!

This is my last new non-decaf. tea to try. Kind of sad. I think I will let myself order some new teas when I get done with my first 8 week class so that I can enjoy them on spring break. Only 8 weeks till new teas, hooray!

This one surprised me with how light and sweet it is. I notice apricot in the flavor, but the aftertaste is a sweet grape that lingers. This would be a nice cup to have on a hot summer afternoon, since it’s almost refreshing in its fruitiness. It’s certainly a nice tea to have on this cold and dreary morning. The upstairs of our house is always much warmer than the middle floor where the kitchen and living room is. I literally gasped when I walked downstairs today because it is freezing on our middle floor! Today is a day when the fireplace needs to be on all day long. :) Thank you, KiwiDelight for this wonderful sample!

-Dry blend has small clusters of green and brown rolled tea leaves and small white and yellow petals.
-Dry leaves smell lightly of fresh flowers. Tea liquor aroma is of sweet fruits.
-Tea liquor is a clear medium yellow color.
-Light fruity apricot flavor and finish. Sweet grapey floral aftertaste that lingers.
-Best with sweetener.
-Very good tea. Light sweet floral and fruit flavors with a soft hint of grapes.

OMG! This is good. I love Tao of Tea… have I said that yet? This Oolong is so good.

I can’t talk now.

Must enjoy tea.

TY to ToiToi for a sample of this tea! Was nice to meet you at our Steepster meet!

OMG YUM! I ran this tea through my gaiwan and wow! It’s light and floral. The floral has this sunny citrus side to it, as well as a bit of sweetness. Second infusion the fruityness is mellowing out and I’m enjoying the wave of floral. The teeny yellow flowery Xs look very cute too!

Hmm, I may have to acquire more of this tea, or at least try another osmanthus oolong. Shoot, I’m supposed to be making dinner!

I bought tea advertised as “Osmanthus Oolong” by Tao of Tea, but the leaves I got are definitely a green oolong, not like the picture of the more deeply oxidized leaves! Mine are tightly rolled green leaves sprinkled with dainty little osmanthus flowers! I drink this pretty often since I got a big sack of it. I’m pretty relaxed about steeping times and temperature – I give the leaves a quick rinse to open them up, but then I use water that’s been boiled and has cooled off for a bit.

The first infusion, predictably, packs the most osmanthus flavor. The osmanthus combines with the oolong to create a bright apcricot inflected brew, with a sweet, fruity sparkling citrus quality and a lightly green floral tone. The apricot flavor reminds me more of dried than fresh apricot. It has a slightly astringent, sort of sour aftertaste, but that’s not necessarily a strike against it, as it seems in keeping with the fruity osmanthus flavor.

Subsequent infusions lose a lot of that sparkly quality and steer closer to the smoother, rounder flavor profile of a typical green oolong, but with a lingering fruity-floral finish. I usually get a good three or four infusions out of this tea before I move on! I like this tea in the mornings because of its refreshing, sunny flavor.

look im a simple bitch its an easy tea i love this stuff

At a dollar and a half per ounce for this heavenly brew, there is nothing to complain about. I’ve had Tao of tea before and never been disappointed. This oolong is floral, buttery and full. I can’t even think of how to best describe it yet; I’ll have to update this post once an impression sinks in. Its flavor lasts multiple infusions and is best drunk in a gaiwan. You could have this thing for dessert, no kidding!

This one surprised me. First time I brewed it, I didn’t like it at all – way too flowery – reminiscent of rose hips. Maybe a month later, I tried it again, and was very pleased. This is by far the most floral Oolong I’ve tried. You should really drink this one very hot, since the aroma and floral bouquet decay into a mundane, but never bitter cup of tea. Probably best Gongfu style.