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I was excited to see this tea in my package from Daylon. I can’t remember whether I didn’t get it last year because I’ve had mixed experiences with milk oolongs or because it was out of stock, but either way, I’m happy to try it. I steeped 6 g of leaf in a 120 ml porcelain pot using 195F water for 25, 20, 25, 30, 30, 30, 45, 60, 90, 120, and 240 seconds, plus some long, uncounted steeps.

The name is promising and so is the aroma: violets, honeysuckle, milk, and other florals. The first steep is subtly milky and pleasantly floral, with honeysuckle, lilac, violet, and maybe some gardenia. I get a buttery honey note in the next steep, along with grass and that floral bouquet. I notice honey, milk, florals, grass, nuts, and whispers of roast in the next couple steeps. This tea has a thick body and is easy to chug. The next few steeps are very floral, with lilac and honeysuckle predominating, with milk, honey, nuts, and very light roast providing a balance. The nuts and roast get stronger near the end of the session, though they never become too sour or aggressive.

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this tea. The roast was just enough to get rid of the grassiness I often find in milk oolongs, and the florals and honey were lovely. I didn’t detect any fruit, but the flavours that were there made up for it. I particularly appreciated the ethereal violet florals in the first couple steeps.