I should have added this last year. I have too much of this 2019 Tea, and have neglected it.
2.5, 3, 5 minutes western, not a lot of strength. It sits in a weird crossroads between being a white tea and an oolong, with the bag being labeled oolong. It used to be under the white tea section on the website, and don’t sell it at the moment. I know that technically, white is further from the oxidation of an oolong on the spectrum, but the flavor profile is in the middle too combining primarily fruity and floral elements.
A few oolongs from the Himalayan mountain range I’ve had tend to have a lot of the qualities of first flush or even second flush blacks, other bai haos, and on the rare occasion, oolong. If were to drink this one blind, I’d guess white. White grapes is extremely prominent in aroma and flavor, almost like white grape juice, with some lilacs in hints and wafting in the aroma. The aftertaste is crisply vegetal like peas as written, with a cooling effect on the tongue in the aftertaste like freshly cut cucumbers. Sometimes it swings more on the fruity end like riesling with a little bit of dryness that’s pretty nice.
I’m curious to see what other people think or experience, but has anyone else ever got the sweats from Himalayan Teas? I like Darjeeling, but I find myself sweating with the white and green teas from the area more than I do with most blacks. Any time I’ve had this tea, it’s made me a little sweaty, somewhat jittery. Granted, I DRINK A LOT OF TEA, so it could be the caffeine left over from other tea, but even when I’ve done this solo on a day, I’ve gotten the sweats.
So overall, I like the refreshing flavor profile of this tea and would highly have to recommend it for white tea lovers that like a fuller and defined profile without sacrificing its more gentle florals, but this one hits me pretty hard on the detox end.
Flavors: Cucumber, Floral, Grapes, Peas, White Wine